L.A. Team Considers Pond Home Away From Home

So what if the Clippers spurned the Pond and picked the Staples Center as their new home? With no full-time NBA tenant on the horizon, the Pond invites the Clippers to continue their part-time residence in Anaheim.

The Clippers’ agreement to play an annual series of games in the Pond extends for another four years, but the team can opt out of the deal after each year, according to Clipper vice president of communications Joe Safety. The Clippers have committed to play nine games in Anaheim, including one exhibition, during the coming season.

Although the Clippers will move into the Staples Center for the 1999-2000 season, Safety said the team has not ruled out a continued series in Anaheim. With the Clippers ranking behind the Kings and Lakers in scheduling priority at the Staples Center, the Pond offers an attractive alternative for dates that might be unavailable to the Clippers in the new arena.

More importantly, Safety said, the Clippers might not wish to drop a series that draws large crowds. The Clippers may renew their part-time Pond tenancy, Safety said, “for the same reason we went down there, to successfully set up a series of games that would extend our trademark into that market.

The Clippers have attracted an average of 15,144 to 31 regular-season games in Anaheim. No game drew fewer than 10,000.

“I am in the business of booking events,” Pond General Manager Tim Ryan said. “If everything is worked out, I look forward to the Clippers playing a percentage of their season here for as far forward as I can see.”