Todd’s New Role Has Been Taxing

Sunday night was a good one for interim Coach Jim Todd and it wasn’t because the Clippers didn’t play. It was because he had more than four hours of sleep for the first time in weeks.

“I was exhausted. . . . I had been sleeping two or three hours every night and even I know you need more than that,” Todd said. “I’m not joking. You are so worked up about everything, there’s so much that consumes you now.”

Todd has discovered that being in charge is a lot different than being a well-liked assistant. With the Clippers long out of the playoff hunt, Todd is trying to find ways for his team to win games over the final five weeks of the season.

“To their credit they’ve been playing hard. . . . They have been trying to stay the course and they have been getting better,” Todd said.

With Dennis Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar joining the coaching staff only a month ago, the Clippers are just now getting comfortable with each other, according to Todd.

“I think we’re starting to jell but it has been hard because we’ve basically had someone out every game,” Todd said of the Clippers’ injuries this season. “Every night it seems someone else is down and that hurts what we’re trying to do.”

Against Washington on Monday night, the Clippers played without rookie Lamar Odom, who sat out because of a right calf strain.

“There’s no question this has been a difficult situation. But I am still pleased to have this opportunity,” Todd said. “We’ve been searching for the right systems, because if something didn’t work we’ve tried to change. We’ve gone to a few different things. We’re trying to get whatever will work.”