Clippers Face Line in Sand : Pro basketball: Taylor’s agent says they will lose the power forward if they don’t sign him by Sept. 8.

Clipper owner Donald Sterling will have an opportunity to put up or shut up Sept. 8 when he and agent David Falk sit down to discuss a long-term contract extension for power forward Maurice Taylor.

The Clippers have made significant rebuilding strides this off-season but could take a major backward step if they can’t reach agreement with Taylor, the franchise’s most valuable player who has expressed a desire to remain a Clipper.

Many players Falk represents have left the Clippers as free agents, and the agent said that if a deal is not done on Sept. 8, he will seek a trade before training camp opens Oct. 5, or Taylor will play out the final year of his contract and become an unrestricted free agent next summer.

“If that happens, and I hope that it doesn’t, it would be a clear indication of where we are headed,” said center Michael Olowokandi, the Clippers’ No. 1 pick of the 1998 draft.

“He’s a great player. Not [reaching a contract extension] shows players and fans that [the Clippers] are not dedicated to put together a competitive team.”

In two NBA seasons, Taylor has emerged as one of the league’s best power forwards. He led the Clippers in scoring at 16.8 points a game last season. Taylor, selected 14th overall from Michigan in 1997, is seeking the league maximum extension for players beginning their third seasons.

Taylor will be paid $1,367,400 for the 1999-2000 season. The most he could sign for is a six-year extension for roughly $71 million, starting at $9 million for the 2000-2001 season.

“I’m surprised and a little disappointed that an [extension] has not been done,” said Falk, who replaced Norm Nixon as Taylor’s agent in July. “But I’ve always had a good relationship with Sterling over the years. This is a litmus test for the franchise.”

The stakes are high for the Clippers, who have added Lamar Odom, Derek Anderson and Johnny Newman to the roster and re-signed Tyrone Nesby and Eric Piatkowski.

But this is not the first time that the Clippers have appeared headed in the right direction. In the late 1980s, Falk represented three first-round Clipper picks, Reggie Williams, Ken Norman and Charles Smith. All became former Clippers when it came time to negotiate new contracts.

“Based on Donald Sterling’s history of re-signing key players, the odds are unlikely that Maurice will stay,” Falk said.

Getting Taylor signed to an extension before the league’s Oct. 31 deadline is not a problem for Falk because he does not plan any negotiations. Either Sterling gives Taylor the maximum, he said, or it’s on to Plan B.

“I’m not worried about it because next year, it’s virtually certain that Maurice will play for the NBA maximum,” Falk said. “Donald can make a quick good-faith and personal commitment to a player, who is well respected around the league.”

Taylor has spent time this off-season working out under the guidance of the Clipper coaches in the Los Angeles area. But he returned home to Detroit nearly two weeks ago.

Two reasons Sterling may be reluctant to pay Taylor top dollar are his low rebounding numbers and history of not being in top condition. Last season, Taylor arrived at training camp out of shape and had only 5.3 rebounds a game.

This summer, he has worked to improve in both areas.

“He is in fairly decent shape because he knows what happened last [season] shouldn’t have happened,” said Johnny Doyle, strength and conditioning coach, who has worked with Taylor.

“When we said come three days a week, he was there three days a week. Not only did he come but he showed up on time, which is pretty good for NBA players.”

Taylor is hoping that the Clippers reward him the same way New Jersey rewarded Keith Van Horn, selected No. 2 overall in 1997. Van Horn is the only player selected in the top 10 of Taylor’s class to have signed to a long-term extension.

“To me, it’s a no-brainer,” Olowokandi said about re-signing Taylor.

Clipper Coach Chris Ford sees it as a tough call for a franchise to arbitrarily go to the maximum right away. “Just because a player has potential,” Ford said, “does not mean he’s going to be a franchise player.”