Clippers Beaten Again as Harper Joins the Bulls : Pro basketball: Chicago signs free-agent guard for estimated $2 million per season.

Guard Ron Harper, who was suspended for one game last season after he likened playing for the Clippers to being jailed, gained his freedom Friday, signing a multiyear deal with the Chicago Bulls.

No terms were disclosed, but Harper is believed to have received the salary slot of $2 million per season that became available when Michael Jordan retired last year. Under NBA rules, the Bulls would lose the slot unless they signed a player by Nov. 3.

Harper, was not available for comment. The Bulls, however, have scheduled a news conference at their practice facility in Deerfield, Ill. this morning.

Harper, 30, became a free agent on July 1 after the Clippers balked at his demand for a $20-million, five-year contract. The Clippers reportedly offered Harper’s $2.4-million salary slot to free-agent forward Wayman Tisdale of the Sacramento Kings. Tisdale rejected the Clipper offer to sign an $850,000, one-year contract with the Phoenix Suns.

Harper began negotiating with the New York Knicks after contract talks with the Clippers broke off and reportedly was close to signing a $1.25-million, one-year deal to play in New York.

But Harper, who lives in a Cleveland suburb, had said that he wanted to play in Chicago because it’s close to home. The Bulls were the first team he contacted.

“He was our target from the first in July,” Chicago General Manager Jerry Krause told the Chicago Tribune. “He gives us an outstanding athlete, a fine defensive player, an excellent open-court player with a real good attitude, and a tough kid. He gives us that athlete at that spot we like.”

The Bulls, who have sought a shooting guard to replace Jordan, will have a different look next season.

Forward Horace Grant signed with the Orlando Magic and the Bulls have been trying to trade All-Star forward Scottie Pippen. Center Bill Cartwright signed with the Seattle SuperSonics and guard John Paxson retired.

“We pinpointed Ron as the combination scorer and defender we wanted, and he’s going to fit well into our system,” Chicago Coach Phil Jackson told the Tribune.

Clipper Coach Bill Fitch said he did not include Harper in his plans for next season because he was not sure Harper would re-sign with the team.

“When I look at the way (Harper) felt about playing in Los Angeles and what he wanted to make playing in Los Angeles, I haven’t built any real plans around him,” Fitch said. “The fact that he didn’t want to be here kept him out of any plans I was going to make.

“We’re starting right now to rebuild this ballclub, and you can’t even think about rebuilding it with people who don’t want to be here.”

Guard Terry Dehere, the Clippers’ No. 1 draft pick last season, will probably compete for Harper’s spot with rookie swingman Eric Piatkowski.

The Clippers’ second-leading scorer last season, Harper averaged 20.1 points, 6.1 rebounds and 4.6 assists but shot only 42.6% from the field.

Harper’s departure nearly completes the disintegration of the Clippers. Four of the five starters from that Clipper team have left.

Forward Ken Norman signed a free-agent contract with the Milwaukee Bucks last summer. All-Star forward Danny Manning was traded to the Atlanta Hawks last February for Dominique Wilkins and the 25th pick in the 1994 draft. Wilkins then left to sign a free-agent contract with the Boston Celtics in July.

The day after the draft, the Clippers traded disgruntled guard Mark Jackson and the draft rights to Louisville guard Greg Minor, the 25th player selected, to the Indiana Pacers for guard Pooh Richardson, forward Malik Sealy and the rights to Piatkowski, the 15th player selected.

Center Stanley Roberts is the only remaining starter. He played in only 14 games before rupturing his right Achilles’ tendon and currently is enrolled in a weight-loss clinic at Duke University.

Ron Harper’s Statistics

Year,Team G FG FT Reb Ast Pts. ‘86-87,Cle. 82 .455 .684 392 394 22.9 ‘87-88,Cle. 57 .464 .705 223 281 15.4 ‘88-89,Cle. 82 .511 .751 409 434 18.6 ‘89-90,Cle.-LAC 35 .473 .788 206 182 22.8 ‘90-91,Clippers 39 .391 .668 188 209 19.6 ‘91-92,Clippers 82 .440 .736 447 417 18.2 ‘92-93,Clippers 80 .451 .769 425 360 18.0 ‘93-94,Clippers 75 .426 .715 460 344 20.1 Totals 532 .452 .726 2750 2621 19.3

Playoffs

Year,Team G FG FT Reb Ast Pts. ‘87-88,Cle. 4 .476 .688 20 15 17.8 ‘88-89,Cle. 5 .565 .769 21 20 19.6 ‘91-92,Clippers 5 .448 .786 32 23 18.0 ‘92-93,Clippers 5 .474 .647 20 16 18.0 Totals 19 .488 .726 93 74 18.4