Rookie Leaves Coach Excited

Shaun Livingston obviously impressed the Clippers long before he reported to training camp this month. The first true point guard to jump directly from high school to the NBA, he was the fourth pick in the June draft, the Clippers comparing his playmaking skills to those of a young Magic Johnson.

If anything, though, the Clippers might be more smitten with the rail-thin Livingston after seeing him daily in practice.

“I have a feeling that he’s going to be more than just fine,” Coach Mike Dunleavy said before Livingston contributed five points and four assists in Tuesday night’s 96-81 exhibition victory over the Golden State Warriors before 8,447 at Staples Center. “I think he’s further ahead on the curve than I expected him to be, based on the fact that he can defend. With a rookie coming in, you’re thinking, ‘This guy can’t defend at all.’ But in his case, I think he can defend. His weight [182 pounds] is an issue a little bit, as far as getting banged around and how he defends on people, but other than that ...

“His [6-foot-7] length bothers people. He’s got great anticipation, great reactions. He blocks shots from the guard position ...

“He’s having an interesting impact, to the point where I’m going from hoping the guy can defend to saying, ‘Hey, in two years, I might be thinking you’re like a defensive stopper.’ He’s quick. He gets around screens ...

“Maybe I’m talking too soon, but I’m pleasantly surprised.”

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The Clippers asked Elton Brand to sit out Tuesday, Dunleavy said, after watching videotape of Saturday’s exhibition against the New Orleans Hornets and noticing that Brand was laboring on the court.

Brand is sidelined because of soreness in his left knee.

“We saw him limping on the film and said, ‘If it’s not right, get it right, whatever it takes, whether it’s one game, two games,’ ” Dunleavy said. “Obviously, I’d hate to see him go into the season without playing any more exhibition games. We’d like to have him play at least a couple at the end ...

“The idea was, let’s get this thing strengthened now.”

Brand had arthroscopic surgery on the knee this summer.

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Dunleavy mentioned neither the Clippers nor the Lakers when naming seven teams he said were “locked in” for Western Conference playoff spots.... Marko Jaric said he would have his broken left thumb re-examined today and was confident that he would be cleared to play Thursday against the Denver Nuggets.... Corey Maggette, his broken right pinkie in a splint, unexpectedly made his exhibition debut as a reserve, scoring 26 points in 23 minutes.