LOS ANGELES – As the Los Angeles Lakers furiously unloaded contracts to clear salary-cap space, the executives of the Orlando Magic hustled a private plane to California to hand-deliver a $115 million contract offer to Shaquille O’Neal(notes). They met his agent, Leonard Armato, on a beach volleyball court, where he was shagging balls for his wife, Holly McPeak. Looking back, this was some strange setting to try and close the biggest deal in NBA history.

Armato walked to the edge of the sand, where the Magic officials had to make a final, fleeting pitch to hold on to the biggest free agent in sports history.

“This is wonderful,” Magic GM John Gabriel remembers the agent telling them. Armato was admiring the figures, and maybe now he had something else to bring back to the Lakers.

“This is just what we’re looking for,” he told them.

This was the way Shaq always believed he could break the bank, the bidding they needed to take back to the Lakers. Shaq’s agent seemed so pleasant, so hopeful.

And, yet, as they walked away, Gabriel had that sinking feeling in his stomach. Shaq was gone. He knew it. He was gone, and maybe they had been dreaming to ever think he would stay while the Lakers pursued him.

Gabriel turned to team president Bob Vander Weide and said with a sigh: “I think this is over.”

The Magic never did believe in Shaq’s sincerity about wanting to stay, nor the Los Angeles-based agent who always had bigger plans, bigger ideas than Orlando could hold.

Shaquille O’Neal looms over these NBA Finals, bigger than ever. The Orlando Magic never won a title with him, and Kobe Bryant(notes) hasn’t won one without him. The course of two franchises, an NBA neophyte and a forever champion, were transformed when O’Neal left for the Lakers an unlucky 13 years ago for the Magic.

Shaq kept saying the Magic were his first choice, but Gabriel confesses now: “I didn’t take him at his word.”

No one ever did believe him, and they had good reason to doubt: He wanted to be a movie star, a rapper and part of the Lakers legacy of Wilt and Kareem.

Yes, there was drama on Shaq’s way out of town, but it’s hard to know what mattered and what didn’t. Near the start of free agency in the summer of 1996, there was that poll in the Orlando Sentinel where more than 90 percent of the respondents insisted Shaq wasn’t worth $100 million. The poll appeared as Shaq and the Olympic basketball team trained in town.

“I heard they rode Shaq pretty hard on it,” Gabriel said.

The Team USA players teased Shaq that he wasn’t wanted in Orlando, and Gabriel remembers those closest to the center telling him later: “That was the last straw.”

Shaq has a long history of taking slights – real and imagined – as reasons for justifying so many decisions and hurt feelings.

Gabriel had sent his wife and kids to the Jersey Shore, just to spare them the frenzied finish and backlash in the city. Shaq and his agent never did call to tell the Magic they had chosen the Lakers and a $120 million contract until the story had been out for more than a full day. On the July night that the news leaked, his family back at the Jersey Shore, Gabriel found himself alone in a big, new house he had just bought in Winter Park, Fla.

There was no furniture in the house, just Gabriel sitting on a hardwood floor, with a telephone at his side.

“The phone rang all night,” he said. “Everyone wanted reaction to the fact that the Lakers were calling a press conference the next day. The house was so empty. It was an eerie, eerie feeling.

“When we drafted him, we had hope every night, every game, and now a big piece of that just disappeared.”

As an NBA expansion franchise in 1989, the Magic had a rapid rise. They won the biggest draft lottery in history in 1992, secured Shaq, and beat the Michael Jordan Bulls on the way to the NBA Finals in 1995. Orlando had Penny Hardaway and Nick Anderson, Horace Grant and Dennis Scott. They were constructed for championships, for the long run, and yet, ultimately, were delivered the cruelest free-agent blow in sports history.

Four years later, Gabriel hatched an innovative plan to clear cap space for two full stars. He plotted to pair San Antonio Spurs forward Tim Duncan(notes) and Detroit Pistons swingman Grant Hill(notes).

It never happened. Duncan came so close, but turned back in the final hour. The Magic signed Hill and Tracy McGrady(notes), but they barely ever played together. No one could’ve foreseen the extent of Hill’s foot problems and, eventually, they left without ever winning a playoff series.

