CLIPPERS NOTEBOOK: IT'S TIME TO PLAY FOR INJURY-RIDDLED CLIPPERS.

Byline: Joe Stevens Staff Writer

PALM DESERT - Training camp is supposed to be a time for players to get into better shape, fit into the team's system and prepare for the season. None of that happened for many of the Clippers this week.

Instead, the Clippers repeatedly were rocked by injuries. So when they play their first exhibition game tonight against the Lakers in Bakersfield, four would-be starters - Elton Brand, Lamar Odom, Quentin Richardson and Michael Olowokandi - aren't expected to make the brief trip north.

If there is a silver lining for the Clippers, it's that Odom is the only player who is expected to definitely be out opening day Oct. 30. All the others could be back, but that is not certain.

Odom has swelling in his right ankle and Brand is recovering from arthroscopic surgery on his right knee.

On Monday, Richardson and Olowokandi each took MRIs and it was discovered Richardson has a sprained right knee, not a partially torn medial collateral ligament as previously thought. He is expected to be out for a week.

Olowokandi's MRI revealed tendinitis in his left knee, and he is considered day to day.

And there are more injuries. Keyon Dooling won't make the trip to Bakersfield because of a sore left ankle, Marko Jaric is questionable with a sore left groin, and rookies Chris Wilcox (strained right quadriceps) and Melvin Ely (tendinitis in his left foot) also are questionable for the game.

Camp tryout players Mike Batiste (swelling in his left knee) and Jason Crowe (back spasms) also are questionable. Eleven of the team's 19 players, including Bryant Stith who is out recovering from right-knee surgery, are listed with some kind of ailment.

``It's my 15th year in the NBA,'' coach Alvin Gentry said. ``And I've never seen anything like this in my life.''

--Rooks looks ahead: Yet another free agent at the end of this season is center Sean Rooks, who is beginning his 11th NBA season. The 33-year-old Rooks, who averaged 3.0 points and 11.9 minutes last season, isn't sure what the future holds.

``My plan, as far as the Clippers are concerned, is that I have no idea, and I'm not really thinking about it,'' Rooks said. ``All summer long, all I heard was about every other Clipper on this team other than myself. People didn't even know I was on the team this year. If I go by that, who knows what my status is as a Clipper?''

The 6-foot-10 Rooks hopes to play for another two or three seasons and believes there is a place for him in the NBA because of his size and shooting ability.