Revolving Door at Power Forward

If Coach Alvin Gentry sticks with his plan, look for the Clippers to start various players at power forward over the final two months of the season.

“We will have to look and see how the matchups go,” said Gentry, who started veteran Cherokee Parks against the Portland Trail Blazers on Saturday at Staples Center.

“We’ve said that all along, and we will continue to see how it works out.”

When the Clippers opened the season, third-year man Brian Skinner was given the position based on his strong play early last season before he was sidelined because of a severe ankle injury.

Skinner, however, did not last long before suffering an injury again this season. He started eight of the first 10 games and then went on the injured list because of a right ankle injury. Since then, Skinner’s role has been shaky at best.

Since Jan. 1, he has started four games and not played at all in 15. But Gentry said Skinner and Derek Strong may alternate with Parks, who recently sat out two games because of back spasms, as starters.

Rookie Darius Miles, who has started 16 games at power forward, will continue to play a reserve role.

“I think he gives us that energy coming off the bench that we need,” Gentry said. “He gives us a lift from an aggressive standpoint.

“Darius and I both have talked about that. He has been playing huge minutes off the bench and we’ve been able to start a larger guy [at power forward].”

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Since Gentry has decided to use his young players as reserves, the Clippers’ second unit has provided a spark. Second-year swingman Corey Maggette said it’s because they still have fresh legs at this stage of the season.

“With our team, we just go out there and have fun. . . . It’s almost like a pickup game to us where we just go out there and play,” said Maggette, who lately has been backing up Lamar Odom at small forward. “Sometimes you have good games, sometimes you don’t. But the key with us is that we keep playing hard.”

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The Clippers may have lost more than their share of close games, among them eight in overtime, but they still have been able to end a few negative streaks.

Before this season, the Clippers had losing streaks of at least eight games against six teams. With 24 games left in the season, five of those streaks have come ended. On their recent seven-game trip, the Clippers stopped eight-game losing streaks against the Cleveland Cavaliers and Detroit Pistons. The Clippers had earlier ended losing streaks against the Chicago Bulls (nine games), Phoenix Suns (12 games) and Lakers (16 games).

The only teams remaining with lengthy winning streaks over the Clippers are the San Antonio Spurs (12 games) and Miami Heat and Dallas Mavericks (nine games each).

CALENDAR

Times Pacific

FEB.: Monday--Dallas, 7:30 p.m. Tuesday--at Sacramento, 7:30 p.m.

MARCH: 1--at Portland, 7 p.m. 2--Sacramento, 7:30 p.m. 5--Denver, 7:30 p.m. 8--at Houston, 5:30 p.m. 11--at Dallas, 5 p.m. 12--at San Antonio, 5:30 p.m. 16--Golden State, 7:30 p.m. 18--Utah, 6 p.m. 20--Philadelphia, 7:30 p.m. 22--Houston, 7:30 p.m. 26--at Portland, 7 p.m. 27--Detroit, 7:30 p.m. 30--at Seattle, 7 p.m. 31--Cleveland, 7:30 p.m.

APRIL: 4--at Vancouver, 7 p.m. 6--Milwaukee, 7:30 p.m. 7--San Antonio, 7:30 p.m. 10--at Sacramento, 7:30 p.m. 13--Minnesota, 7:30 p.m. 14--at Golden State, 7:30 p.m. 16--Phoenix, 7:30 p.m. 17--at Utah, 6 p.m.