Let the healing begin

Sam Cassell ingests a question and then spits it back out.

“If we didn’t make the playoffs with Elton [Brand] last year, how can we make them without him this year?” he says.

Cassell answers: because the Clippers have him back.

“Last year, we didn’t make the playoffs because we didn’t have players to make plays down the stretch. We lost a lot of close games. This year, we have me back, but we have to do it collectively as a group.”

Both statements ring true. Cassell’s injuries were a key reason for the team’s disappointing 2006-07 season. And he, along with several other players, will shoulder an arduous burden while Brand recovers from a ruptured Achilles’ tendon and point guard Shaun Livingston continues to heal from reconstructive surgery on his left knee. The Clippers open the season Friday at Staples Center against the Golden State Warriors.

Few professional team sports rely as heavily on franchise players as the NBA does. And few players epitomize a franchise like Brand, the Clippers’ affable and construction worker-type forward, who could always be penciled in for around 20 points and 10 rebounds per game.

“We’ve got some things up in the air, no question,” said Mike Dunleavy, whose team was 40-42 last season, its victory total decreasing from the previous season for the first time in his four years as Clippers coach.

“But, I think that based on the information and how the season plays out, potentially we could be in great shape if all the guys are able to come back from their injuries.”

Not long ago, a season in which they won 40 games and stayed in the playoff race until the final day would have been reason for the Clippers to celebrate their prospects for the upcoming season.

But as the organization attempts to regain some of the magic of the 2005-06 season, when it reached the second round of the playoffs, it must do so without Brand, and with the knowledge that it took a step back last season.

Further complicating the picture, Brand and forward Corey Maggette can use early termination contract options and become unrestricted free agents at the end of this season. The team hopes to keep both players.

“If they decide to opt out, they opt out and it comes down to what the market will bear,” Dunleavy said. “If they don’t opt out then they are under contract, but we can’t worry about that now.”

In Brand’s absence, Chris Kaman, Maggette and Tim Thomas will try to increase their productivity and rookie forward Al Thornton will be immediately thrust into the rotation.

Kaman becomes the main post option, a role the 7-footer played in college at Central Michigan. Kaman’s numbers dipped across the board last season -- 10.1 points and 7.8 rebounds a game, down from 11.9 and 9.6 -- after he’d signed a five-year, $52.5-million contract extension days before the 2006-07 opener. So this summer he worked on his decision making and post moves, and also lost about 20 pounds.

“I’m excited because . . . [even] without Elton . . . I think we still have a lot of potential,” he said.

Maggette, who started 31 times and came off the bench in 44 games last season, is primed for a big offensive season as the team’s top scoring threat, but he’ll have to do so while keeping his teammates involved in the offense.

Thomas will be asked to provide versatility with his long-range shooting, but Dunleavy also wants him to mix it up inside and bump up his rebounding to pick up some of the responsibility in Brand’s absence. Meanwhile, the wild card is Thornton, the No. 14 overall draft pick from Florida State. He opened eyes in the exhibition season with his athleticism and shooting range,but his first true test comes against the Warriors in the season opener.

“I’m ready to come out and contribute and play right away,” he said. “The pace of the game is different [in the NBA] and I think you have to be patient and look at areas to attack.”

The Clippers plan to open up their offense and run more this season. Cuttino Mobley will likely come off the bench to provide scoring in the second unit. Reserve forwards Ruben Patterson, Josh Powell and Paul Davis are all capable of getting up and down the court.

And Patterson and Brevin Knight, acquired in the off-season to help fill in for Brand and Livingston, add a degree of defensive toughness that the team lacked last season.

But ultimately, the Clippers’ success will depend on how fast their injury-ravaged roster mends.

Doctors recently removed the walking boot on Brand’s left foot and his healing appears on schedule. The team is hesitant to provide a timetable because his injury was so serious.

“He is doing some kinetic activity, which is light jogging,” said Dr. Craig Morgan, of Christiana Care’s Wilmington Hospital in Delaware. Morgan operated on Brand Aug. 7, four days after the forward injured himself during an off-season workout.

“For the rest of his career he needs to be involved in a rigorous flexibility program to protect the muscle,” Morgan said.

Livingston’s rehabilitation appears on pace as well. He is performing cardiovascular activity and shooting stationary shots, but he is unable to make sharp cuts on the left knee he seriously injured during a February game. Again, the organization said it is too difficult to pin down a timetable for his return.

The early schedule provides few favors. Of the Clippers’ 14 November games, 10 are against teams that made the playoffs last season.

“There is nothing you can do about injuries,” Dunleavy said. “You just prepare and do the best you can. And that’s the way you kind of look at it. Basically, you put a group out on the floor that plays hard and hopefully keeps getting better.”

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jonathan.abrams@latimes.com

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Scouting report

* 2006-07 record: 40-42, fourth place in Pacific Division.

* Coach: Mike Dunleavy, fifth season (550-566 in 14 seasons with Lakers, Portland, Milwaukee and Clippers).

* Who’s gone: Daniel Ewing, Jason Hart, Yaroslav Korolev, Zeljko Rebraca, James Singleton.

* Who’s new: Dan Dickau, Brevin Knight, Ruben Patterson, Josh Powell, Al Thornton.

* Projected starting lineup: Sam Cassell, Quinton Ross, Corey Maggette, Tim Thomas, Chris Kaman.

* Projected bench rotation: Knight, Cuttino Mobley, Thornton, Patterson, Paul Davis.

* Keys to the season: Maggette needs to score in bundles, the team will rely on Kaman to rebound from a disappointing season and instill a dominant post presence with help from Thomas. And Cassell, one of the oldest guards in the league, must have an injury-free season.

* Outlook: What the Clippers lack in star power with injuries to Brand and Livingston, they will try to combat with depth. If key players rebound from subpar 2006-07 seasons, first-round pick Thornton immediately contributes and Brand returns physically sound later in the season, the team can battle for one of the Western Conference’s final playoff berths. If not, it could be a long season followed by a tumultuous off-season.

-- Jonathan Abrams

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Where they ranked

2006-07 REGULAR-SEASON STATISTICS

* Points per game...95.6 (23rd)

* Opponents’ points...96.1 (9th)

* Field-goal percentage...45.6 (19th)

* Opponents field-goal percentage...45.2 (10th)

* 3-point field goals...34.8 (20th)

* Opponent’s 3-point percentage...33.9 (4th)

* Free-throw percentage...78.8 (5th)

* Assists per game...21.5 (14th)

Source: NBA.com