So it goes. Gabriel made a good professional reputation for himself for launching franchises. He did it in Orlando and, later, as a scout for the Portland Trail Blazers. Now he finds himself back in Orlando, where he works for the New York Knicks as part of their basketball operations staff.

He sure spent a lot of nights this spring scouting at Magic playoff games. The city is alive again, believing in Dwight Howard(notes), the way it once did Shaquille O’Neal. There’s a sparkling, new arena being built next door for the 2010 season; Howard is signed for five years; and the Magic are on a sweetheart run in these playoffs.

“It does feel a little like old times there,” Gabriel said. “Both of our teams were grounded in marquee centers, and I don’t think since the NBA has seen two come into the league like Dwight and Shaq and made such an impact on the game since Hakeem [Olajuwon] and Kareem [Abdul-Jabbar].”

Through the years, the sting of losing Shaq dissipated, and Magic fans still stop at these playoff games and thank Gabriel for getting everything started there. Truth be told, it’s easier to be back in Amway Arena with the Magic contending again, with a gregarious and gifted young 7-footer protecting the rim. It’s easier to remember those good times 14 years ago, back when a baby franchise chased a championship into the NBA Finals.

“We had fun, didn’t we?” Gabriel finds himself telling those old fans now.

Yes, the Orlando had Shaq, had some fun, but forever only lasted four seasons in Florida.

Now, the Magic return to the NBA Finals with O’Neal looming over everything. Between the Magic and Kobe, between captivity and freedom, the ghost of Shaquille O’Neal will finally disappear for the victor at this series’ end.

For the loser, it lingers on. Even once he left the gym, Shaq always did having staying power.

As if you needed further proof the gap between the end of the Conference finals and the start of the NBA Finals is ridiculously too long, the most blogged about story over the last few days has been Lakers forward Lamar Odom’s intimate relationship with candy.

In an essay titled “Lamar Odom, Sweet Tooth and Erratic Play” — I swear to God I’m not making this up — Dr. Daniel Amen writes that Odom’s massive consumption of candy leads to a sugar high and then a crash, evidence that explains his inconsistent on-court play.

Amen’s “diagnosis,” via the Los Angeles Times:

“Odom freely confesses that he just can’t help himself when it comes to the sweet stuff and always keeps a stash on hand of Gummi Bears, Honey Buns, Lifesavers, Hershey’s white chocolate, Snickers bars, cookies and more. He eats the sugary snacks morning, noon and night, and even says he sometimes wakes up in the middle of the night, chows down on some treats, then falls back asleep.

This is bad news for the Lakers. I’ve been telling my patients for years that sugar acts like a drug in the brain. It causes blood sugar levels to spike and then crash, leaving you feeling tired, irritable, foggy and stupid. Eating too much sugar impairs cognitive function, which may explain why Odom doesn’t always make the smartest decisions on the court …”

Odom, of course, had a vaild rebuttal: The games he played well in the Western Conference finals had something in common — “I [ate] candy for breakfast,” he told reporters. You see, Now and Laters, Starburst Jelly Beans … these were the reasons for The Candy Man’s increased production against Denver.

So back off, Doc! I say free pizza and candy for everyone! Am I right, Hedo, or am I right?

PHILADELPHIA (AP)—Elton Brand eased back into the Philadelphia 76ers’ lineup and the result was familiar: another victory.

Andre Iguodala scored 24 points and Andre Miller added 21 as the Sixers welcomed the return of Brand with a 116-110 win—their eighth in nine games— over the New York Knicks on Saturday night.

Brand, who missed 16 games after dislocating his right shoulder on Dec. 17, had six points in 13 minutes off the bench. He entered the game for the first time with 1:26 left in the first quarter.

“It’s nice to have one under the belt,” said Brand, who was 3-of-4 from the field. “Hopefully, the next game is a more fundamental matchup and I’ll get more minutes in the game.”

Sixers coach Tony DiLeo was unsure of how many minutes he would give Brand, but was pleased with the outcome.

“I thought he was pretty good,” DiLeo said. “He still needs time to get the rhythm, to get his game legs. He needs time just to play with the other players on the court.”

