Gentry Switches to Richardson as Starter

Quentin Richardson made it through his first exhibition game without his sprained right knee troubling him. He played 31 minutes during the Clippers’ 115-107 loss Wednesday to the Milwaukee Bucks and scored 12 points on five-of-11 shooting, getting six rebounds and two assists.

Coach Alvin Gentry on Thursday cleared Richardson to move into the starting lineup at shooting guard for the opener Wednesday against the Cleveland Cavaliers. That means Richardson and Eric Piatkowski will trade places.

Naturally, Gentry reserved the right to change his mind on that. Or, if things don’t work out, at any point during the season.

“More than likely, Q is going to start,” Gentry said of Richardson, who last season made 133 three-point baskets, six shy of Terry Dehere’s team record set in 1995-96. “We’ll get scoring off the bench with Eric.... It’s not etched in stone. We’ll take a look at it and we’ll see. Andre [Miller], Q and Pike probably will play together some. We’re also happy with the way Marko [Jaric] played with Andre [Wednesday] night.”

Gentry gave Piatkowski a game off to rest various bumps and bruises and paired his top point guards in the backcourt for most of the first and third quarters Wednesday against the Bucks. Jaric had 11 points, four assists and four rebounds in 18 minutes. Miller had 21 points, 10 assists and three rebounds in 32 minutes.

Competition for playing time figures to be intense at all positions, and Gentry said he’s determined to avoid a 10-man rotation.

“It’s going to be an eight- or maybe a nine-man rotation,” he said. “That’s what we’re going to go with. Somebody’s going to be angry and is not going to like it.”

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Miller, Richardson, Gentry and several other players and team officials are scheduled attend a reading rally for 150 children as part of the NBA’s Read to Achieve week at the Echo Park Boys & Girls Club between 1:30 and 3 p.m. today.