Clippers Must Open Coffers

The Clippers’ 92-84 victory Tuesday over the Memphis Grizzlies before the 16th consecutive sellout crowd of more than 18,000 at Staples Center was their 39th victory. A victory tonight over the Golden State Warriors in the regular-season finale would mark only the third time the franchise has won 40 games or more since relocating from San Diego in 1984.

Now it’s up to management to keep the momentum rolling.

Andy Roeser, Clipper executive vice president, made the strongest statement yet that the team will be kept intact for the foreseeable future and the payroll will increase to a point that it will probably top the NBA’s salary cap for next season.

“Not only do we want and need to take a step forward, we’re in a position to do it,” Roeser said. “We’re going to be over the cap. It’s inevitable. We understand that. I think, when you look at the success of this team and the direction of this team, we’ll be able to do it and still support the higher payroll.”

This season, the Clippers’ $34-million payroll was not only the lowest in the league, it was well below the $42.5-million salary cap. The cap has risen steadily since it was first introduced in 1984-85. Next season’s figure will be determined in a few months.

All that was accomplished on the court this season will mean nothing if the front office fails this summer to re-sign free agents Michael Olowokandi and Jeff McInnis and give extensions to Elton Brand, Corey Maggette and Lamar Odom.

The Clippers took a significant first step Tuesday by announcing they have picked up the options on contracts for Keyon Dooling, Darius Miles and Quentin Richardson. They will be eligible to become restricted free agents after the 2003-04 season.

Matters will get more difficult come July 1, when the negotiation period begins for new contracts for free agents. The Clippers then have from July 16 until Oct. 31 to sign Olowokandi and McInnis and offer extensions to Brand, Maggette and Odom.

Re-signing Olowokandi is “at the top of the list,” General Manager Elgin Baylor said of his off-season priorities. He was less certain about McInnis and more than a little hazy on his plans for the three players eligible for extensions. After all, it could get a little expensive, dropping $84 million on Olowokandi and perhaps as much as $100 million on Brand in “maxed-out” deals over six and seven seasons, respectively.

Roeser put it this way: “In my opinion, this group is better than any we’ve ever had. They’re worthy of retaining at whatever [price] we need to do to retain them. Our priority is going to be retaining our own players.”

Told of Roeser’s comments, Brand said, “That’s good news. I try not to worry about those things. Hopefully, it happens.”

Olowokandi’s new contract will no doubt be viewed by many Clipper-watchers as the test to see how serious management is about keeping this team together. Roeser’s comments Friday certainly were a good-faith gesture, which might have helped settle Olowokandi’s jangled nerves had they been made several weeks ago.

Olowokandi’s statement April 3 expressing his concern over a lack of a contract for next season and beyond, and the toll he believed it was taking on the team’s play was met with anger by Baylor, who initially fined the 7-foot center $50,000, then rescinded it when Olowokandi apologized Friday.

No matter how you look at it--except perhaps through Clipper glasses--it was a clumsy affair from start to finish.

Olowokandi said he didn’t know a new contract could not be negotiated until after July 1. Baylor fined Olowokandi because he took the comments personally. Olowokandi said he was not directing them at Baylor, but at Roeser and owner Donald T. Sterling. A team spokesman announced the fine had been rescinded, but Baylor and Olowokandi each said it stood and the money would be donated to charity. The spokesman then had to set the record straight, presumably informing Baylor and Olowokandi there would be no fine.

Confused?

Mercifully, such episodes were kept to a minimum this season. The emphasis was on the Clippers’ play on the court, which was sometimes spectacular and sometimes subpar, but always entertaining.

Olowokandi’s late-season surge seemed to signal that he might truly be worthy of big money at season’s end. He averaged 16.8 points and 10.7 rebounds in March, and 15.5 points and 6.8 rebounds in six games in April before Tuesday.

Brand, acquired last summer in a trade with the Chicago Bulls, emerged as an All-Star who could be counted on to score 18 points and take 11 rebounds in almost every game.

Miles and Richardson improved greatly from their rookie seasons, with Miles showing he can become more than a dunking machine and Richardson developing a deft touch from the perimeter.

The reason the team did not advance to the playoffs was that injuries to Odom, who played only 29 games because of a wrist injury and an eight-game drug suspension, and Maggette (hand) and Dooling (ankle) were too much to overcome.

The team’s depth kept it competitive through March, but the Clippers went into Tuesday’s game with 11 losses in their last 15 games.

“Yes, we’re happy, but no, we’re not content,” Coach Alvin Gentry said. “We’re very disappointed we didn’t make the playoffs....If we had Lamar, Corey and Keyon the whole time, we make the playoffs. I’m not trying to pump up Lamar Odom, but when you lose a guy like that, obviously it’s going to affect your team.”

Gentry made it clear he’s looking forward to having a healthy Odom join Olowokandi and Brand on the Clipper front line next season. It will be like adding a new player, he has said often recently.

“It would be a huge disappointment to everyone if we don’t make the playoffs [next season],” Gentry said. “We have to improve. We didn’t make the playoffs [this season]. We have to be better next year than we were this year.”