Clippers Make Postseason Appearance : Pro basketball: Fitch and Safety will be at lottery today, but even if they get No. 1, whom will they pick?

By CHRIS BAKER

May 21, 1995 12 AM PT

TIMES STAFF WRITER

General Manager Elgin Baylor, who usually represents the Clippers at the NBA draft lottery, is staying home.

Coach Bill Fitch, who guided the Clippers to the NBA’s worst record this season, and Joe Safety, vice president of communications, will represent the team at today’s NBA draft lottery in Secaucus, N.J., which will be televised at halftime of Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals between the New York Knicks and Indiana Pacers.

“We feel lucky,” Safety said when asked why Baylor isn’t attending the lottery.

Quipped an NBA official: “They should feel lucky. They have the most experience in the lottery.”

Since the lottery’s inception in 1985, the Clippers have participated six times, winning in 1988 (Danny Manning), finishing second in 1989 (Danny Ferry) and third in 1985 (Benoit Benjamin).

Unlike previous years, there is no clear No. 1 selection in the draft, such as Orlando Magic center Shaquille O’Neal in 1992, San Antonio Spur center David Robinson in 1987 and New York center Patrick Ewing in 1985.

The top players in the 1995 draft figure to be sophomores Jerry Stackhouse and Rasheed Wallace of North Carolina, Joe Smith of Maryland and Antonio McDyess of Alabama.

“There are a lot of sophomores in the draft,” said Jerry West, Laker executive vice president. “If I’m a team drafting high and think I’m going to get a lot help right away, I wouldn’t be encouraged to get a lot of help right away, maybe next year.

“Everyone thinks they’re going to get the next Michael Jordan, and that may not be the case at all, but there are some attractive young players.”

Although there is speculation that Clipper owner Donald T. Sterling wants to draft UCLA forward Ed O’Bannon, who led the Bruins to the NCAA championship, Baylor said that’s not true.

“I’ve never heard that from Donald T. Sterling,” Baylor said. “It’s obviously a rumor, and I’ve talked to [Sterling] on several occasions.

“I think [O’Bannon] had a great year. He’s a terrific player and he really helped himself [with his NCAA tournament performance]. He played extremely well.”

Following the system instituted last year, the 11 lottery teams will be assigned a predetermined share of 1,000 different number combinations, with the teams with the fewest victories receiving the most combinations.

The Clippers have been assigned 250 number combinations, giving them a 25% chance of winning the lottery for the June 28 draft. The Washington Bullets, who had the NBA’s second-worst record last season, will have 183 number combinations, and the Minnesota Timberwolves, who tied with Washington for the second-worst record but lost a coin flip to the Bullets, will have 182.

Sacramento, which had the best record of the 11 lottery teams, will be assigned five number combinations.

The other seven lottery teams are Philadelphia, Golden State, Detroit, New Jersey, Miami, Milwaukee and Dallas.

After the first three picks are determined, picks four and five and eight-13 will be determined based on the inverse order of finish, with expansion teams Toronto and Vancouver getting the sixth and seventh picks.

If the Clippers don’t win one of the first three picks, they’re guaranteed no lower than the fourth selection.

“I hope all the Ping-Pong balls go our way and we’re No. 1,” Fitch said. “If we’re No. 1 in the draft, there’s no Magic or Bird or Jordan out there, but there’s going to be some good players out there from what I can see.”