CLIPPERS NOTES : MARTIN'S VERSATILITY IS TESTED AGAIN.

Brandon Martin is accustomed to quick adjustments. He played for three coaches in his four years at USC, including two during his senior season.

A strong, stable environment might have helped Martin get drafted by an NBA team. Instead, Martin signed with the Clippers as a free agent and the career shooting guard is now trying point guard.

``I'm learning a lot of things about basketball that I didn't know before,'' said Martin, munching on a banana after the team's strenuous scrimmage. ``It's a tough adjustment, but I'm up to make it. I'll do anything the coaches tell me.''

Martin is playing in scrimmages against NBA veterans Pooh Richardson, Darrick Martin and Terry Dehere - all point guards. That is not lost on Martin.

The 6-foot-4, 200-pounder is always the last one to leave practice, shooting extra baskets and getting extra tips from the coaches.

``Brandon is a hard worker,'' coach Bill Fitch said. ``That's one of the reasons I brought him in here.''

Martin is likely a long shot to make the club because of the depth at point guard but is willing to see how far the sport can take him.

``I've got an education degree and when this is over, I'll pursue teaching,'' Martin said. ``But as long as I can play and learn from this sport, I'll keep going.''

It's difficult for Martin not to have second thoughts about his college choice. Recruited by Oklahoma, Arizona, Cal and USC, Martin chose to stay home to play for George Raveling.

Raveling coached just two seasons before a car accident forced him to retire. The program then suffered through two difficult seasons under two coaches, including last season after a permanent coach - Henry Bibby - was found. However, Martin's senior season was sacrificed in the process.

``It's hard knowing you had a chance to go to a lot of different universities,'' Martin said. ``It's really made me mature, but sometimes I can't help but think what if things were different.''

Fine things: Stanley Roberts will be fined $2,500 for every practice and $4,000 for every exhibition game missed. The Clippers play eight exhibition games and begin a four-game trip on Friday at Detroit.

Time off: Fitch gave the players Wednesday morning off and began the evening practice an hour early on the final day of their six-day stay in Santa Barbara.

Still missing: Six days into training camp, free agent Brian Williams and the Clippers are no closer to reaching an agreement.

``He may be in shape and ready to play,'' Fitch said. ``But missing camp involves everybody. He'll miss working with his teammates and getting to know their tendencies. It's not only to get in shape but to mesh with the team.''

Williams' agent, Fred Slaughter, is still angry about assessments that he has mishandled the Williams' situation. An anonymous agent who said he was close to the negotiations was quoted as saying that Slaughter could have gotten Williams signed by now.

``You ask Casper the Agent how things are going now,'' Slaughter said about the negotiations. ``He's involved. He'll know better than I do. Right?''

Waived:The Clippers cut forward/center Cedric Lewis, a 6-10 veteran from Maryland, reducing their roster to 16 players, not including Roberts.