CLIPPERS NOTEBOOK: CLIPPERS MUST REBOUND.

Byline: Joe Stevens Staff Writer

The Clippers didn't waste any time pondering what went wrong in their exhibition opener at Seattle. They returned to Los Angeles at 1 a.m. Thursday and were back at practice 10 hours later at L.A. Southwest College.

Morale certainly wasn't affected by their 96-85 loss to the SuperSonics, even though they were beaten in every key statistical category. The players' feelings were the same as that of coach Alvin Gentry, who said, ``I'm not worried. We got 19 days before we play.''

Rebounding - or a lack thereof - was the Clippers' lamest display.

Improved rebounding is a high priority. And the team's performance against the Sonics did nothing to change that: Seattle had a 52-39 edge in rebounds.

Gentry is hoping intensity will do the trick.

``We talked and talked and talked about that,'' Gentry said. ``All we can do is keep harping on it and keep working on it. The bottom line is we got to want to go get the rebound. Rebounding takes a lot of determination, and we got to have that. I thought we stood and watched last night, and that really hurt us.''

The Clippers finished a respectable ninth in rebounding in the NBA last season. However, a frustrated coaching staff dismisses that fact.

``That's why I don't like to look at stat sheets,'' Gentry said. ``I think stat sheets are all bogus. You can make them say anything you want them to say. If you shoot 35 percent, you're probably going to get a lot of rebounds.''

Not on Wednesday. The Clippers shot just 34.9 percent and still were overwhelmed under the boards.

Gentry also attributed the loss to the type of teams the Clippers and Sonics are. Seattle's solid outside shooting compensates for some deficiencies while the Clippers' struggling shooters add to their problems.

--Brand's bland debut: Elton Brand's exhibition debut wasn't impressive. He scored just three points in 23 minutes. However, Brand and Gentry didn't put much stock into it, treating it like a scrimmage or practice.

Perhaps the worst part of Brand's game was his shooting. He made 1 of 7 shots from the field and was 1 of 6 from the free throw line.

``I'm not worried,'' Gentry said.

--Cuts could come: The Clippers leave for a five-game, nine-day trip Saturday and it's possible they'll trim their roster before then. With 12 players already under contract and five free agents in camp, the cuts probably won't be surprising.