Long Season? Try an Eternity

Can the Clippers, who open the season tonight against the Golden State Warriors at the San Jose Arena, make the playoffs for the first time since 1992-93?

“Anything’s possible,” Clipper forward Rodney Rogers said. “But to make the playoffs, I think that’s going overboard because we don’t have [center] Brian Williams right now. I’m not saying he’s a one-man show, but we showed what we could do with him last year. And with the additions we have, along with Brian, there’s no telling what could happen.”

Williams became a free agent after last season and initially sought a $100.8-million, seven-year contract. Neither the Clippers nor any other team would give him that and he now is seeking a $35-million, five-year deal or $7 million for one season. The Clippers have offered $12 million for three seasons.

Williams may feel different after missing his first paycheck Nov. 15 but at the moment, it appears that the Clippers miss him more than he misses them.

“In this day and age, to try and pull a rabbit or a center out of a hat, it would be easier to pull a center out,” Clipper Coach Bill Fitch said. “Not having Brian has hurt us a lot because if we had him, we’d have been an all-veteran team and that big question mark [at center] wouldn’t be there.

“I know that when we had him, we were a pretty good basketball team. We beat some pretty good teams. With Brian out of there, we’re not as good as we were last year with him. That’s no surprise to anybody who saw us play last year.”

Williams averaged career bests of 15.8 points, 7.6 rebounds and 33.2 minutes as the Clippers showed the most improvement in the Western Conference with a 29-53 record.

“If Brian doesn’t sign, we’re going to miss him because of the numbers he had last year, but he’s not a one-man team,” said another center, the oft-injured Stanley Roberts. “He’s going to be missed. If the Lakers lost Nick Van Exel, that would hurt them, but it wouldn’t stop them. We’ve got to get the other players on the team to step up.”

If the Clippers don’t re-sign Williams, it could be another long season for Fitch, who underwent triple-bypass surgery after suffering a heart attack in August.

“We’ve got young, hard-working guys and I’d like to stick it out with them and see how they end up,” Fitch said. “I want to see if I can’t get these guys up another rung.”

While the Lakers were busy signing center Shaquille O’Neal to a $120-million contract, the Clippers signed centers Dwayne Schintzius and Kevin Duckworth.

Schintzius, Duckworth and Roberts, who has been sidelined 151 games over the last three seasons because of injuries, will replace Williams.

“If we get ourselves rounded up in the middle we’ll be a lot better than we are right now,” Fitch said. “And when I say that, it’s not just because Brian’s not here. But we’ve got two guys that are brand new and neither one is at full health and Stanley’s still not in condition.”

Signed to a $650,000, one-year deal, Schintzius, who has played for five teams in his seven-year NBA career, shot 18% in the exhibition season.

Duckworth, who has played for four teams in the last five years, signed with the Clippers after leaving a weight-reduction center.

Naturally, Schintzius and Duckworth don’t inspire the kind of hoopla O’Neal has generated.

“I’ve only been here two years, but it seems like they always want everyone to look up at the Lakers and look down on the Clippers,” Rogers said. “Everybody thinks that now that they have Shaq, they’re going to win. But when he was with Orlando they lost a few games. They can be beat. They haven’t won a championship.”

Duckworth, who made two trips to the NBA finals with the Portland Trail Blazers before nearly eating his way out of the NBA, thinks the Clippers have a shot at making the playoffs.

“This team is working hard,” he said. “I believe this team has a future to be in the playoffs. We have to play hard and play as a team.”

Roberts, who hasn’t played a full season since 1992-93 because of Achilles’ tendon injuries, came through the exhibition season injury-free and hopes to be productive.

“This is the first season I’m completely healthy,” he said. “I’ve got a lot of rust in my veins, but once we get into the season, I’ll get the rust off.”

Roberts thinks the Clippers have a chance to be competitive.

“If we don’t go off in different directions and get our heads on the same page, I think this team can be good,” Roberts said. “We’ve got a great team. All we’ve got to do is get off to a great start.”

Williams won’t be the only Clipper missing at the start of the season.

Guard Brent Barry, who won the NBA slam-dunk contest last February, is on the injured list because of a sprained thumb.

Barry was injured when he and Orlando Magic forward Horace Grant collided in an exhibition game Oct. 15 and is expected to be sidelined two or three more weeks.

Pooh Richardson and Malik Sealy figure to open in the backcourt, with reserve Terry Dehere, the Clippers’ top draft pick in 1993, playing either point or shooting guard.

Loy Vaught, who last season became the first Clipper since Michael Cage in 1987-88 to average in double figures in points and rebounds, and Rodney Rogers or Lamond Murray will start at forward.

General Manager Elgin Baylor hopes the club can build on last season.

“We had a great second half and if we could have [had a good first half], then we would have had a winning season, we would have been a playoff team,” Baylor said. “I think we can make the playoffs if we put all the pieces together and get Brian back. It’s not going to be easy because it’s a tough conference.”

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TONIGHT’S GAME

Opponent--Golden State Warriors.

Site--San Jose Arena.

Time--7:30.

Radio--KNEWS (540/1260).

Records (1995-96)--Clippers 29-53, Warriors 36-46.

Record vs. Warriors (1995-96)--1-3.

Clipper update--They open the season with back-to-back games against the Warriors and Utah Jazz. Center Brian Williams, who averaged career highs of 15.8 points and 7.6 rebounds last season, remains unsigned. Guard Brent Barry, who sprained his left thumb Oct. 15 against the Orlando Magic, will open the season on the injured list. The Clippers put center Dwayne Schintzius on the injured list to open the season because of a sprained right ankle.

Warrior update--They’re playing the season in San Jose while the Oakland Coliseum undergoes a $121-million renovation. The Warriors are without center Rony Seikaly, who failed to report because he wants to be traded. Guard Mark Price, who played only seven games with the Washington Bullets last season because of a foot injury, signed with the Warriors as a free agent. The Warriors hope Joe Smith, the No. 1 pick in the 1995 NBA draft, picks up where he left off last season, averaging 15.3 points and 8.7 rebounds. Chris Mullin, who sat out the final 23 games at the end of last season after tearing a ligament in his left hand, is injury free.

*

* SCHEDULE, ROSTER: C10

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ROSTER

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No Player Pos Ht Wt Birthdate School Exp 24 Terry Dehere G 6-4 190 9/12/71 Seton Hall 3 00 Kevin Duckworth C 7-0 300 4/1/64 Eastern Illinois 10 15 Darrick Martin G 5-11 170 3/6/71 UCLA 2 7 Lamond Murray F 6-7 236 4/20/73 California 2 45 Charles Outlaw C-F 6-8 210 4/13/71 Houston 3 52 Eric Piatkowski G-F 6-7 215 9/30/70 Nebraska 2 2 Pooh Richardson G 6-1 180 5/14/66 UCLA 7 53 Stanley Roberts C 7-0 290 2/7/70 Louisiana State 5 54 Rodney Rogers F 6-7 255 6/20/71 Wake Forest 4 21 Malik Sealy G 6-8 200 2/1/70 St. John’s 4 35 Loy Vaught F 6-9 240 2/27/68 Michigan 6 55 Lorenzen Wright F 6-11 240 11/4/75 Memphis R

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INJURED LIST

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No Player Pos Ht Wt Birthdate School Exp 31 Brent Barry G 6-6 195 12/31/71 Oregon State 1 33 Dwayne Schintzius C 7-2 285 10/14/68 Florida 6

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* Coach: Bill Fitch (23 seasons, 891-995 regular season)

* Assistant coaches: Jim Brewer, Barry Hecker

* Trainer: Ray Melchiorre