Clippers’ Roberts Takes It All Back : Pro basketball: Tired of criticism, disgruntled center hits out at the organization, then quickly retracts his remarks.

Clipper center Stanley Roberts, who angered team officials by reporting to training camp overweight and out of shape last week, tried to take his foot out of his mouth Wednesday.

Frustrated after being criticized by General Manager Elgin Baylor, who has threatened to suspend him unless he’s ready to play by the team’s Nov. 4 season opener against the Portland Trail Blazers in Yokohama, Japan, Roberts on Tuesday said he wouldn’t re-sign with the Clippers after his contract expires at the end of the 1996-97 season.

“My mom told me, ‘Just bite your tongue and do what they ask of you,’ because my contract’s up (after 1996-97) and when it’s up, I’m a free agent and I can do as I please,” Roberts told the Orange County Register.

“The way I see it, I’m here for my teammates. I’m here for them. At one time I was playing for the organization, but now I’m here for my teammates and my teammates only.

“When this contract’s up, I’m out of here.”

However, Roberts called reporters aside after practice Wednesday at UC Irvine and took it all back.

“It was out of frustration and anger,” Roberts said. “I mean, I really want to be here and I’m part of this team and a big factor of it. I have no problem with the organization. As a matter of fact, Elgin talks to me every other day and (Executive Vice President) Andy (Roeser) is a good guy. He talks to me. They’ve been supportive.

“I just want to be out here with my teammates and do the best job that I can. I’m just anxious. . . . It’s my fault that I’m like this.

“I just want to get this cleared up. Please put it on the front page. It was wrong for me to put that in the paper.”

Roberts said Coach Bill Fitch called him after reading his comments.

“Coach Fitch was a little upset because the contract was mentioned,” Roberts said. “He wants contracts and stuff to stay away from the paper. Our focus is to make this team better and work hard and clean up the past and that’s what we’re trying to do. And that article didn’t help it.”

Fitch said Roberts should have used better judgment.

“Any time a player says ‘I’m sorry,’ which is something that (Ron) Harper never said and is something that (Danny) Manning or (Dominique) Wilkins never said, we’ve made progress already,” Fitch said.

“We don’t need any outside problems. Every one of my guys have been told that (discussing) contracts and all that stuff is not done in our locker room and not in the press.”