Doc Rivers wants Clippers to aim high on the road

ATLANTA — The Clippers have started a seven-game trip in Atlanta, the longest of the season, and it’s the first of two seven-game trips Los Angeles will go on this season.

But unlike some NBA coaches, Clippers Coach Doc Rivers said he doesn’t want his team trying to win a certain amount of games on the road.

“Then you are putting limitations on how good you can be,” Rivers said. “And I’ve never agreed with that philosophy, ‘Let’s go .500.’ Why? Try to win them all. I just don’t look at road games or home games, I look at them as individual games.

“Obviously, every team plays better at home and it’s harder to play on the road. But you should try to win them.”

The current trip is more than 11 days and the Clippers now go to Memphis on Thursday night.

Rivers said his goal on this trip was to go “7-0.”

“And then when you lose one, let’s go 6-1,” Rivers said. “I don’t like looking ahead like that.”

The Clippers are 4-5 on the road.

Rivers is happy with roster

For now, Rivers said he wasn’t looking to make any roster moves because he likes his team.

The subject about keeping this current Clippers team together came up Wednesday night even though the trading deadline is not until Feb. 20.

But teams usually begin discussing deals around Dec. 15, which is sort of an arbitrary date set by the NBA that allows free agents signed last summer to be traded.

Rivers said “I wouldn’t mind” keeping the same 14-man roster.

“Obviously, you’re always looking,” he said. “But I like our team. So, I would be fine. I don’t even think about that right now. It’s too early in the year.”

Rivers not only is coach of the Clippers, but he is the senior vice president of basketball operations, meaning he’s in charge of making any moves.

If the Clippers do make a move soon, it’ll probably be to sign free-agent forward Lamar Odom, someone Rivers has said he will be monitoring.

Odom returned home to Los Angeles last week and has been working out and has “looked good,” according to two NBA executives who were not authorized to speak publicly on the matter.

Odom, 34, who played for the Clippers last season, ideally is looking at a return around Christmas, one executive said.

Odom had a rough summer in which there was alleged drug use and an arrest for suspicion of driving under the influence.

Etc.

Rivers remains one victory shy of 600, which would make him the 23rd coach in NBA history to win at least 600 games and only the third active coach with that many victories.

broderick.turner@latimes.com

Twitter: @BA_Turner