Thaddeus Young added 17 points, Willie Green had 14 and Samuel Dalembert had 10 points and 17 rebounds for the Sixers, who moved back to .500 at 21-21. Philadelphia beat New York for the third straight time, and has won 12 of 14 against the Knicks.

“We just wanted to jump on them hard,” Miller said.

Nate Robinson scored 26 points, Tim Thomas added 24 and David Lee had 20 points and 10 rebounds for the Knicks, whose three-game winning streak ended. New York has not had a winning streak longer than three games this season.

“On a back-to-back, it’s tough to spot a team 15 points,” Lee said. “They had more energy down the stretch than we did.”

The Sixers were 9-7 without Brand and even won seven consecutive games before losing 95-93 to the Dallas Mavericks last Monday. Philadelphia was 11-14 before Brand was sidelined. He signed a five-year, $80 million contract in the offseason with the Sixers, and entered averaging 15.9 points and 9.8 rebounds in 23 games.

“It was good to get back up and down the court,” Brand said.

Despite Brand’s return, New York kept it close with some clutch 3-point shooting. The Knicks, 15-of-32 from long range, led 98-95 with 5:27 remaining. But the Sixers scored nine straight—four free throws by Miller, two by Dalembert and a 3-pointer by Royal Ivey—to go ahead 104-98 with 4:06 left.

New York got within 108-106 on a 3-pointer by Thomas with 1:06 left, but Young came right back with a short jumper and Dalembert received a pass from Iguodala for a slam dunk to give the 76ers a 112-106 lead with 1:03 remaining.

The Knicks then scored four straight to close within 112-110 on a layup by Robinson, but could get no closer.

“We tried to fight back,” Thomas said. “I guess trying to catch up was a little bit too much. We were right there, though.”

Philadelphia led by as many as 15 in the first half, but trailed 66-63 at halftime. The Knicks connected on 10 of 20 shots from 3-point range in the first half.

Notes

The Sixers honored the World Series champion Phillies. Closer Brad Lidge participated in a ceremonial opening tip, while Lidge, outfielder Shane Victorino and pitcher Ryan Madson also competed in a 3-point shooting contest at halftime. … Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb watched from a front-row seat and received a loud ovation from the crowd. Eagles WR DeSean Jackson was also in attendance. … Fans held a moment of silence before the game for North Carolina State women’s basketball Kay Yow, who died of breast cancer at the age of 66. … Sixers F Reggie Evans was inactive with the flu. … Knicks F Danilo Gallinari sat out with a sore lower back. … Lee registered his 32nd double-double this season for the Knicks.

As the trade deadline looms on Feb. 19, conversations are gathering momentum around the NBA and scores of league executives and agents agree: No one seems as aggressive to make moves as Colangelo, who was out of patience before the Raptors’ six-game losing streak.

“We are very disappointed where we find ourselves,” Colangelo said in an email on Tuesday night. “…You have to keep in perspective that we have gone through a coaching change and more recently have played more than 10 games without our starting point guard or center. Either way … I’m not afraid to seek out and make deals if things aren’t working.”

Colangelo’s willingness to make a dramatic change isn’t limited to the Raptors’ supporting cast and includes center Jermaine O’Neal. The Raptors and Miami Heat have had serious discussions on a possible O’Neal-for-Shawn Marion trade, but Heat president Pat Riley needs to be convinced that the 7-footer’s right knee is healthy enough to allow him to play.

Colangelo drafted Marion with the Phoenix Suns, watched him become an All-Star, and now Marion’s $17.8 million expiring contract is attractive. O’Neal’s contract is trickier. He has a player option for the 2009-2010 season that he’ll undoubtedly exercise for more than $23 million. Yet, O’Neal, 30, is still struggling to stay healthy and Miami would have to think hard about taking on that contract, especially with the cap space that Marion could free.

For the Raptors, Colangelo has three untouchables: Chris Bosh, Jose Calderon and Andrea Bargnani. Mostly, Colangelo is chasing the clock on Bosh’s opt-out in the summer of 2010, desperately trying to find the proper mix to surround him so he’ll re-sign with the Raptors. The absence of O’Neal with knee problems has allowed Bargnani, the maligned 2006 No. 1 overall pick, to blossom. He’s begun to validate Colangelo’s vision, and there’s no way Colangelo is parting with him.

