Cassell Has Responsible Attitude

Point guard Sam Cassell should be blamed for the Clippers’ longest losing streak of the season.

So says Sam Cassell.

It’s Cassell’s responsibility to keep them on the right path, he said, and the Clippers have gone in the wrong direction recently, losing six of seven, including five straight, before Friday’s 102-83 victory over the Lakers.

“Put it on me, put the whole thing on my shoulders, I’ve got no problem with that,” said the 13-year veteran and co-captain. “I know what this team needs from me, I know what they expect from me, and if we’re not getting it done, then I’m not getting my job done the right way.

“I’ve had guys say to me, ‘Sam, you can’t take responsibility for everything,’ but that’s what I do. I’ve been in this game for a long time, and my guys here count on me to do the things that I do. I’m always going to take the blame, so that one of my guys doesn’t have to face those questions from you guys [reporters]. I can take it.”

Although Cassell’s clutch shooting has provided the difference in many victories, he struggled in the last four games, making only 21 of 62 field-goal attempts.

Coach Mike Dunleavy has given Cassell the freedom to keep shooting.

“Sam knows what we’re trying to do. He knows what’s a good shot and what’s not a good shot,” Dunleavy said. “It’s not something that I have to tell him.”

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The Clippers said it was merely a coincidence they went winless in forward Vladimir Radmanovic’s first three games.

The 6-foot-10 long-range specialist twice scored in double figures, and he had 19 points against the Lakers.

“He’s just getting comfortable and learning what we’re doing, but you see what he can do,” Dunleavy said. “He’s giving us a dimension that we’ve been looking for.”

Radmanovic, acquired from the Seattle SuperSonics for Chris Wilcox, said his teammates have helped make his transition smooth.

“The guys have all made me feel comfortable,” Radmanovic said. “When you’re a shooter, being comfortable helps.”

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Kobe Bryant and LeBron James have committed to the Olympic cause, mid-tier stars Michael Redd and Antawn Jamison have been invited to try out for the U.S. team, and even defensive stalwart Bruce Bowen, who is averaging only 7.8 points for San Antonio, has been invited to participate in a team training camp in July in Las Vegas.

But Laker forward Lamar Odom, one of the top players in the Athens Olympics, has not yet received an invite from USA Basketball, which is expected to finalize a list of 22 players by Wednesday.

Odom has said he would accept the two-year commitment, which begins in five months and ends in Beijing in 2008.

“If I get invited, I will go,” he said. “If I don’t, I’ll have a long summer.”

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Coach Phil Jackson was 17-3 against the Clippers in his first tour with the Lakers, but victories against the L.A. rival aren’t as much of a sure thing.

“That’s the way life is,” Jackson said. “Everything changes. People have to go through that. In the process, the Clippers have been picking up draft picks for the last 20 years that have given them a lot of talent. This is an opportunity when their talent has finally come to roost, so to speak.”

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Jackson, who played for the University of North Dakota from 1964 to ‘67, will be on hand to receive an honorary doctorate from the university in a mid-May ceremony ... perhaps. One scenario would prevent Jackson from attending: “I don’t want to miss it,” he said, “but I hope we’re in the playoffs.” ... Odom, on the Laker mind-set for the final eight weeks of the season: “Twenty-seven more playoff games before the first round of the playoffs.” ... The Lakers reached an agreement with AM 570 through the 2008-09 season.