Recasner Bolsters Point-Guard Spot

Backup point guard Keyon Dooling has been on the injured list since spraining his left ankle Nov. 14 against the Chicago Bulls. Starting point guard Jeff McInnis fell Sunday against the Detroit Pistons and that’s when the Clippers finally decided they need some insurance.

So, Thursday, they signed veteran guard Eldridge Recasner and put seldom-used forward Harold Jamison on the injured list because of a left shin contusion.

“I just want to play,” Recasner, 34, said after his first practice with the Clippers. “I know I don’t have a whole lot of years left. I got a call [Wednesday]. It caught me off guard.”

Recasner was at home in Seattle when the phone rang.

“I’m happy to get another chance,” he said. “This is a fun team to watch. My shot still feels good. I’m hoping to add a little leadership.”

The Clippers are Recasner’s fifth NBA team. A former standout at the University of Washington, he also has played with Charlotte, Atlanta, Houston and Denver and spent three seasons in the now-defunct Continental Basketball Assn. He played one game with Charlotte this season before the Hornets released him Nov. 19.

“It kind of got our attention when Jeff fell the other day,” Coach Alvin Gentry said, referring to McInnis’ stumble over a Detroit player Sunday. “We can’t get by with only one point guard. You saw it in the Phoenix game.”

When Lamar Odom, who has been McInnis’ occasional backup, got into foul trouble Tuesday against the Suns, Gentry played McInnis and 5-foot-5 backup Earl Boykins at the guard spots. Later, Odom scored a key basket on a low-post move.

“He can’t do that if he’s playing point guard,” Gentry said.

Of Recasner, Gentry said: “He gives us another perimeter shooter. We’re hoping he’ll step in and help us. We don’t know much more because he’s only been here for an hour and a half.”

After practice, Gentry and Recasner left the court together to discuss Recasner’s role. He will probably join Boykins as one of McInnis’ backups.

*

The Clippers practiced at Staples Center instead of L.A. Southwest College because nothing else was going on there for a change. The Lakers and Kings are on the road. The Clippers will practice there again today, then play host to the Sacramento Kings on Saturday night.... Odom did not practice because of a sprained right wrist. His status is termed day to day.