CLIPPERS NOTEBOOK: GOING TO THEIR BENCH.Byline: Sean Kearns Staff Writer Clippers coach Alvin Gentry Alvin Gentry is an American professional basketball coach, and college basketball player, who has led three different NBA teams. He served as an interim coach for the Miami Heat at the end of the 1995 season, and later coached the Detroit Pistons and the Los Angeles Clippers. hoped to use the exhibition schedule as a time to experiment with his young roster. For now, it's a time to get his team healthy. Four regulars - Lamar Odom Lamar Joseph Odom (born November 6 1979, in South Jamaica, Queens, New York) is an American professional basketball player who currently plays power forward (also plays both forward spots and is a "point-forward") for the National Basketball Association's Los Angeles Lakers. , Michael Olowokandi Michael Olowokandi (born April 3 1975 in Lagos, Nigeria), nicknamed The Kandi Man is a Nigerian professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association. He currently is a free agent. , Keyon Dooling Keyon Latwae Dooling (born May 8, 1980 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida) is an American professional basketball player who currently plays for the Orlando Magic of the NBA. and Quentin Richardson Quentin Richardson (born April 13 1980 in Chicago, Illinois) is an American professional basketball player, currently playing for the National Basketball Association's New York Knicks. He is a swingman. - did not practice Monday and only Richardson has a chance of playing tonight at 7:30 when the Clippers meet Portland at Staples Center This article has multiple issues: * Its neutrality is disputed. * It may contain original research or unverifiable claims. * It does not cite any references or sources. . ``With Lamar not there and Michael not there, obviously those are two key players for us,'' Gentry said. ``So we'll not quite go over some of the things we like to cover. This is the time of the year when the injuries and soreness is going to set in. If you look around, a lot of guys haven't played.'' Olowokandi sprained his right ankle in Saturday's game against Vancouver. It was hardly noticeable when the injury occurred. He hit the foot of Vancouver's Bryant Reeves. He tried to run out the sprain sprain, stretching or wrenching of the ligaments and tendons of a joint, often with rupture of the tissues but without dislocation. Sprains occur most commonly at the ankle, knee, or wrist joints, causing pain, swelling, and difficulty in moving the involved joint. but left the game in the second quarter. Odom, who missed the Vancouver game, will continue to rest with tendinitis in his left quadriceps. Gentry wanted to start Odom at point guard sometime in the exhibition schedule. Now Gentry's top priority is to rest Odom and put the point guard experiment on hold, possibly until the regular season. ``I'm not worried about (Odom's injury) right now,'' Gentry said. ``If it's something that lingers 20 games into the year where he is playing two and missing two, it might be a problem. It's one of those things you can't do anything about it.'' Dooling is expected to return Thursday, when the Clippers travel to Denver. He has missed three games with a sprained tendon sprained tendon see bowed tendon, tendon strain. in his right foot. Richardson sat out practice with back spasms. --Rebounding: Along with offensive consistency, rebounding is one of the early problems for the Clippers. Vancouver, which had Bryant Reeves, Othella Harrington and Ike Austin in the middle, had 20 offensive rebounds on Saturday. ``We'll work on it in practice and make more of a focus emphasis on it during the game,'' said forward Brian Skinner. ``It's not like you have to practice a free throw or practice a shot. . . It's just instinct and we've got to work on executing every time on the defensive end.'' In the Western Conference, rebounding will be a priority with teams like the Lakers, Portland, San Antonio and Sacramento, who are strong inside. ``We're just not pursuing the ball,'' Gentry said. ``That is my big concern. I think we are turning and watching. Our big guys, we don't seem to be pursuing and our perimeter guys, we haven't boxed out like I figured we'd have to.'' --Rooks to start: Sean Rooks will start in place of Olowokandi tonight. . . Eric Piatkowski continues to rehabilitate his left knee. CAPTION(S): photo Photo: MICHAEL OLOWOKANDI Clippers center will be among four regulars on the sidelines On the sidelines An investor who decides not to invest due to market uncertainty. on the sidelines Of or relating to investors who, having assessed the market, have decided to avoid committing their funds. tonight. |
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