They Appear Deeper Than Ever, but Will Appearances Deceive Again?

Whoever wins this season’s NBA title probably will have at least three players who have been together four or more seasons and three others who have been with the team for at least two.

Keeping players together has been the formula for success for every championship team of the 1990s. The Chicago Bulls, Houston Rockets and San Antonio Spurs committed to a core of players and let them grow.

It’s a game plan teams determined to win try to follow, though they sometimes have difficulty getting the right players in place.

The Clippers might not have put together a playoff contender, but they have managed to come up with a mix of players that blends well and offers the promise of success.

“They really put a good chemistry together,” said Golden State forward Chris Mills, a Los Angeles native and six-year NBA veteran. “They have some talented guys at guard now with the addition of Derek Anderson. With Maurice Taylor and [Lamar] Odom, they have two great forwards and [center Michael] Olowokandi will obviously grow and get better. . . .

“The Clippers could be a team on the up-and-coming. The team never got much respect before, but I think this year is a year they might turn some heads.”

With seven players gone from last season, the Clippers have the league’s youngest 12-man roster, featuring nine players 25 or younger and five under 24.

Taylor, Olowokandi, Odom and Anderson were first-round draft choices with solid reputations. Troy Hudson and Brian Skinner are underrated role players, Tyrone Nesby is a highlight film waiting to happen and Eric Murdock and Eric Piatkowski are veterans who should be near their prime.

“It really puts us in a win-win situation,” Taylor said in describing the players’ attitude heading into this season.

“When we come out and win, it will put that much more emphasis [on the team’s future] because we didn’t finish dead last. If we don’t have a good season, it wouldn’t change really anything because everybody figured we’d finish last.”

There is good reason Taylor qualifies his outlook: owner Donald Sterling’s track record of not paying to keep his best players. Taylor and Anderson are in the final year of their contracts and both are expected to leave via free agency or a trade. So despite the team’s great promise if key players remain, there’s a sense of finality heading into this season.

“It’s a given that this team will not be together next year,” said Taylor, who last month said he’ll become an ex-Clipper next summer because of Sterling’s reluctance to offer him a long-term contract extension.

“Everybody on the team knows my situation. Regardless of what happens, they really know that I’m not coming back. This is like a farewell tour for us . . . basically to prove everything to Donald Sterling.

“We’re going to go out and have a great year, we’re going to win and then we’re going to leave. It’s as simple as that. We want to show everybody what they missed out on. Because, obviously, anyone in their right mind knows that if this team stays together six or seven years, this would be one of the best teams in the league with the guys we have right now.”

The Clippers were 5-3 in exhibitions. Throughout training camp, the team displayed a nice mix of strong inside play with Taylor, Olowokandi and Skinner and a versatile perimeter game behind Odom, Anderson, Hudson and Nesby.

But that hasn’t stopped major publications such as Sports Illustrated and the Sporting News from naming the Clippers the worst team in the Western Conference, behind the Dallas Mavericks and Vancouver Grizzlies.

“The only team that can’t be put down is the team that won the last championship,” Anderson said. “So along with us, there are 27 other teams who didn’t win it last season. People have a right to their opinion, but this is about us. We’re just going to try and win our games and go as far as we can.”

For the first time in years, the Clippers have some depth at most positions. Thanks to the team’s versatility, Coach Chris Ford has plenty of options. Of course, with so many young players playing key roles, who knows how many options will work on any given night?

In the backcourt, the Clippers have enough competent players to be decent if injuries hit, but inside isn’t as deep.

Veteran big man Anthony Avent and so-far ineffective center Keith Closs would have to step up if Taylor, Olowokandi or Skinner is hurt.

“It’s really challenging to win with a lot of young players,” Golden State Coach P.J. Carlesimo said. “It can be done, but what veterans bring to the table, and especially all-star caliber veterans bring to the table, is what usually separates teams in the league.”

Ford is hoping his players will remain committed to play together throughout the 82-game season. He’s excited about the team’s potential but knows of the pitfalls that can go with youth.

Ford was let go from coaching jobs in Boston and Milwaukee because his teams did not develop quickly enough for management’s taste.

“I’m not going to make a statement now and then a month down the road be disappointed because we haven’t reached that plateau that we wanted to reach,” Ford said.

“If we’re going to be a team to be reckoned with, then we have to grow. . . . We can’t splinter at the first sign of failure. We have to continue to plug away.”

Ford can’t afford his players getting caught up in the “Clipper Syndrome,” where the team’s negative past affects the present.

Similar in age and with common interests, the players say it’s actually easier for them to stick together because they are Clippers.

Odom, who will turn 20 this week, may be a rookie, but he has already experienced the age-old negative “You play for the Clippers?” greeting from people.

“Respect is something that you earn, it’s not given,” Odom said. “We first have to go out and play the game competitive and act like we want it just as bad.

“We haven’t done anything to switch our image around. It’s not like we just came off a 60-win season.”

The Clippers’ 9-41 record was the second worst in the league last season and in the highly competitive Western Conference, a playoff berth is still a longshot.

Which is OK with Anderson and his teammates.

“It’s to our advantage to get some wins in before teams catch up,” Anderson said. “Especially in this conference where teams will be beating each other up. It’s going to be good for us.”

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At a Glance

1999 RECORD--9-41. Seventh in Pacific Division.

WHO’S NEW: Derek Anderson, Anthony Avent, Charles Jones, Eric Murdock, Lamar Odom.

WHO’S GONE: Sherman Douglas, Darrick Martin, Lamond Murray, Pooh Richardson, Rodney Rogers, Charles Smith, Stojko Vrankovic, Lorenzen Wright.

PROJECTED STARTERS: Guards--Eric Murdock (7.9 points and 4.1 assists last season) and Derek Anderson (10.8 points and 3.8 assists); forwards--Lamar Odom (rookie) and Maurice Taylor (16.8 points and 5.3 rebounds); center--Michael Olowokandi (8.9 points and 7.9 rebounds).

KEY TO SEASON: Taking advantage of the team’s strengths, which is a combination of youth, athleticism and versatility. Rebounding is a must for team to run.

OUTLOOK: With Taylor, Odom, Anderson, Olowokandi and Nesby, the Clippers should be fun to watch and a lot better than teams of recent years. Youth, however, may be a problem once adversity hits. Coach Chris Ford has a challenge to teach young players how to win as a team in the NBA.