Nesby Makes It Clear He’d Prefer Starting

Tyrone Nesby wants to start. It doesn’t matter if he’s playing small forward or shooting guard, as long as he opens the game on the court and not the Clipper bench.

“I am more pumped up at the beginning of the game than I am when I have to sit relax and then go in,” Nesby said after practice Tuesday at L.A. Southwest College.

“We have a lot of guys at [both shooting guard and small forward] and I know Coach [Alvin Gentry] is trying different people to see who he wants in these spots, but we only have so much time to do that. I’d rather do all of that stuff before the season starts.”

Nesby played sparingly in the Clippers’ first two games and did not play at all in their third. But he did start at shooting guard against the Lakers on Sunday and had his best game of the season with 17 points and six rebounds in 36 minutes.

“I feel that I can bring a lot to this team,” said Nesby, in his third season with the Clippers. “But only if the coach lets me do that.

“I am just one of the guys now, ‘If we need him, we need him. If we don’t, we don’t.’ Even though I started [against the Lakers], the feeling is going to remain in me until I see how it really is going to happen. Only time will tell. . . . If it continues like this, it is going to be hard for me to sit on the bench and feel this way for a whole season.”

Gentry has said since the start of training camp that it is going to be a while before he settles on a starting lineup and rotation. He informs his players who will start before every game but he’s not so open with his rotations because he likes to keep his options open.

“Everyone likes to start,” Gentry said. “[Nesby] will start sometimes and sometimes he will not. That’s the bottom line. When I feel it is beneficial for the team, he’ll start. . . . Guys are paid to be ready to play and until we figure out what our team is going to be and what rotations we are going to have, guys are going to have to put up with that.”

With Eric Piatkowski showing his value as an outside shooter, the Clippers are overloaded with swingmen good enough to warrant playing time. Lamar Odom and Darius Miles will get their minutes but after that, juggling playing time for Corey Maggette, Quentin Richardson, Piatkowski and Nesby becomes a difficult job for Gentry.

One option is to start Odom at power forward in place of Brian Skinner and move Miles to small forward, leaving a spot open at shooting guard.

TONIGHT

vs. Utah, 7:30

Fox Sports Net

* Site--Staples Center.

* Radio--KXTA (1150).

* Records--Clippers 1-3, Jazz 4-0.

* Record vs. Jazz--0-1.

* Update--The Clippers were called for five technical fouls and had two players ejected when the teams played to open the season with the Jazz winning, 107-94. Utah’s Karl Malone is among the league’s scoring leaders.