Dean Juipe: Secret side still follows ex-Las Vegan

Wednesday, Jan. 22, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.

THERE HAS always been more to Brian Williams than what immediately met the eye, as if any full-length feature story on him required some sort of sidebar to complete the profile.

For instance, when he moved to Las Vegas for the 1985-86 school year and was a junior at Bishop Gorman, Williams not only helped turn the Gaels into a fantastic basketball team, it turned out he was the son of a famous singer.

Years later, when he made it to the NBA, a feature on Williams would have been less than thorough if it didn't mention his many unusual hobbies, including the harmless (playing the trumpet) and the dangerous (sky diving). Still later, after establishing himself as a decent player in the league, any article on Williams would have to try to explain why he periodically suffered from debilitating instances of clinical depression.

The contrasts and subplots continue even today, with Williams the lone remaining free agent who is sitting out the current NBA season in spite of being offered a four-year deal by the Los Angeles Clippers worth a reported $16.8 million. The addendum this time: Williams clandestinely had surgery on his right knee in September, correcting a problem that developed as a result of a sky-diving mishap.

While he comes from some money and has made millions, an uncomplicated life seems beyond his means.

When he came to Las Vegas, Williams was a solid power-forward type who ran the court well and displayed a certain craftiness near the basket that indicated he at least had college potential. It was an added curiosity that he had moved here to be with his father, Gene, a singer with The Platters (who had a regular gig in town at the time).

Williams returned to Santa Monica, Calif., to live with his mother for his senior year in high school, and his nomadic ways continued in college when he started at Maryland and transferred to Arizona. While he gained a reputation as a player who didn't always excel in the big games, he flashed enough potential that by the 1991 NBA draft he was the 10th player selected.

He had become a big man in more ways than one, with an expanding waistline that turned him into a burly, 260-pound, 6-foot-11 center. He still had a soft touch and huge hands, yet he bounced from team to team (Orlando to Denver to LA). He lacked consistency and he appeared to be settling into a rut, the kind of guy who might stay employed yet would always be with a loser.

Nonetheless, look at the money the Clippers offered him last summer and before you're finished scratching your head and wondering why he didn't take it, be advised he said he balked because he wanted $7 million per season.

As recently as a week ago the Dallas Mavericks were considering meeting that salary demand until the secret-surgery story got out. Now the reality of the situation is that Williams is in a hoops limbo, reluctantly admitting that he's not ready to play while trying to find a team willing to make a substantial investment in him.

The incongruity is typical.