Clippers Still Seeking an Outside Chance : Pro basketball: With teams collapsing around their inside players and cutting off Harper, they need a shooting guard.

Jeff Malone, Danny Ainge, Joe Dumars and Dell Curry, among others, were too expensive.

Quintin Dailey, Reggie Williams, Jeff Martin, Jay Edwards and Jim Les were flawed, or simply not good enough.

The jury is still out on Bo Kimble, who is midway through the second season of an NBA career that has been disappointing and frustrating.

So it goes in the Clippers’ search for an outside shooter to complement the driving style of Ron Harper and Danny Manning and inside play of Charles Smith.

“It’s something we have to do to keep (defenses) honest,” Coach Mike Schuler said.

The Clippers are shooting 44.7%, 22nd in the league. Only Olden Polynice, successful largely because he stays inside, and Manning are shooting better than 50%.

There is a perception that teams respect the inside play of the forwards General Manager Elgin Baylor has put together the last five years, but dare the Clippers to beat them from outside. Opponents often double-team Smith inside and slack off Harper to stop his slashing down the lane.

“I don’t think it’s that drastic,” said one Western Conference assistant coach who has scouted the Clippers. “At this level, for anyone to make it to the pros, you have to respect them all somewhat. I think it’s a matter of playing the percentages.”

Williams was the solution. The No. 4 pick in the 1987 draft, he shot 35.6% during an injury-filled rookie season and was traded in 1989 to Cleveland as part of the package for Harper.

Dailey spent three seasons as a Clipper. He was suspended in midseason of 1988-89 for gaining too much weight, although he led the team’s guards in scoring at 16.1 points. He was released largely because of conditioning problems.

Martin and Edwards were 1989 draft picks. Edwards was released last season after a career marked by tendinitis in a knee and a failed rookie drug test that resulted in a suspension. Martin was traded to Detroit for James Edwards and is now in the Continental Basketball Assn.

Les played six games with the Clippers in 1989-90, went to the CBA and was signed by by Sacramento in January. He ended up leading the league in three-point shooting last season.

The search continues.

The Clippers have been interested in Charlotte’s Curry for years. Dumars has been sought by Baylor during the last eight or 10 months. Ainge and Malone were at the top of the wish list a few years back.

“You have to give something up to get something,” Baylor said. “You’re going to have to make sacrifices. It would be nice to have the total package, but we’d hurt ourselves in one position to help ourselves in another position.”

One option is another ballhandler to allow Doc Rivers to move back to shooting guard.

Harper has tried. He arrived in November of 1989, but that wasn’t supposed to do much for the outside game. Two things changed that:

--His desire to be a complete player by becoming at least a respectable shooter.

--His knee injury on Jan. 16, 1990, against Charlotte.

During the months of rehabilitation, Harper began taking jump shots twice a week at a high school near his Cleveland home. His game hasn’t been the same since--for better and for worse.

His growing confidence in his outside shooting often has resulted in bad shot selection, to choosing the jump shot rather than his trademark drives. The result has been 38.7% shooting, after 39.1% last season.

“I’m definitely a streak shooter,” he said. “If somebody says I’m a jump shooter, they’re lying.”

The problems are not all the shooters’ fault, said Harper, in a sentiment echoed by other Clipper guards. They say they are not getting the ball back from inside players with enough time to shoot.

In a game last week at San Antonio, Kimble launched a three-point shot that hit the top of the backboard. “That’s the worst shot I’ve ever taken,” Kimble said. “But this is the worst situation I’ve ever been in.”

Twelve appearances into a season limited by a foot injury, he is averaging 8.3 minutes and shooting 28.9%.

How low can he go?

Kimble has been playing pickup games and one-on-ones the last six weeks or so. Anything to have some fun.

“They’re shocked when they see me walking in to play,” he said. “They think I’m crazy. But I’ve always played so much. . . . I’m not satisfied (with) what I’m doing, getting 10 minutes. I really have no rhythm. I’m still confident (in) what I can do, but I’m not used to being a spare tire. I am used to being one of the main parts of the car.”

The Clippers still believe Kimble can play. He says he is the best long-distance shooter on the team. But they both acknowledge he isn’t taking advantage of a perfect opportunity.

“I know the numbers don’t show it now,” he said, “but the numbers don’t show that I’m (being used for) what I was drafted for. I don’t want to seem like a crybaby. I want to win and play and be part of the future. But there are a lot of things out of my control.”