Closs Suspended for Bad Conditioning

The Clippers finally reached a decision Thursday on what to do with backup center Keith Closs . . . at least for now.

Closs was suspended indefinitely by the team for being in less than satisfactory shape, according to Elgin Baylor, vice president of basketball operations.

Closs, who has not been at the Clippers’ College of the Desert training camp site, will have to follow a daily workout program and will not return to the team until he is cleared by Clipper doctors.

Based on their off-season moves, which include the pickup of veteran big men Sean Rooks and Derek Strong, the Clippers did not seem to be counting on Closs this season. Closs, however, has two more seasons on his contract (starting with $1.6 million this season), which limits his market value around the league.

Baylor said there isn’t a timetable for Closs’ return but added that everything will depend on how he responds to the conditioning program. Last season, Closs did not play much and had a couple of run-ins with Coach Chris Ford and interim Coach Jim Todd.

The Clippers considered this off-season an essential one for Closs, who needed to add weight and strength to his 7-foot-3 frame. Closs, however, played sparingly with the Clippers’ summer league team and was not seen often around their summer workouts at Southwest L.A. College.

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The Clippers held their first officiated scrimmage Thursday night and Coach Alvin Gentry was pleased with the effort but thought his young team struggled to played under control.

Rookie Darius Miles showed off his impressive skills with a couple of nice plays at both ends of the court and matched up well against Tyrone Nesby and Lamar Odom. But Miles, along with the rest of the Clippers, made more than his share of mistakes.

“Everybody was just going a little bit too fast,” Gentry said. “The energy level was great. Now it is just a matter of getting everybody organized.

“We have to execute because we’re going to be such a young team . . . we can’t improvise yet, not in the pro game. We’ll get to that point sometime but right now, we have to execute and have everyone learn the system. Then, they will be able to play out of the system and utilize what they do best.”

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Rookie point guard Keyon Dooling did not practice Thursday because of an injured toe on his right foot, and fellow rookie Quentin Richardson could not finish the evening scrimmage because of a right midfoot sprain. . . . Center Michael Olowokandi and Odom are the only players assured of a starting spot at this point of training camp, according to Gentry. The other positions are up for grabs, with Brian Skinner holding an edge over Strong at power forward. Nesby’s experience has him in front of the pack at shooting guard and the same holds true with Jeff McInnis at the point. But that doesn’t mean Corey Maggette, who has been impressive at both shooting guard and small forward, Miles or Richardson are out of the starting-lineup picture. . . . The Clippers will practice only this morning after three consecutive double-workout days.

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One highlight early in the week at training camp came when rookie Darius Miles made a steal and passed to second-year swingman Corey Maggette at halfcourt. Miles then sprinted the length of the court and gathered in a Maggette alley-oop pass for a dunk.

It was the type of play the Clippers hoped they would get plenty of when they acquired Keyon Dooling, Quentin Richardson, Maggette and Miles on draft day in June.

“Learning the system is the thing that I’m the most concerned about,” said Richardson, who has been impressive making the adjustment to shooting guard after playing a more post-up role at DePaul.

“[Every night] after [Coach Alvin Gentry] put in new stuff, I go back to the hotel and write it down and go over it again before I go to bed. I’m not only looking at my position, but I’m also trying to learn a few positions in case they need me to play either the one, two or three.”

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Dooling did not practice Thursday because of an injured toe on his right foot and is listed as day-to-day. . . . Small forward Lamar Odom and center Michael Olowokandi are the only players assured of a starting spot at this point, according to Gentry. The other positions are up for grabs, with Brian Skinner holding an edge over Strong and versatile Miles at power forward. Tyrone Nesby’s experience has him in front of the pack at shooting guard and the same holds true with Jeff McInnis at the point. But that doesn’t mean Maggette, who has been impressive against Odom, or Richardson are out of the starting lineup picture. . . . The Clippers will practice only this morning after three consecutive double-workout days.