Richardson Eager to Contribute

With scoring still a major problem, the Clippers may be ready to turn to shooting guard Quentin Richardson when they play at Seattle Friday. And the rookie from DePaul is more than ready.

“No one has said anything to me, but that’s definitely good news,” Richardson said after Wednesday’s practice at L.A. Southwest College.

“It’s been a learning process. I’ve just been playing hard and practicing hard.”

Richardson and second-year swingman Corey Maggette have been the odd players out in Coach Alvin Gentry’s rotation over the first 11 games, but that is expected to change because the Clippers have had trouble scoring.

“We have to find a way to come up with a few more points,” Gentry said. “So, we’ll probably have a different rotation. . . . I’m for anything to help us get consistency.”

In Richardson, the Clippers get a player who attacks the offensive boards like a power forward. Despite being 6 feet 5, Richardson has shown to be just as effective inside as he was in college.

“It’s just effort,” Richardson said. “You can’t be afraid to get hit when you go inside. I don’t mind going up strong.”

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Gentry worked the Clippers a little harder than usual over the three-day break. With his team on a two-game losing streak, Gentry wants his players to understand that they have to be more efficient on offense. That’s why taking care of the ball was a priority over the last two days of practice.

“It was a good break for us because we’ve tried to do some things offensively,” Gentry said. “We changed some things to see if it could help us.”

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Gentry said he expects point guard Jeff McInnis, who has been out because of a knee bruise, to start against the SuperSonics. . . . Power forward Brian Skinner, on the injured list because of an ankle sprain, has been practicing without any problems and is expected to be activated next week before the Clippers play Golden State.