CLIPPERS : Manning to Make the Best of It

All-Star forward Danny Manning, who was nearly traded to the Miami Heat before the Clippers rescinded the deal at the last-minute Friday, tried to put the controversy behind him Saturday night after the Clippers’ opened their exhibition season with a 132-117 victory over the Golden State Warriors at Anaheim Arena.

Manning’s agent, Ron Grinker, said Clipper owner Donald T. Sterling vetoed the trade, but the Clippers said the decision was made by the executive committee of Coach Bob Weiss, General Manager Elgin Baylor and Sterling because they believe that they can re-sign Manning, who will become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season.

“I’m in an L.A. Clipper uniform,” Manning said. “I’m playing for the L.A. Clippers and I’m trying to help the L.A. Clippers win games. That’s all I have to say, plain and simple.

“I don’t want to go through the season saying this every day. This is where I’m at, and this is who I’m trying to help win. It’s behind me. I’m not talking about it anymore.”

Manning scored 17 points, making seven of 10 shots, and had nine assists in 22 minutes. He also blocked a shot by guard Tim Hardaway.

Guard Mark Jackson was happy Manning wasn’t traded.

“We were ecstatic about it,” Jackson said. “We know that our chances with Danny are much greater than our chances without him. He’s one of the elite players in this league. We feel real good that he’s still here.”

“If they listen to guys like myself and (Ron) Harper, he’ll be here for a long time.”

Manning wasn’t the only Clipper who played well.

Forward Harold Ellis, a free agent who played in the Continental Basketball Assn. last season, had a game-high 25 points and grabbed seven rebounds, and center Elmore Spencer, who started in place of Stanley Roberts, had 15 points.

Guard Terry Dehere, the Clippers’ No. 1 draft pick, made four of six shots, one of them a three-pointer, and scored nine points.

Chris Webber, the No. 1 player in the draft, still has not signed with the Warriors. But there was speculation in a Bay Area newspaper that Webber would join the Warriors after the game and fly back to Oakland on the team charter. However, Webber did not show and remains unsigned.

“He’s still in Detroit,” Hardaway said. “He gets here when he gets here.”

Clipper Notes

Clipper center Stanley Roberts sat out the game because of flu. . . . The Clippers will play the Milwaukee Bucks at 6 p.m. tonight at the Sports Arena. All tickets for the game are priced at $5, with $2 going to the St. Jude Children’s Hospital in Memphis, Tenn.