A Clipper’s Missing, but Who’s Counting?

Ending their streak of having everyone there when camp opened--at one--the Clippers start today at UC Santa Barbara with 17 willing players but without center Brian Williams, whose whereabouts and intentions remain unknown.

Clipper Vice President Andy Roeser and Coach Bill Fitch say Williams’ agent, Fred Slaughter, isn’t returning calls. Slaughter was unavailable for comment, since he wasn’t returning many calls from reporters, either.

Clipper officials are debating whether to write Williams off and go after a veteran like Oliver Miller, or wait to see if Williams relents. Fitch, skeptical that Williams will return, is taking the hard line; last week he announced if Williams wasn’t present when camp started, he didn’t expect to see him at all.

Roeser, playing the good cop for a change, says the Clippers’ $12-million, three-year offer remains on the table.

“Mostly I feel that [Fitch’s statement] was an expression of a coach’s anxiety to have a squad fully assembled for Day 1 of camp,” Roeser said. “The only way we would renounce Brian would be in anticipation of another transaction, whether it was signing a free agent or a trade.”

The Clippers say Slaughter has asked for a $35-million, five-year deal, or $7 million for one, which would make him a free agent again next summer. In the absence of another team with enough cap room to offer even half of their proposed $4 million a year, the Clippers say they aren’t going higher.

“Our offer is twice as high as the next best bidder,” says Roeser. “This isn’t my last offer, but it’ll be better than my next one.

“Will we continue to talk? Will we continue to consider different things? Sure, we’ll talk, but we’re not going to bid against ourselves. We’re not going to reward Brian for not making up his mind all summer.”

This opens the center position again. With rookie Lorenzen Wright ticketed for power forward, where he will be brought along slowly, Stanley Roberts--yes, he’s still here--and recently signed Dwayne Schintzius are what’s left.

Schintzius has some ability, but the Clippers are the fourth team to try to get it out of him in six years. Roberts has played 142 games in his four-year career here and, as usual, isn’t in shape.

“He’s over 300 pounds,” says Fitch delicately. “If you can carry it, I don’t care, but he has yet to prove he can carry it. He’s probably where he was at this time last year. Camp will have to tell if he can hold up to play the game.”

Loy Vaught is secure at power forward. Rodney Rogers finished last season as the starter at the other spot but never showed the Clippers everything they traded for. Lamond Murray--another disappointment, if a young, talented one--is being given a chance to challenge him.

At guard, Terry Dehere, a converted No. 2, will be given a chance to unseat the incumbent point man, Pooh Richardson. Brent Barry has been featured in Clipper advertisements but has yet to win the other spot from Malik Sealy.