Injured Clipper Forwards Are Taking Steps Backward

Rodney Rogers and Maurice Taylor, Clipper forwards who can ill afford to be dragged down by nagging injuries, were unable to practice Wednesday as the team returned to Los Angeles after a week in Palm Desert.

Rogers, who had an MRI on his sore right knee, and Taylor, who has a strain in his right thigh, are not expected to be sidelined long, but their injuries have come at a bad time because neither player is yet in “game” shape.

Rogers had not missed a practice until Wednesday and he’s in much better shape than when he arrived at College of the Desert. But as his weight dropped, he began having problems with his knee. His MRI results will be read today by team doctors.

Taylor suffered his injury early in camp but continued to practice. He has now been told by team doctors to take a few days off and might not play in Friday night’s exhibition game against the Lakers at the Great Western Forum.

“I’m pretty concerned about [the injury],” Taylor said. “At first I thought it was something I could come back from. I’ve been able to scrimmage last night and I was able to do well, but the pain is still there and I’m walking with a limp.

“The doctor told me I should stay off of it for a couple of days because it is not going to get any better. If I stay on it, I could risk [serious] injury and really be out.”

“It’s a wait and see [with both Rogers and Taylor],” Coach Chris Ford said. “I really don’t know if they will be available for either game Friday or Saturday. I think they are behind in their conditioning.

“I won’t rush them to just play in two exhibition games.”

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Because of travel problems, Michael Olowokandi will not leave Italy until at least Saturday, according to his agent, Bill Duffy.

“Michael [a Nigerian national] is in the process of acquiring a multiple entry visa and work permit,” Duffy said. “Hopefully, he’ll be here by Saturday.”

Ford has been playing it cool when talking about Olowokandi, who as last year’s No. 1 draft pick is expected to sign a three-year deal for $10,368,840 and an additional $4,662,472 if the Clippers exercise the fourth-year option.

“I’ll just wait until he gets here,” Ford said, “instead of being anxious like watching the stock market go up and down.”

Lorenzen Wright is one of the few people in the Clipper organization who has met Olowokandi. They worked out together at Pete Newell’s big-man camp in Hawaii last summer.

“I can’t wait until he gets here because he should be able to help us out a lot,” Wright said. “ . . . I think he’s going to do pretty good in this league.”