Dickau, Knight in a tight battle

PORTLAND -- Slowly, as the Clippers’ exhibition season barrels on, position battles are developing.

Clippers Coach Mike Dunleavy said he will use a revolving-door substitution pattern, but that won’t be much solace to players seeking minutes at the bottom of that rotation.

One of the most intriguing battles is at backup point guard, which may turn into an integral spot if starter Sam Cassell sustains lingering injuries as he did last season.

When the Clippers signed free agent Brevin Knight, it was assumed he would take on the primary back-up role as Shaun Livingston rehabilitates from a serious knee injury.

But toward the beginning of training camp, the Clippers added Dan Dickau, another veteran point guard who was waived by the New York Knicks.

Both have impressed Dunleavy.

“The bottom line is what I’m looking for is that they can both play and so far, they haven’t hurt that thought at all,” Dunleavy said.

Dickau, a six-year veteran, had a breakout season in 2004-05 with the New Orleans Hornets, when he averaged 13.2 points and 5.2 assists a game. But he ruptured his Achilles’ heel playing for the Boston Celtics the next season.

“I always look at every opportunity as a chance to be myself and earn minutes,” Dickau said Wednesday night before playing in front of about 25 family members and friends in his hometown of Portland, where the Clippers lost, 111-102, to the Trail Blazers.

Knight has averaged 8.3 assists a game in 10 NBA seasons. He has had a career-high 20 assists twice.

“I’m always going to have to compete,” Knight said. “Every year it’s been like that. It’s part of my nature.”

Dickau is the better perimeter shooter, but Knight has superior court vision and quicker feet on defense.

It’s anyone’s guess which will receive the nod during Cassell’s first rest of 2007-08. “I don’t know if I’ll know that even when the season starts,” Dunleavy said.

Rookie forward Al Thornton called his first NBA action Tuesday against the Denver Nuggets “kind of shaky.”

“The altitude got to me a little,” said Thornton, who played a team-high 34 minutes and finished with nine points on four-of-13 shooting.

“But it’s the first game, so I was kind of nervous.”

He had 18 points and 10 rebounds against Portland.

Cassell scored 21 points, 16 coming in the first quarter, in Wednesday’s loss. He started along with Quinton Ross, Thornton, Josh Powell and Aaron Williams. Chris Kaman (tweaked lower back) set out the back-to-back exhibitions. . . . Corey Maggette (bruised left thigh) did not play.

jonathan.abrams@latimes.com