Broken Thumb Sidelines Jaric

Their starting guards will be spectators when the Clippers open training camp this morning at Santa Barbara City College, Marko Jaric joining Kerry Kittles on the shelf because of a broken left thumb.

Jaric, the Clippers’ point guard, was injured last week while working out with teammates and is expected to be sidelined for at least two weeks.

The Clippers announced last week that Kittles, acquired in a July trade with the New Jersey Nets, would sit out most if not all of the exhibition season while participating in a therapy and conditioning program designed to strengthen his surgically repaired right knee. He had surgery in June.

Jaric called his injury “nothing major” and said that he would be ready to go before the start of the regular season. Coach Mike Dunleavy said that Jaric would take part in conditioning work but would be withheld from contact drills until his thumb heals.

“I’m positive everything is going to be fine,” Jaric said.

The Clippers play their first exhibition game Oct. 13 at Phoenix and open the regular season Nov. 3 against the Seattle SuperSonics at Staples Center.

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In an anticipated move that was little more than a formality, the Clippers ensured that Chris Wilcox would be under contract for at least the next two seasons by exercising the fourth-year option on his deal.

If the team hadn’t picked up its option for the 2005-06 season before the end of the month, Wilcox would have become an unrestricted free agent next summer.

The third-year forward from Maryland will be paid slightly more than $2.2 million this season and more than $2.8 million in the 2005-06 season.

“We definitely like his upside,” General Manager Elgin Baylor said. “Everybody likes his upside. I get calls all the time about Wilcox.”

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Said Dunleavy of 19-year-old Shaun Livingston, the fourth pick in the June draft and the first point guard to jump directly from high school to the NBA: “In the exhibition season, I’m going to play him. He’s going to get an opportunity to see exactly where he stacks up against NBA players.” .... Nineteen players are in camp after the signings of guard Trajan Langdon and forward Kaniel Dickens.