Prospects Are Improving for Simmons

Bobby Simmons will be introduced this afternoon at a Staples Center news conference as winner of the NBA’s most improved player award, reason enough for the Clipper forward to toast his breakout season.

Soon he is likely to have something else to celebrate: a breakout contract.

Due to become an unrestricted free agent July 1, Simmons hopes to join other recent winners who have cashed in on the award:

* Last season’s recipient, Zach Randolph of the Portland Trail Blazers, parlayed it into a six-year, $84-million contract extension.

* The 2003 winner, Gilbert Arenas of the Golden State Warriors, landed a six-year, $64-million free-agent deal with the Washington Wizards.

* The 2002 winner, Jermaine O’Neal of the Indiana Pacers, reaped his reward a year later in the form of a seven-year, $126-million contract.

* The 2000 winner, Jalen Rose of the Pacers, signed a seven-year, $93-million deal.

Other winners include Tracy McGrady, who was one year into a seven-year, $93-million deal when he won in 2001, and three-time All-Star Kevin Johnson. So Simmons, who will turn 25 on June 2, is in good company.

He was the Clippers’ third-leading scorer, fourth-leading rebounder and most consistent outside shooter this season while averaging 16.4 points, nearly triple what he averaged in his first three NBA seasons. The former DePaul standout is the first Clipper to win a major award in the team’s 21 seasons in Los Angeles.

His agent, however, said that today’s announcement would not necessarily increase the contract awaiting Simmons.

“I don’t know that it ups his value,” Mark Bartelstein said. “I think everybody in the NBA knows how good he is. I think it maybe gives him a little more recognition with the fans of the league and a little more notoriety, puts more of a spotlight on how good a player he’s become. But I think the coaches and the general managers around the league, they all know how good Bobby is. But from a public standpoint, I think it’s a really nice thing for him.”

Simmons made $825,000 last season, his second with the Clippers. Part of a promising young nucleus that helped the team to a better-than-expected 37-45 record despite a rash of injuries, he was penciled in as the sixth man last summer.

But with other players injured he took advantage of an opportunity, scored a career-high 30 points in an opening-night rout of the Seattle SuperSonics and remained a fixture in the starting lineup.

Re-signing him is a priority, the Clippers have said.

“He’s got a really good feeling for the organization ... and he likes his teammates very much,” said Bartelstein, who expects several other teams to pursue Simmons. “This is not one of those situations where you hear about a player who is saying, ‘Oh, my goodness, I need to leave, I need to get a new start.’

“It’s not that at all. He’s very happy there, loves the way he’s been treated by everybody. So we just want to come up with the proper deal that’s fair for who he is in this league. If we get that done with the Clippers, that would be great.”

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The Clippers have made it clear that Shaun Livingston is their No. 1 point guard but still hope to retain Marko Jaric, who will be a restricted free agent July 1, and continue using him at both guard positions. “He’s versatile and very much needed,” Coach Mike Dunleavy said. “He’s a Danny Ainge-type of player. Danny could play [point guard], he could play [shooting guard]. He could shoot it. He’s active defensively. He’s athletic. He does a lot of things. And that’s who I think Marko is.” ... Through free agency, the Clippers would like to add “a perimeter shooter ... [who] can defend,” Dunleavy said. “It almost doesn’t matter what position -- guard, forward or center.” ... General Manager Elgin Baylor did not rule out re-signing Kerry Kittles, who was limited to 11 games because of a variety of injuries. “It depends on his health,” Baylor said of the former New Jersey Net guard, who sat out the last half of the season because of a degenerative disk in his lower back.... Unless they land one of the top three picks in the May 24 lottery, the Clippers will select 12th and 32nd in the June 28 draft, the first time in eight years they have not had a top-10 pick.

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Simmons on Rise

Bobby Simmons has spent four seasons in the NBA, two with Washington and two with the Clippers. Comparing his career averages before this season (122 games, three seasons) with this season, for which he won the NBA’s most improved player award:

*--* Before ‘04-05 ‘04-05 Games 40.7 75 Minutes 17.2 37.3 Points 5.5 16.4 Rebounds 3.2 5.9 Assists 1.1 2.7 Steals 0.6 1.4 Field goal % 40.3 46.6 3-point % 19.4 43.5 Free throw % 83.3 84.6 Note: Simmons led the Clippers in minutes per game and steals (106). He ranked among the NBA’s top 40 in scoring, minutes per game, steals and free-throw percentage.

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