Colangelo is determined to transform the dynamics of the floundering Raptors. They were expected to be a 50-win team, but they’re 16-27 and struggling to find an identity. Colangelo fired Sam Mitchell in December, but little has changed under interim coach Jay Triano.

The coaching change has had little impact in the standings. Colangelo and Mitchell had a contentious professional relationship. They just saw basketball through such different prisms. Colangelo has embraced the Euro model. He hired an Italian league GM as his assistant, and is as comfortable constructing a roster with players out of the Euroleague as he is those from the Big East and Pac 10. So Mitchell is gone, and the interim coach, Triano, is fighting to keep his job.

Colangelo has been worried about Bosh leaving for the New York Knicks in 2010 and expressed concern about possible tampering based on public comments Knicks GM Donnie Walsh made about Bosh in a November magazine story. Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni is partial to signing Amare Stoudemire – another Colangelo draft pick – in 2010.

But D’Antoni isn’t the GM. Walsh picks the players. Walsh’s toughest job will be convincing LeBron James that he can win a title with D’Antoni’s defense-free system. James has had an epiphany on the importance of defense, and now believes it is the true root to a championship. The fact that it’s such an afterthought for D’Antoni only makes New York a tougher sell for James. The way the landscape is changing, Bosh could end up partnering with James in Cleveland in the summer of 2010.

Still, no one should count Colangelo out. He remade the Suns into a Western contender, the Raptors into an Atlantic Division champion and has a history of always reshaping his teams on the run. Now, the trade deadline is looming and Colangelo needs to make something happen.

As Feb. 19 approaches, here are four more teams that will assuredly shape the trade deadline.

Chicago Bulls: Bulls GM John Paxson is under pressure to change the team’s failed chemistry and everyone short of Derrick Rose and Luol Deng appears to be on the block.

The Bulls have talked to multiple teams about moving Larry Hughes and his contract (more than $26 million over this season and next), but have found little they’ve liked in return. The Bulls do have young players who intrigue teams, including Ben Gordon, Joakim Noah and Tyrus Thomas. Perhaps the most tradable player is guard Kirk Hinrich.

Dallas Mavericks: The Mavericks are clearly willing to trade Josh Howard, the enigmatic forward, before he does something else to lower his value. Because there is a team option on the final season of his contract in 2010-2011, his deal is especially attractive to franchises looking to clear cap space for the summer of 2010. The Mavericks have shown interest in Sacramento’s Brad Miller and Miami’s Marion.

New York Knicks: The Knicks have sent out signals to rival executives that they’re willing to move forward David Lee, who will command a rich extension this summer. Malik Rose’s expiring contract ($7.6 million) has value, too.

Sacramento Kings: Brad Miller, the 7-footer, is an attractive target for Western Conference teams searching for the size to overtake the Los Angeles Lakers. The Mavericks and San Antonio Spurs have interest, but don’t have the combination of young players and expiring contracts that the Kings want, league executives say. Guard John Salmons could move before the deadline, too.

I thought this was a bad joke at first — and actually double-checked to make sure I didn’t write it while I was sleepwalking all hopped up on Robitussin and peyote — but nope, it’s legit.

Rocky is the new David Blaine.

Following the third quarter of Monday’s Nuggets-Pacers game, the Nuggets’ mascot, Rocky, climbed (cough, walked up a flight of stairs) to the Pepsi Center rooftop and declared to the world that he wouldn’t come down until Nuggets fans everywhere had submitted 100,000 NBA All-Star ballots.

The official press release said Rocky’s departure from Pepsi Center was prompted by an announcement made in-arena stating that if All-Star balloting ended today, no Denver Nuggets player would have enough votes to start in the 2009 NBA All-Star Game in Phoenix. Considering the Nuggets’ impressive 25-12 record, the news is slightly shocking.

As of Monday, Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony was third among Western Conference forwards, trailing Suns big man Amar’e Stoudemire for second place — and a starting role — by some 17,000 votes. ‘Melo’s fractured right hand sure couldn’t have helped the poor mountain lion’s chances of a nice meal and warm bath.

Anyway, the final All-Star balloting update will be issued later today.

Hang in there, Rocky.

