|
No easy answers for Clippers
EL SEGUNDO Gazing across the practice court, Los Angeles Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy sees Shaun Livingston sinking high-arching jump shot after high-arching jump shot on one end of the floor, while Elton Brand is knocking down his patented sling-shot jumper on the opposite end from Shaun Livingston.
It has the same impact as a wondrous dream because the reality is the 9-14 Los Angeles Clippers won't be getting these two players back anytime soon, if at all this season.
Center Chris Kaman is not the dependable go-to offensive option that Elton Brand has been the previous six seasons. And although injuries have created a start-and-stop cycle in the 21-year-old Shaun Livingston's short career, he has demonstrated, when healthy, outstanding offensive court awareness and defensive skills conducive with Dunleavy's team philosophy.
So, while Elton Brand – recovering from a ruptured left Achilles' tendon, and Shaun Livingston, continuing his comeback from a devastating left knee injury – bury jumpers, Dunleavy only can muse aloud, "Seeing Shaun out here shooting the ball and out here doing stuff, and E.B. doing the same, it's good.''
Elton Brand spent 20 minutes working out on the Los Angeles Clippers' newest equipment purchase, a state-of-the-art cardiovascular machine, which controls the stress of an individual's body weight. According to team athletic trainer Jasen Powell, Elton Brand worked out on the machine, alternating between walking and jogging, while using 50 percent of his body weight.
"We'll do that four more times, then increase the work load,'' Powell said.
It remains possible that both Elton Brand and Shaun Livingston could play this season but not until after the All-Star break in February. Jolted back from the future to the present, Dunleavy assessed the Los Angeles Clippers' present situation following Monday's practice at Spectrum South.
"Bottom line is, we don't have a game out there that's a given,'' Dunleavy said. "We have to play at a high level in order to win right now. We have to play solid, play tight, play close, and try to give ourselves a chance to win at the end. Right now with us having guys out, guys banged up, we're not going to be able to power anybody.''
Revolving door
Recently-signed guard Richie Frahm already has played 30-plus minutes off the bench in two games. He has made 3 of 9 field-goal attempts, including a 3-pointer. But Frahm's current employment rests on the health of point guards Brevin Knight and Dan Dickau. With the 38-year old Sam Cassell still not ready to return from a strained left calf muscle, Dunleavy said the team would immediately go out and sign another point guard if anything happens to Knight or Dickau.
Injury update
Sam Cassell participated in some limited team activity Monday for the first time since his injury three weeks ago. Sam Cassell has been doing individual shooting for the past week.
Forward Tim Thomas, who missed the Los Angeles Lakers' game due to a mildly sprained right ankle, said Monday that he probably would play tonight. "We'll see,'' Dunleavy said. "I thought that he would be able to go (Sunday) night. But he was unable to do that.''
Thomas said that after testing his ankle during pregame warmups he assessed that he would not have been able to keep up with the pace of the game.Guard Cuttino Mobley spent four hours early Monday morning at the UCLA Medical Center, receiving two liters of intravenous fluids for what Powell determined was the stomach flu.
See
more at www.ocregister.com
| 
