Maxwell Is Traded by Clippers : L.A. Then Loses to Warriors, 118-106

By CHRIS BAKER

Jan. 17, 1987 12 AM PT

Times Staff Writer

OAKLAND — The Clippers have traded veteran forward Cedric Maxwell to the Houston Rockets for two draft picks--a No. 1 choice in 1987 and a No. 3 pick in 1989.

The deal was announced before Friday night’s game against the Golden State Warriors, and the players were told about the trade before they boarded a bus at their hotel to go to the Oakland Coliseum Arena.

“Watching some of the faces coming over here from the hotel on the bus, it was almost as if there was a funeral,” Clipper Coach Don Chaney said of the players’ reaction to the trade.

Then, against the Warriors, the Clippers folded in the fourth period and lost, 118-106, before a crowd of 7,831.

Center Joe Barry Carroll led the Warriors with 33 points and 8 rebounds, while guard Eric (Sleepy) Floyd contributed 25 points and 10 assists. Floyd scored 14 points in the decisive fourth period as Golden State outscored the Clippers, 36-24. The Clippers shot just 29.2% in the final period.

Terry Teagle scored 24 points in 21 minutes coming off the bench for Golden State, and forward Larry Smith scored 14 points and had a game-high 17 rebounds.

“That’s the best I’ve ever seen J.B. (Carroll) play,” Golden State Coach George Karl said. “He was sensational.”

Said Carroll: “I feel good about tonight’s game; that’s about as much as I can say. It’s impossible to compare one game to another.”

Guard Larry Drew led the Clippers with 22 points, and forward Michael Cage scored 18 points and grabbed 11 rebounds before fouling out.

“I think the trade happened so suddenly that it hasn’t set in yet,” Cage said. “We have to put this out of our mind.”

Houston was desperate for help because guards Lewis Lloyd and Mitchell Wiggins were banned from the league last Tuesday after testing positive for cocaine.

The Rockets originally tried to acquire Clipper guard Darnell Valentine. There were reports in the Houston media that the Rockets were ready to trade center Dave Feitl and forward Richard Anderson to the Clippers for Maxwell, Valentine, guard Lancaster Gordon and and a pair of draft picks. However, the deal could not be worked out because of problems with the salary cap.

So the Rockets settled on Maxwell, 31, a 6-foot 8-inch forward who is in his 10th season in the NBA.

“Maxwell was a marketable player,” Chaney said.

Maxwell spent the first eight seasons of his career in Boston, where he played for Bill Fitch, now the Houston coach. Maxwell will join the Rockets for Sunday night’s game against the Celtics at Boston.

“He’s the kind of free spirit we need on the court,” Houston General Manager Ray Patterson said. “Also, having him will give (forward) Rodney McCray some help.”

Said Chaney: “Maxwell will definitely help them. He helps anyone he plays for.”

Patterson said the Rockets are also working on another deal.

So, Houston, which reached the NBA final last season, losing to Boston, is trying to pick up the pieces this season.

But is the Maxwell trade an indication that the Clippers (5-32), who have lost 17 of their last 18, have written off this season and are trying to build for the future?

“I assure you that I haven’t thrown in the towel, and management hasn’t thrown in the towel,” Chaney said. “We hope to come up with a player.

“But we will suffer from this move because we will lack Maxwell’s experience.”

Said Elgin Baylor, the Clipper general manager: “We haven’t written off the season. We will continue to try to make every effort to improve the club.

“With the first-round pick we have, we might be able to move it and get a quality player.”

The Clippers, who acquired a first-round pick from Sacramento in the Derek Smith trade last summer, will now have four first-round draft choices in the next two seasons, barring a trade.

However, NBA scouts say that the crop in the 1987 draft is thin.

“We now have the option of picking up a quality player from the CBA (Continental Basketball Assn.) or moving our new No. 1 pick for a quality player who could step in immediately,” Chaney said.

The Clipper players were surprised by the trade.

Said Cage: “I was really shocked that it happened. I just never expected a trade. I was really close with him. I know we’re going to miss him.”

Said injured Clipper guard Norm Nixon: “I hate to see Max go. He was one of my good friends on the team.”

Said Drew: “When I first heard about it, I was shocked. But I’ve been around this league seven years and you get used to trades.”

Said Clipper center Benoit Benjamin: “I don’t know what to say. We’re going to miss him. But we’ve got to go on.”

Said backup center-forward Kurt Nimphius: “It’s a good move for Max and the Clippers.”

The Clippers have 11 players on their active roster after the Maxwell trade.

Maxwell originally was drafted in the first round out of North Carolina Charlotte by the Celtics in 1977.

He played eight seasons in Boston, where he was a member of the Celtics’ 1981 and 1984 NBA championship teams. Maxwell was named the MVP of the 1981 playoffs.

Maxwell twice led the NBA in field goal percentage, shooting 58.4% in 1979 and 60.4% in 1980.

Maxwell was traded to the Clippers on Sept. 6, 1985 for Bill Walton, cash and a first-round draft pick. He averaged 14.1 points and a team-high 8.2 rebounds in 76 games with the Clippers last season.

Maxwell has averaged 13.6 points, 7.2 rebounds and 3.5 assists in 35 games this season. He lost his starting job last week when Chaney decided that he needed more help on the bench. Maxwell averaged 12.5 points and 6.7 rebounds in 4 games as a reserve.

Clipper Notes

The Clippers will play the Phoenix Suns tonight at Phoenix before closing out the trip Monday night at San Antonio.