THE SIDELINES : Davis Rejects Plea From Jordan and Re-Signs With the Nuggets

DENVER — Walter Davis has signed a two-year contract with the Denver Nuggets, despite a personal plea by Michael Jordan for Davis to help the Chicago Bulls win an NBA championship.

“He called me three or four times lately. He wanted me to play on his team real bad,” Davis said Thursday. “And it was very tempting to play alongside Michael Jordan and get a chance to win a championship.”

But Davis, 35, a 13-year veteran, chose to remain in Denver because he has a daughter about to enter grade school and a wife who has fallen in love with the Rocky Mountains, he said.

Denver initially signed the 6-6 Davis as a free agent in 1988. Davis has scored 18,140 points during his career, making him the 30th-leading scorer in NBA history.

“It’s important to have him,” Nuggets Coach Doug Moe said. “There’s going to be a big turnover on this team this year. We have spots to fill and we’d like to fill most of them with young guys. But we wanted to keep some veterans.”

Moe said as many as five rookies could find spots on the Nuggets’ 1990-91 roster. The Nuggets also said they have told 31-year-old center Joe Barry Carroll there will be no effort made to re-sign him.