The Portland Trail Blazers sent an email to rival team executives late Thursday threatening possible litigation to any franchise that signs free-agent forward Darius Miles for the “purpose of adversely impacting the Portland Trail Blazers’ salary cap and tax positions.”

The email cites Wednesday’s Yahoo! Sports report that if Miles plays in two more games this season, the remaining $18 million on his contract goes back on the Blazers’ payroll.

“The Portland Trail Blazers are aware that certain teams may be contemplating signing Darius Miles to a contract for the purpose of adversely impacting the Portland Trail Blazers Salary Cap and tax positions,” Blazers president Larry Miller wrote in the email to representatives of every NBA team. “Such conduct by a team would violate its fiduciary duty as an NBA joint venturer. In addition, persons or entities involved in such conduct may be individually liable to the Portland Trail Blazers for tortuously interfering with the Portland Trail Blazers contract rights and perspective economic opportunities.

“Please be aware that if a team engages in such conduct, the Portland Trail Blazers will take all necessary steps to safeguard its rights, including, without limitation, litigation.”

Teams had been under the impression the collective bargaining agreement demanded that Miles play 10 regular-season or postseason games for the $18 million – which is split evenly between this and next season – to return to the Blazers’ payroll. But the league office confirmed to Yahoo! Sports that the six preseason games that Miles played for the Boston Celtics counts toward the 10. Before the Memphis Grizzlies waived him on Tuesday night to avoid guaranteeing his contract for the rest of the season, Miles played two regular-season games that pushed him to eight total.

“They’re daring someone to sign him now,” said one Western Conference GM who had seen the email from the Blazers.

Any team in the NBA can sign Miles to a 10-day contract, play him twice and punch out one of the summer’s top free-agent destinations. The Blazers are a prime destination for free agents, and the cap space also made them a fierce competitor for sign-and-trade deals. If Miles returns to the salary cap, he also will push Portland into the luxury tax. That means every team under the tax would benefit with about $250,000 of revenue sharing from Portland.

“The point that everybody is missing is that this isn’t about Portland’s salary cap. It’s about whether this guy [Miles] is healthy enough to play or not,” said an Eastern Conference executive. “He obviously is healthy enough to play. It doesn’t matter how good he plays. He can still play, and they said he couldn’t.

“Portland received benefits when [Miles’] injury was ruled career-ending. If he can play, they don’t deserve to have those benefits.”

DENVER (AP)—The New Orleans Hornets already knew Chris Paul was a winner. They picked up James Posey and his two championship rings in hopes of winning a little more this season.

The two worked together perfectly Thursday night, with Paul taking over the game late and Posey hitting the go-ahead 3-pointer with 19.1 seconds left for a 105-101 victory over the Denver Nuggets—the fourth straight win for New Orleans.

“I have confidence in making shots,” Posey said. “I’ve been in those situations before.”

Paul led the Hornets with 22 points and 10 assists but came up six rebounds short of his third straight triple-double.

Still, he took the game over late, scoring seven straight points for his team, including a 3-pointer from well behind the arc, with the shot clock running down, to tie it at 92 with 2:07 left.

Coach Byron Scott had been pleading with Paul to shoot more.

“I told him at halftime he had to go out and rev it up a little bit,” Scott said. “Nine times out of 10 I don’t have to tell him that.”

J.R. Smith led the Nuggets with a season-high 32 points. Denver tied it at 98 on Carmelo Anthony’s dunk with 37 seconds left, but the Hornets worked the ball to Posey, who made the 3 from the top right corner to give them the lead for good.

Chauncey Billups missed his own 3 on the next possession and the Hornets made four free throws down the stretch to ice the win. Denver fell to 9-3 since Billups arrived. He struggled in this one, finishing with only 12 points and never taking over the game.

Anthony had 24 points on 8-for-13 shooting for Denver, showing more signs of coming out of a slump that had him making only 39 percent of his shots so far this season.

Smith’s season high came a night after coach George Karl benched him for being late to practice earlier in the week. He made a 3-pointer and had a steal and dunk to give the Nuggets the lead midway through the fourth quarter after they had trailed by as many as 14.

“Even though it’s a loss, I don’t look at it as a step back,” Karl said. “It’s a step forward. We fought hard.”

