Outwardly, Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy maintains the disposition of a person confident that good times are just around the corner. In the midst of all the injuries that have beset the team, it is difficult to imagine where that optimism spawns from.
It was a lonely bench when the Clippers played the Detroit Pistons, as a season-low eight Clippers were in uniform. Missing in action were guards Baron Davis, Jason Hart, Ricky Davis and Mike Taylor, forward Zach Randolph and center Chris Kaman. Forward Brian Skinner started the game at center and he too, was questionable to play, because of a leg contusion.
Dunleavy said he didn't know if the current situation is worse than at this time last year. It is, because the number of players unavailable is higher. Last year, Dunleavy was resigned to the fact that he would not have injured front-liners Elton Brand and Shaun Livingston. Forward Paul Davis, who is healthy now, had suffered a season-ending knee injury four days before Christmas. Tim Thomas was out of the lineup with a sore knee.
But that was four players, not the six that were not in uniform against the Pistons.
What is Dunleavy's answer to the dilemma?
"You have to just keep plugging away," he said.
The only option, according to Dunleavy, is to somehow stay close throughout the course of a game and then find a way down the stretch to win.
But without offensive producers like Randolph, Baron Davis and Kaman, it's easier said than done. The injury situation got so bad that the Clippers were forced to sign unemployed guard Fred Jones to a contract. Jones has filled an immediate need but by signing him, the flexibility of keeping a roster spot open was lost.
The Clippers now have 15 players under contract, which is the NBA's regular-season maximum. So, unless someone is waived, the Clippers cannot sign any player to a 10-day contract nor pick up a serviceable veteran that might get waived, before contracts are guaranteed for the year on Jan. 10.
Dunleavy has had no qualms with the effort he has gotten.
"Our guys that have played, have played hard," he said. "When we're healthy, we're a good team."
There can be no argument there. Hypothetically, if the Clippers did not have any injuries to deal with, they would have a starting five of point guard Baron Davis, shooting guard Eric Gordon, small forward Al Thornton, Randolph at power forward and Kaman at center. The bench would be solid, with forward Marcus Camby, guard Ricky Davis, swingman Mardy Collins and forward-center Paul Davis.
But in reality, the Clippers do have injuries to contend with and it is hard to imagine them making any significant progress until the injured players come back healthy.
PISTONS 88, CLIPPERS 87: Just when it looked like the Clippers had emptied their bag of ways to lose a game, they came up with another. Forward Al Thornton was called for goaltending on a lay-up try by the Pistons' Allen Iverson with 2.8 seconds remaining in the game. Rookie guard Eric Gordon had given the Clippers an 87-86 lead on the previous possession when he converted on a three-point play. But Gordon, who scored a game-high 31 points, missed a potential game-winning basket on a tough running jump shot at the buzzer. Detroit played without injured starters Richard Hamilton and Rasheed Wallace.
