Brand Can Hardly Wait

Elton Brand spoke for his teammates Tuesday, the day before the Clippers put a temporary halt to the seemingly endless scrimmages and drills of training camp by facing the SuperSonics in an exhibition tonight at Seattle.

“It’s definitely time to face some real competition,” said Brand, who makes his debut in a Clipper uniform tonight. “It’s been at least a month and a half that we’ve been going five-on-five, beating each other up. It’ll be fun to beat somebody else up.”

Winning or losing won’t matter as much during the Clippers’ seven-game exhibition season as improvement, according to Brand, acquired June 28 from the Chicago Bulls for Brian Skinner and the rights to top draft pick Tyson Chandler.

“I don’t want to play too much in the preseason,” Brand said. “I want to save it for the regular season. I’m definitely relaxed. It’s just the preseason. But talk to me before we play San Antonio, I might have some jitters then.”

The Clippers open the season Oct. 30 against the Spurs at San Antonio.

Coach Alvin Gentry plans to give Brand a good deal of playing time tonight and in upcoming exhibitions in order to create some chemistry before the opener.

Gentry doubted he would play Lamar Odom or other veterans extensively tonight or in the first few exhibitions. All 17 players in camp traveled to Seattle, but Gentry said he wouldn’t play more than 10 against the Supersonics.

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Odom is 21 and has played only two NBA seasons, but he’s the unquestioned leader of the Clippers. It’s a role he seems to relish.

“I’m just being myself,” he said. “I bring an energy to my team. I’m leading by example.”

However, Odom freely admits he is a long way from being one of the league’s great leaders.

Odom described the changes from his rookie season to this season as “like a guy going from first grade to third grade. He’s just learning, learning, learning.”

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Standing 5 feet 5, Earl Boykins is the shortest Clipper in camp. Gentry hardly seems to notice Boykins’ lack of height, however.

“He’s no novelty act, that’s for sure,” Gentry said of Boykins, who played only 10 games last season for the Clippers, averaging 6.5 points, because of knee and foot injuries. “Anybody who saw that Laker game last year knows that.”

Gentry was referring to Boykins’ 11-point, three-assist game in the Clippers’ 23-point victory over the Lakers on Jan. 7 .