In fact, for a while in the fourth quarter, it looked as if the night would belong to Smith, and the Nuggets, but instead it was Paul and Posey doing the celebrating.

Posey won a title with Boston, and Miami before that. He was New Orleans’ key acquisition in the offseason, the thought being he could bring that championship feeling to a team that won 56 games last season behind Paul’s rapid improvement but was bounced in the second round of the playoffs.

Posey, a former first-round pick of the Nuggets, is thought of as more of a defensive specialist. Clearly, he’s not afraid of taking big shots, either.

“He’s used to making them from the experience he’s had with championship teams,” Paul said. “And we got some big stops and plays.”

The Hornets played without Mo Peterson (back) and Tyson Chandler, whose wife gave birth Tuesday. They had something of an advantage, though, having arrived in Denver for this Thanksgiving night game well before the Nuggets, who toughed out a 1-point win at the Clippers on Wednesday. New Orleans hadn’t played since Monday.

made his first seven shots for New Orleans and finished with 19 points.

Peja Stojakovic had 17 and David West had 15, including a stick back of Paul’s near air ball that gave the Hornets a 98-94 lead with 52 seconds left. It was one of about four late breaks that Karl felt went against his team, including Kenyon Martin’s technical foul with 1:26 left for kicking the scorer’s table in frustration.

“I’ve never seen a game with three, four possessions in the last two minutes that cost you 10 points like that,” Karl said.

Notes

Melvin Ely returned for the Hornets after missing three games because of a tooth infection. He had eight points. … Chris Andersen scored six points for the Nuggets in his return after missing nine games because of fractured ribs. … New Orleans improved to 5-0 when scoring 100-plus points.

LOS ANGELES – Seven seconds into the clock, brazen and fearless as ever, Stephen Jackson pulled up from 26 feet and fired. Even Baron Davis had to smile. Oh, the memories.

They had run and gunned together, Jackson and Davis, spiriting the Golden State Warriors to that historic playoff upset of the Dallas Mavericks, and now they stood opposite each other, separated by the color of their jerseys. Jackson pulled up again, and soon enough, Davis knew he needed some of that himself. He rushed the ball upcourt and launched his own 26-foot bomb. The ball settled into the net, but that was beside the point.

This is how Davis had won with the Warriors. Fire away. Live with the consequences.

The problem, of course, is that Davis no longer plays for the Warriors. He plays for the Los Angeles Clippers, and his current coach adheres to a more disciplined philosophy. After watching Davis and the rest of the Clippers futilely try to outshoot the Warriors in a 121-103 loss, Mike Dunleavy made that perfectly clear Saturday afternoon.

“Teams that win, teams that go far in the playoffs, teams that win championships, they defend and they rebound,” Dunleavy said. “… There hasn’t been a run-and-gun team yet to get deep. It’s great for selling popcorn and watching it on ESPN highlights. But as far as really legitimately winning it? Never. Never has it happened.”

Dunleavy is right. Yes, his Clippers lost to the Seven-Seconds-Or-Less Phoenix Suns in the Western Conference semifinals three seasons ago. But the Suns could never run-and-fun their way past the San Antonio Spurs, and Don Nelson’s Warriors will never be more than NBA eye candy unless they improve defensively.

For better or worse, though, Dunleavy has aligned himself with Davis and trying to de-Nellie his new point guard won’t be easy. Much like Steve Nash is doing with Terry Porter in Phoenix, player and coach must blend style and system to strike a balance that benefits the team. If not, the Clippers, who have lost eight of their first nine games, will continue to suffer.

“It’s kind of difficult for him,” Jackson said of Davis. “He likes playing fast and he likes having the ball a lot. They run a lot of [isolation plays], with the two and three guards and he doesn’t really get a chance to do his thing.”

Neither Davis nor the Clippers deserve blame for forming their partnership. After the Warriors didn’t come through with an extension for him, Davis would have been stupid not to take the Clippers’ $65 million offer to come home. Nor should the Clippers, forever caught in the shadow of the neighboring Lakers, be faulted for spending heavily on the local star.

