CLIPPERS NOTEBOOK: BREWER WAITING FOR ANY NEWS.

Byline: Randy Hill

Savvy NBA watchdogs say that in the Clippers' coach-hiring derby, the smart money is on Jim Brewer.

Last Wednesday, the sneaky money, money that had nothing to do with the Clippers, was on Jim Brewer, too. This particular loot had been scored in a 50-50 raffle during a game at Long Beach City College, and belonged to lucky ticketholder Patsy Brewer, Jim's wife. That didn't stop Jim from pocketing this fistful of small bills while Patsy shared a post-game embrace with Jim Brewer Jr., starting point guard for the unbeaten LBCC squad.

``I need this,'' said Brewer in the role of slick, grinning husband, probably deciding that not being on a payroll doesn't mean he can't snag a roll of some kind. For now, he's a coach in professional limbo. After four years as a Clippers assistant, Brewer became unemployed when the team fired head coach Bill Fitch a few months ago.

The Clippers will wait for the death of the NBA lockout before hiring Fitch's replacement, and Brewer is on a short list that includes deposed Sacramento Kings coach Eddie Jordan and Chris Ford, who was shown the door in Milwaukee.

``This feels a lot like the situation in Minnesota,'' said Brewer, referring to his pre-Clippers days as an employee of the Timberwolves, whose ownership had threatened to take its franchise to New Orleans. ``Not knowing where you're going to be is really difficult.''

But the wait is made almost tolerable by knowing he's considered the Clippers favorite.

``I hope so,'' Brewer said in what can be interpreted as a public declaration of really wanting this job, and thereby worth a few brownie points.

Joe Safety, the Clippers' vice president of communications, confirms that Brewer is highly regarded in the organization.

``Jim Brewer is a super guy,'' Safety said. ``The people would love him. He's well-respected by the players, he has no agenda . . . he's a very astute guy.''

Does all of this mean he's the guy? The Clippers aren't saying.

``We're not trying to be mysterious about it,'' said Safety, who added that the job has not been offered to Brewer, Ford, Jordan or any of the more-exotic, alleged candidates whose names surfaced after Fitch was let go. ``There's been an awful lot of noise, but we prefer to take all of the available time before making the decision. But when it (lockout) ends, we're in a position to move quickly.''

But probably not as quickly as Brewer moved when the 50-50 raffle money came his way.

Selling `Kandi': ``There's been interest from every country in the world,'' said Bill Duffy, sounding more like a nuclear-weapons dealer than the agent for Michael Olowokandi, the first pick in the most-recent NBA draft. That pick, you may recall, was made by the Clippers.

The lockout is doing little to accelerate the hoop education of Olowokandi, a 7-footer from the University of the Pacific by way of England who has played basketball for all of four years. So, while his client is unable to play or get paid, Duffy has entertained offers from around the world.

``We had one today from Italy,'' said the agent, who didn't share specifics.

When asked if Team Olowokandi's final foreign decision will be postponed until the next turn of the NBA labor war, Duffy said, ``Not necessarily.''

Playing for profit in a foreign professional league, especially if the NBA season is wiped out, could help Olowokandi hold the learning curve.

Weighing in on this issue is Pete Newell, who coached Cal to the NCAA championship in 1959 and now operates boot camps for tall basketball players, serving as the Dalai Lama of low-post play. Olowokandi has been a prized pupil at Newell's gatherings the last two summers.

``I think it'd be great for him,'' said Newell of Olowokandi killing time and raising his game in a foreign league. ``I think the kid needs to play. The lockout may be hurting him more than anybody.''

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PHOTO JIM BREWER

The former Clippers assistant is considered by many the leading candidate to fill the team's vacant head-coaching position.