THE NBA : It’s Hard Times in Los Angeles as as Lakers, Clippers Struggle

Like most Hollywood marriages, it may not last, but it does look rock solid at the moment. The Lakers and Clippers are a couple. Not for better, but for worse.

They share misery and they share the bottom of the Pacific Division. They play in places where there is no playoff race. This is new for the Lakers, winners of five championships in the 1980s. This is same old same old for the Clippers, winners of four playoff games since the ‘70s.

This is life for professional basketball in L.A., where you can’t tell or pry these two apart.

Even the earthquake tried. It couldn’t. A natural disaster that separated neighborhoods and freeways only brought the Lakers and Clippers together under one roof.

When it caused minor structural damage to the Sports Arena, the Clippers were forced to flee and find temporary shelter. They relocated one game, their Jan. 21 meeting with the Cavaliers, to the Forum. There, the Clippers dressed in the visitor’s locker room, weren’t allowed to display their logo and drew only 9,298 fans.

Not that the Lakers are doing boffo box office themselves. They’re averaging 13,092, fifth-lowest in the league and a 2,000-a-game drop from last season. And the celebrity count -- always a meaningful statistic in the Showtime years -- has been reduced to a faithful Jack Nicholson. The Forum gets fewer stars in a month than Planet Hollywood sees on a good night.

The fall of the Lakers, inevitable as it was, has been hard. They played the Bulls for the championship in 1991. Three seasons and a deadly virus later, they jostle for lottery position. They played to make history then, as they do now, except for completely different reasons. These Lakers are on track to become the worst team since the franchise moved to Los Angeles in 1960. They’ve never been this bad after 41 games, as they took a 14-27 mark into Houston Thursday night.

One of the Lakers’ strongest backers doesn’t understand. He realizes that the team is giving youth a chance, that while Nick Van Exel, Anthony Peeler and Doug Christie may pay off in the future, they’re paying dues at the moment. And he knows the rest of the squad has nothing else except diminishing talent (James Worthy, Sedale Threatt) or diminishing potential (Vlade Divac, Elden Campbell).

“But I still think it shouldn’t be like this,” said Magic Johnson, who cringed his way through a conversation about his former team earlier this week.

He sat courtside at the Inglewood YMCA, just blocks away from the Forum, before his practice with the Magic All-Stars, the troupe of ex-basketball players fresh off a world tour and weeks away from exhibitions against Continental Basketball Association teams.

“I knew we were going to lose,” Johnson said, his “we” still meaning the Lakers, “but with all that youth, it should be entertaining, at least. We don’t entertain anyone. There’s no spirit, no pride. It’s bad, man. It’s tough to watch. I can’t stand to go to practice.”

Johnson firmly believes the Jerrys, West the GM and Buss the owner, will keep their summer vacations short. West already is anxious to deal. The Lakers virtually are assured of a high draft choice, and Purdue’s Glenn Robinson sure would look dapper in purple and gold. This summer also promises to be a boon for signing free agents, like Horace Grant and Danny Manning. And the trade route is always a possibility, although West doesn’t have much to work with.

Perhaps the Lakers might need a coach, too. Randy Pfund’s grip on the job appears to be loosening. He doesn’t have security past this season and hasn’t been guaranteed it, either.

When the obvious question is posed to Johnson, he gives a hearty laugh.

“If Dr. Buss wanted me to coach the Lakers, I would do it because he’s done so much for me,” he said, “but I’m not saying I want to coach the Lakers. You know, I could’ve been coach if I wanted to, because I had the chance. Other things have to be involved.”

Something like part-ownership, a requisite for any job Johnson takes in the NBA.

As for the Clippers, who are a lowly 15-27, changes are bound to happen, too. The Manning situation may be, should be, be resolved by the Feb. 24 trade deadline. Strong interest continues from Orlando, where the Magic is willing to swap Dennis Scott and Todd Lichti to make the salaries work under the cap and a few first-rounders to sweeten the pot. It isn’t value-for-value, but it doesn’t appear the Clippers will get that now for Manning, an unrestricted free agent July 1. Since Owner Donald Sterling is capable of anything, don’t be surprised if he keeps Manning a Clipper until the end.

And when Manning finally leaves, the Clippers will have blown a chance to own pro basketball in this town, which now intends to satisfy its basketball jones on the UCLA campus, where the nationally ranked Bruins play.

“You’ve got two teams in L.A. that are bad,” Johnson said. “This place isn’t crazy about that. They were able to take one. Not two.”

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The Clippers will welcome the return of John Williams this week. He spent three months at a weight-reduction clinic at Duke University and looks noticeably slimmer. “I had to come to grips about the fact I had a problem,” Williams said. Williams wouldn’t disclose his present weight, but the guess is that he’s less than 300 pounds. He’ll be activated from the suspended list for Saturday’s game against the Kings. Mark Aguirre was waived to make room. ... Buck Williams, an unrestricted free-agent-to-be, has just about given up hope the Portland Trail Blazers will re-sign him. So the 12-year veteran is auditioning for 26 other teams. He snatched 19 rebounds against the New York Knicks Sunday, a performance reminiscent of his days in the Meadowlands, and two days earlier celebrated his 1,000th game. The Denver Nuggets, looking for a veteran to help school their youth, have tried to get Williams in the past; they’ll probably try again. Who knows, maybe even the New Jersey Nets. ... Following their loss to the Clippers last week, the Timberwolves actually volunteered the excuse that they were indeed tired after being awakened by earthquake aftershocks.

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Monday, the Warriors’ Latrell Sprewell torched the Clippers for 20 first-quarter points and finished with 32 in a 110-96 loss. Golden State Coach Don Nelson said it would be “an injustice” if Sprewell was left off the All-Star team by coaches. “I’ve never had a player who deserved to be an All-Star more than he has,” Nelson said. Nelson did some last-minute lobbying for Sprewell, but it wasn’t needed. Sprewell made the cut anyway. ... In that game, Chris Webber had four assists, his average for the year. At this rate, he’ll average more assists in the last six years than any center since Brad Daugherty. “Think of what you’ll have with this team someday,” Nelson said. “His first priority is to pass, and how many great passing centers also have the ability to score? When you start with a big man who can pass, there are a lot of good things in store for your ballclub. We’re going to have a lot of fun for years.”