Basketball Players Contracts

They're already breaking up that old gang of theirs? If it's true Tim Duncan is thinking of leaving San Antonio and the Spurs are thinking of high-tailing it out of town with him, it'll have been some brief honeymoon for the NBA champions. Indeed, Duncan didn't get so carried away in the celebration that he did anything rash, such as sign an extension. Instead he announced he'd decide next summer, when he becomes a free agent.

Too much money, too long a contract. If not for that, Scottie Pippen would be a Laker right now. In the most direct comments from a team official on the matter to date, Laker owner Jerry Buss acknowledged that, at Coach Phil Jackson's request, acquiring Pippen has been strongly considered, but said that the Lakers are unwilling to take on the remaining $54 million and four years of Pippen's contract.

Phil Jackson shuffled onto the Forum floor in his faded black jeans and shrugged. "Everybody has to sacrifice," he said. Maurice Taylor strolled onto the L.A. Southwest College floor in his shiny white uniform and posed. "There is no way I'm gonna be here next year, no way," he said. * Two NBA teams, two media days, two planets. You can move them into the same building, put them into business together, practically turn them into roommates, and it's still going to be the same. Madison and Unger.

Staying true to his reputation as an owner who does not like to pay big money to keep players, the Clippers' Donald Sterling has decided not to give the maximum contract extension to power forward Maurice Taylor. Although the team could change its position before the league's Oct. 31 extension deadline for third-year players, it is doubtful that the Clippers will grant Taylor the six-year, $70.9-million extension he and his agent, David Falk, are seeking.

The anticipated meeting between the Clippers and agent David Falk, who represents power forward Maurice Taylor and is seeking a long-term contract extension, took place Wednesday in Los Angeles but no agreement was reached. Falk met with Elgin Baylor, vice president of basketball operations, for nearly four hours. Both sides said they remain optimistic. "I had a good discussion with David Falk about several issues concerning Maurice Taylor, including an extension of his contract," Baylor said.

You could give the Clippers a word processor with spell check and a calculator to check their math and they still wouldn't get their homework right. Even in the simplified contract world of today's NBA, the Clippers still want to look for the fourth option out of three answers on a multiple-choice question. They have a chance to re-sign the most consistent player on their roster, a guy who actually has been through the Clipper experience and doesn't mind coming back for more.

Clipper owner Donald Sterling will have an opportunity to put up or shut up Sept. 8 when he and agent David Falk sit down to discuss a long-term contract extension for power forward Maurice Taylor. The Clippers have made significant rebuilding strides this off-season but could take a major backward step if they can't reach agreement with Taylor, the franchise's most valuable player who has expressed a desire to remain a Clipper.

Minutes after signing his first NBA contract, Lamar Odom sat down on a couch in the Clipper offices Thursday and gave a big sigh of relief. It was as if Odom, who will not turn 20 until November, had just realized a dream that he hopes will give him a fresh start in life. "Everything is going so positive, the ball is rolling finally now," said Odom after putting his signature on a three-year, $7.8-million contract. "People go through adversity to get here, to reach the mountaintop.

For less than a day, restricted free agent Tyrone Nesby was a member of the NBA champion San Antonio Spurs. Then the Clippers brought him back to reality Monday, matching San Antonio's offer sheet and signing him to a three-year contract worth $8.9 million. Nesby, 23, made the league minimum of $287,500 last season as an undrafted rookie from Nevada Las Vegas. Nesby, a 6-foot-6 swingman, was one of only two Clippers who played in all 50 games. He averaged 10.

In a swift and stunning countermove, the Lakers have held serious discussions with Clipper free-agent forward Lorenzen Wright and could sign him to a one-year, $2-million bargain contract by this weekend, several sources said Thursday. With doubts rising about Charles Oakley's willingness to accept less money to sign with the Lakers, Executive Vice President Jerry West began talks to acquire Wright, said Wright's agent, Robert Fayne.