Martin Happy the Clippers Settled for an Older Model

Throughout the lockout, Elgin Baylor made it known that the Clippers wanted a better point guard.

But when the Clippers opened training camp Thursday night at College of the Desert, the Clippers’ top point guard looked remarkably like the one they had when they finished with a 17-65 record last season.

Proving that playing point guard for the Clippers is not one of the most sought-after jobs in the NBA, Darrick Martin re-signed with the team after other free agents like Kevin Johnson and Sherman Douglas decided to look elsewhere.

“We’ve always been talking about Darrick and the possibility of bringing him back and as this thing has been unfolding, he’s still been there,” Coach Chris Ford said.

Martin, a starter for much of the last two seasons, signed an incentive-heavy one-year contract reportedly worth $500,000 and said he’s not holding a grudge after an unusual off-season.

“I don’t take things personal. . . . If I can’t control it, then I don’t get upset about it,” Martin said.

“I’ve been made to feel comfortable here at this point, so I have no reason to feel uncomfortable.”

Because the Clippers had been so open with their desire to bring in a new point guard, Martin felt his days with the team were over even as late as Wednesday. But in this new NBA version of free-agent frenzy, Martin ended up as the Clippers’ best option after conversations with Ford and Baylor.

“A lot of people, including himself, didn’t think that he had the kind of year he hoped to last season,” Ford said. “His first year here, the consensus was that he played very well and that he had a good future. Hopefully, we can find a way to bring him back to what he did his first year.”

Before the Clippers’ first practice, Ford met individually with each returning player and briefly talked to them about what type of effort he wanted. Which he got for the most part.

“I really enjoyed practice. . . . Instead of just going out there and [Ford] seeing what type of shape we’re in, we learned, we ran, we shot the ball and then ran some more,” forward Eric Piatkowski said.

“We went over some new defensive twists, some schemes to help us get out and run the ball.”

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Clipper Notes

Only Michael Olowokandi, the team’s No. 1 pick last year, was not in attendance for the Clippers’ first practice. Guard James Robinson had been excused by Ford because of the birth of his daughter on Wednesday but still worked out. . . . Brian Skinner, the Clippers’ second first-round draft pick, signed and was at practice. . . . The Clippers filled out their training camp roster with the addition of free agents Scott Brooks, a 10-year veteran point guard from UC Irvine; Chris Smith, a 6-3 guard from Connecticut with four years NBA experience; Mark Blount, a 7-foot center from Pittsburgh drafted in the second round by Seattle last season; Trent Nesby, a 6-6 forward who played at Nevada Las Vegas last season, and Juaquin Hawkins, a 6-7 forward from Long Beach State and Lynwood High School. . . . The Clippers will play six games at the Arrowhead Pond. The Clippers play Vancouver on Tuesday, Feb. 16 and the Lakers on Thursday, Feb. 25, followed by three Saturday games: Feb. 27 against Atlanta, March 27 against Utah and April 10 against Portland. The final game is Monday, April 19, against Sacramento. . . . Individual game tickets will go on sale Saturday at noon at the Sports Arena and Pond box offices. They will also be available through Ticketmaster. The Clippers have dropped all $15 tickets to $10 for the season.

Times staff writer Bill Shaikin contributed to this story.