CLIPPERS NOTEBOOK: BRAND, KAMAN SET TO BATTLE PORTLAND, CLIPPERS LATE GAME.

Byline: Joe Stevens

Staff Writer

Probably the best thing about the Clippers, when healthy, is their big men.

One prevalent idea in Clipperland is that Elton Brand and Chris Kaman can match up with anyone in the NBA and consistently provide an excellent inside game.

Thanks to injury, Clippers fans haven't seen the two play together this season. Before they get a chance to catch a glimpse of them, the plan is to have the duo battle in practice and prove each is completely ready to play.

"They can really go at each other," coach Mike Dunleavy said of Brand and Kaman. "Elton has a legit guy he can bang against in the low post, and he can get the running in. What I want right now is to see those guys go at each other, play one-on-one and run full speed hard sprints, come back and play again. And repeat at the highest level possible."

Kaman says he has no more pain in his sore lower back and he'll be ready to play Tuesday. He says he probably could have played Saturday against Portland at Staples Center, but the Clippers held him out for precautionary reasons to make sure his back inflammation did not get reaggravated.

Kaman, who holds no medical degree, also went as far as saying that he thinks Brand is ready to play in games, too. Brand ruptured his Achilles tendon in August.

"I don't think he can play the whole game or anything, but that could get the fans into it," Kaman said of Brand. "I don't think he'll be able to play 40 minutes a game this year because it's a year-long injury and he's eight months into it. The guy works his butt off. I have a lot of respect for him."

Exactly how many minutes Brand can handle could determine whether he plays this season.

Dunleavy often has said he only wants the former All-Star to play if he is fully healthy and has no restrictions on playing time.

The Clippers have 13 games left, and Dunleavy is hoping the duo gets in rigorous practice time this week, even though the Clippers won't have enough for a full practice.

"The problem is I can't get 10 guys, but that's about the best I can do," Dunleavy said.

"I give them low-post work against someone who's going to be as equal as anyone you can bang against, and then let's see full throttle ahead, push it, suicides and simulate what you might have to do in a game."

Clippers erupt

The Clippers' dressing room erupted in cheers when Stanford defeated Marquette on a last-second shot in overtime in the NCAA Tournament.

The eruption was led by Stanford graduate Brevin Knight, who is one of seven Clippers with their college teams in the Tournament. Brand and Corey Maggette (Duke) saw their team have a different fate earlier in the day, with the Blue Devils getting ousted by West Virginia.

The other Clippers with ties in the tourney are Tim Thomas (Villanova), Aaron Williams (Xavier), Paul Davis (Michigan State) and Dan Dickau (Gonzaga).

More injuries

Both Thomas (stomach virus), Knight (sore left leg) and Williams (abdominal strain) joined Kaman and were out Saturday. That left only eight available Clippers in uniform.

The leader of those eight -- Corey Maggette -- wasn't a picture of health, either. He played with a sore left shoulder, after missing the team's previous game in Portland. The injured shoulder likely contributed to him having a poor free-throw shooting game in the team's previous game against Golden State in which he went 11 of 19 (57.9 percent) from the line.

[e-mail]

CLIPPERS

TUESDAY vs. Dallas, 5:30 p.m., American Airlines Center.

TV: Ch. 5.

CAPTION(S):

photo

Photo:

Chris Kaman and Elton Brand could be back in uniform sooner rather than later.

Andrew D. Berstein/NBAE via Getty Images