Rivers’ Thumb Injured, Polynice’s Feelings Hurt

A two-game Texas trip that took a far greater toll than a drop in the standings ended Thursday night for the Clippers, who probably feel as if they are returning home from a monthlong tour.

They learned before the 95-88 loss to the Dallas Mavericks at Reunion Arena that point guard Doc Rivers will miss at least 10 days and five games because of strained ligaments in his left thumb, an injury suffered the night before in a loss at San Antonio.

Rivers has company. Charles Smith and Bo Kimble already are on the injured list and Ken Norman is home because of bronchitis.

The emotional baggage is piling up in the X-ray room. Olden Polynice, upset at a lack of minutes and what he says is an inconsistent playing rotation, ripped into Coach Mike Schuler in an expletive-filled tirade, the slamming of locker doors serving as exclamation points.

Polynice proclaimed: “I’m tired of being played like a damn yo-yo,” and that “this is not going to continue” and that he plans to talk with Schuler again, just as they did after the first game.

“I’ll tell you right now, I ain’t no Benoit Benjamin,” Polynice said, staring most of the time at the box score that showed he played 27 minutes. “I’m Olden Polynice and I need to be treated like Olden, not like other people are used to being treated on this team. I have a mind of my own.

“I’m not going to have this every night. They can trade my butt back to Seattle. I’m not going to have it.”

Polynice played 11 more minutes than James Edwards on the trip. Schuler shifted more time to his backup center in hopes it would create an infusion of offense, and Edwards produced against the Mavericks by scoring 12 of his 18 points in the fourth quarter.

Schuler first said he had no response to Polynice’s comments. But he did react.

“ ‘No excuses, just results’--I believe that is a phrase he coined,” Schuler said of the T-shirts Polynice handed out to all Clippers during training camp. “After a game, people are always frustrated if the team doesn’t win.”

And just when it seemed as if nothing could get worse than the news of the afternoon.

Rivers hurt his thumb during a first-quarter scramble for the ball with San Antonio’s Antoine Carr. He played the rest of the game, missing all five shots, iced the finger during the one-hour flight to Dallas and then chilled it some more upon reaching the hotel.

By Thursday morning, the pain and swelling had increased. He stayed on the sidelines during the afternoon shoot-around, then visited Tarek Souryal, the associate team physician for the Mavericks.

Rivers will see Tony Daly, the Clipper team physician, to confirm the diagnosis and to get a more definite time schedule. Trainer Keith Jones said he could be out six to eight weeks in the unlikely event of surgery. But, Jones stressed, the 10 days is more realistic because Rivers has good movement in the joint.

“I’m discounting that,” Rivers said of the worst-case scenario before missing his third game of the season. “But the way things are going. . . .”

Things could get worse. With point guard being manned by Gary Grant, who had 10 assists against the Mavericks, and rookie Elliot Perry, and General Manager Elgin Baylor waiting until word today from Daly before trolling the CBA for a third-stringer, the week ahead is, well, formidable.

It begins Saturday at the Sports Arena against Tim Hardaway and Golden State, followed by a home-and-home set with Terry Porter and Portland, capped by Kevin Johnson and Phoenix next Friday.

Clipper Notes

James Edwards: “When you have key players hurt, you have to have other players rise up because this is a game we should have won whether we were short-handed or not because Dallas is not that good of a team.” . . . Danny Manning led the Clippers with 27 points. Loy Vaught added 15 points and 11 rebounds. . . . The Mavericks got their first victory at home.