Latest Clipper Loss Disgusts Wilkins

Dominique Wilkins has seen enough.

After watching the Clippers fall behind the Houston Rockets by 22 points in the first half of Sunday’s 106-98 loss before an announced crowd of 10,474 at the Sports Arena, Wilkins seemed disgusted.

“You’ve got to have pride in what you do,” said Wilkins, who had 36 points and 11 rebounds. “We’re not playing for the playoffs right now, but we are playing for pride. If you can’t play for that, you don’t need to be here.”

It seems that the Clippers (25-46), who have lost five games in a row and have been virtually eliminated from the playoffs, can’t wait for the season to end.

“That’s the wrong approach to take in a game,” Wilkins said. “It’s like once you lose a chance to compete for something, you quit. But in a sense you’re still competing for something, you’re competing for yourself and respect. And if you can’t compete for that, I’d say it’s time to go somewhere else. It’s incredible.”

Frustrated over missing the NBA playoffs for the first time in his seven-year pro career, guard Mark Jackson said he doesn’t want to remain with the Clippers unless the team is overhauled in the off-season.

“I’m tired of talking,” Jackson said. “When you lose, you have to have a bitter taste. You don’t laugh and joke when you lose.

“If it’s like this, I don’t want to be a part of it, because I’m about winning and this is a very tough time. But it’s a learning experience.

“This is my first time not being in the playoffs, so I know what it takes to get there. . . . It’s very ugly. We have do so something coming into next year. I think we still have the talent to do it. If we can get some guys signed and we’ll have a high lottery pick, so we’ll have the opportunity to get back where we were.

“But if the commitment isn’t there to make some changes, I don’t want to be a part of it.”

Clipper Coach Bob Weiss understands Jackson’s frustration.

“I think it’s important that we just finish up on the right note and just try to play well,” Weiss said. “I think (Jackson) looks ahead at what we can do during the summer or what we can do next year.”

Is Weiss, who has two years remaining on his contract, concerned about whether the Clippers will retain him?

“No, not really,” Weiss said. “I’ve got enough things to worry about. It’s out of my hands. In any position, it’s a waste of time to worry about things you can’t control.”

The Clippers looked ragged in the first half. After making 34.6% of their shots in the first quarter, they made 27% in the second.

“We’ve just got so many problems, so many attitudes, it just makes you sick sometimes,” Clipper center Elmore Spencer said. “You see the symptoms out there on the court.

“We still have selfishness and other problems going around and they’ve come back to the forefront. If I knew (why), I’d be the GM of a championship team.”

The Clippers were unable to contain Rocket center Hakeem Olajuwon, who had 39 points, 11 rebounds and six blocked shots in helping the Rockets (51-20) to their eighth consecutive victory over the Clippers.

“There’s not a 7-footer in the league that can do what he does with the basketball,” Spencer said.