If anyone deserves to be questioned, it’s the Warriors. Their increasingly dysfunctional front office couldn’t agree on a new deal for Davis – who Nelson continues to fondly call “our best player” – then spent $50 million to bring in Corey Maggette. On Saturday, the 30-year-old Jackson talked excitedly about how his own extension is forthcoming “in a few days” after he negotiated directly with team president Robert Rowell. The Warriors could have a promising young nucleus, further evidenced by Saturday’s 37-point performance from undrafted rookie Anthony Morrow. Still, the franchise needs stability within its management ranks.

“Just imagine how good we’ll be if we still had [Davis],” Jackson said.

The Clippers could say the same about Elton Brand. When the Clippers and Davis reached agreement, it was under the assumption Brand would be sharing the locker room. Dunleavy was in New York courting Sacramento Kings point guard Beno Udrih when Brand called to tell him Davis had opted out of his contract with the Warriors.

“Elton said, ‘He wants to come,’ ” Dunleavy said. “I’m like, ‘OK, great, but we have … $27 million. I give you 15 of it and then we have to fill in after that. I said, ‘Does he want 12?’ He came back and said, ‘No, he doesn’t want 12, he wants 14.’ I was like, ‘OK, see you later.’

“Elton called me back later and said, ‘OK, look, I’ll take 14 and he’ll take 13.’ “

The agreement never came to fruition. Brand’s agent, David Falk, solicited a more lucrative offer from the Philadelphia 76ers. Dunleavy, who said he still has a text message from Brand saying he planned to return, hasn’t heard from his former All-Star forward since. They’ll see each other for the first time Friday when the Clippers visit Philadelphia.

“I’m sure he had his reasons,” Dunleavy said, “but there’s nothing I can do about that.”

Brand, who spent seven seasons in Los Angeles, brought stability to the Clippers, something they now lack. Davis suddenly found himself as the leader of a team with 10 new players. Earlier this week, he told the Los Angeles Times’ Bill Plaschke of a “disconnect” between he and Dunleavy. Incredulously, Davis said he was so excited about returning to Los Angeles that he had neglected to learn that Dunleavy was far more rigid with his play-calling than Nelson.

On the first day of training camp, Maggette, who frequently butted heads with Dunleavy, issued a public warning to Davis, saying he would likely endure some frustration with his new team. “I know he goes through a lot here,” Maggette said Saturday. “Everyone knows what the situation is. You just have to weather the storm.”

Davis and Dunleavy have since met and both described the talk as productive. Still, as Saturday showed, there will continue to be growing pains. The Clippers took 26 3-pointers against the Warriors, making just six.

“I guarantee you I can shoot better than that,” Dunleavy said. “Now. Crippled.”

What frustrated Dunleavy most was the Clippers’ shot selection. All too often, they settled for long jumpers instead of putting the ball on the floor and attacking the basket.

“You’re wide open, that’s a good shot,” Dunleavy said. “In your range, that’s a good shot. With board coverage, that’s a good shot. That’s been my philosophy and the philosophy of most good coaches, I think. The caveat to that is if you got somebody that is a big-time shooter or a hot hand where you give the guy the proverbial green light.”

With the Warriors, Davis never saw a yellow light, let alone red. His confidence makes him great and he’s accustomed to being able to shoot himself out of a slump. On some nights, Dunleavy will have to learn to live with that.

What the Clippers can’t have is Al Thornton rushing shots as he did Saturday or Ricky Davis, who missed all but one of his six 3-pointers, also firing away at will. “The best thing they can do,”one scout said, “is call the nearest cab and put Ricky Davis in it.”

Baron Davis sounded a bit wistful of the Warriors afterward. “Their style,” he said, “just kind of took over.” But he also admitted the Clippers seemed too content to attack the game one-on-one and didn’t try to exploit their size advantage.

“We just have to find out how to win together,” he said. “Every time we get down, someone takes it upon themselves.”

Dunleavy remains optimistic. Injuries to Davis and Marcus Camby have lengthened the learning curve. And the Clippers are far from alone in their struggles; the Lakers and Suns are the only West teams with fewer than four losses. The season is young. Early impressions can change.

“There’s always better things to come,” Davis said.

Looking ahead is smarter than clinging to the past. For whatever nostalgia Davis stills holds about his running-and-gunning days, he’s married to the Clippers now. For better or worse.