Health, Help Are on the Way

It now appears the Clippers will get not one but two small forwards back by the weekend. Corey Maggette and Lamar Odom could be sound by the time the team plays Saturday against the Golden State Warriors at Staples Center.

“It appears that way,” Coach Alvin Gentry said after Tuesday’s practice at L.A. Southwest College.

Gentry has suffered in relative silence while watching one key player after another fall to various injuries. Every member of the starting five has been sidelined for at least one game this season.

Maggette underwent arthroscopic surgery to remove damaged cartilage from his right knee Nov. 29 and was expected to be sidelined at least one month. The team’s medical staff will monitor Maggette after Thursday’s workout and decide after the Friday morning shoot-around whether he is fit to play either that night against the Suns at Phoenix or Saturday against the Warriors.

Odom, sidelined for 11 months by wrist and ankle injuries, is scheduled to play Saturday against the Warriors.

Gentry cautioned against expecting too much from either player, however.

“We’ve got to get everybody back and playing together,” he said. “It’s going to take a little time. Lamar hasn’t played in almost a year and it’s been a month since Corey last played.”

Maggette had been filling in for Odom as the Clippers’ starting small forward since Odom was put on the injured list Jan. 24. Gentry has used rookie point guard Marko Jaric at that spot and, more recently, second-year forward Tremaine Fowlkes. The team is 6-5 since Maggette had surgery.

“Corey is an energy guy,” Gentry said. “There are going to be nights when he gets it going for a period of time. He has the ability to take over a game. Plus, he’s been our best defender on the perimeter the last two years.

“You could tell he wasn’t right [earlier this season] because of his knee. Hopefully, we’ll get him back to the defensive form he’s had the last couple of years.”

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The status of Elton Brand (calf), Andre Miller (ankle), Eric Piatkowski (abdominal strain) and Quentin Richardson (ankle) for the weekend games remained uncertain Tuesday. Gentry hoped a few days without practices or games would give those injured players a solid rest and recovery period.

Of the possibility of getting them sound enough to play against the Suns, Gentry said, “We won’t know until Friday comes and we march out for the shoot-around and we see how those guys feel.”

Gentry has been particularly concerned about Miller, who sprained his left ankle in a collision with Sacramento’s Bobby Jackson on Nov. 29. Miller sat out one game, Dec. 1 against Indiana, but has limped through the last few games.

“You guys could see how he’s struggled,” Gentry said, nodding toward a couple of reporters. “It will be good to sit him over there [on the sideline during practice] and get him a little rest.”

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There’s no telling what the Clippers will do to make room for Maggette and Odom on their 12-player roster.

It would appear Fowlkes has earned a spot on the roster for the rest of the season, after scoring a career-best 16 points in Saturday’s victory over the Denver Nuggets and playing sound defense against such standouts as Kevin Garnett of the Minnesota Timberwolves.