Clippers Would Increase the Sports Profile of the Pond

Each year since the Pond opened, General Manager Brad Mayne has created a contingency plan on the off-chance the Clippers--or any other NBA team--took up residence in the arena.

Now, with the Clippers seriously considering a move, Mayne and other Pond officials may have to deal with the reality of a new, rather important tenant.

If the Clippers move in, the Pond would go from being the fifth busiest arena in the nation to No. 1 or No. 2, according to John Nicoletti, spokesman for the Pond. They must then find time for the Mighty Ducks, Clippers, Bullfrogs (roller hockey), Piranha (arena football), Splash (indoor soccer), plus an assortment of nonathletic events.

“That’s the challenge to having a successful arena,” Mayne said. “I wouldn’t be a very good booker if I didn’t think ahead about the Clippers. Having a contingency plan is what this business is all about.”

Mayne has blocked out 50 dates--the NBA minimum--for a Clipper 41-game home schedule. Those dates must be submitted to the NBA office for approval.

But arena officials would have to juggle the Clippers’ plans with the Ducks, who also have a 41-game home schedule. The Ducks already have submitted their 1996-97 schedule to the NHL, which will announce its schedule in early July, according to Disney Sports Enterprise spokesman Bill Robertson.

Nicoletti said the Ducks probably will have priority in the future because they were the first team in the arena.

“That’s standard procedure for most arenas,” Nicoletti said.

McNichols Arena in Denver gives the priority to the Nuggets, who have a lease through 2008, over the Avalanche, who have a three-year contact, according to Gary Lane, who books the arena. Both teams submit 80 dates and Lane then works to fit it into a schedule.

“There’s a lot of horse trading,” Lane said. “They both have goals for maximizing their attendance and sometimes those goals overlap. We hash it out on an individual basis. Cooperation is extremely important.”

Mayne hopes for the same give-and-take.

That would include the arena’s other franchises. Mayne said the arena must be prepared to host NHL and/or NBA playoff games in April and May, which could cut into the Piranhas’ Arena Football League season. The Piranhas’ first home game was April 20 this season.

“The league will push the season back two weeks next year because its teams use NBA and NHL arenas,” said Roy Englebrecht, the Piranhas’ president and managing partner. “We can work around those dates.”

The Clippers’ possible move has forced Pond officials to scale back long-term plans. They offered the Southern Section and CIF one-year deals for their basketball championships.

Both previously had three-year contracts. But Pond officials said they must keep dates available for the Clippers.

“We’re holding things back to see what happens,” Mayne said. “If we are fortunate to get the Clippers, then we have a plan and will implement it.”