Ford Goes More to Bench

Coach Chris Ford said following the Clippers’ defeat to Utah that some changes would be made against Golden State Tuesday night. Based on his substitution pattern early in the game, it was evident that if a player made a mental mistake or did not give effort defensively, he found himself on the bench quickly.

The first two weeks of the season, Ford maintained a pretty regular pattern with his players but against the Warriors, he shuffled in one Clipper after another in an attempt to get a more productive team on the floor.

In the first half alone, nine players played at least five minutes, including rookie swingman Tyrone Nesby, who seems to have become Ford’s defensive stopper.

Nesby did a solid job on the Warriors’ Chris Mills and John Starks early.

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The Clippers’ poor start is not unusual considering the team’s play in recent years. In his first season as coach, Bill Fitch started the 1994-95 season 0-16 and last season, the Clippers began 1-12.

Point guard Pooh Richardson, linked to a few trade rumors circulating around the league--including one to the Warriors--did not play. . . . Backup center Keith Closs also did not play but he had strong support from a large group of fans who chanted “We want Keith” at the start of the fourth quarter.