Players, Coach Feel Confident

The Clippers and losing basketball seem to go together like Southern California and sig-alerts.

So, despite expectations the team will be vastly improved, forward Lamar Odom said he and his teammates are prepared for the inevitable low points this season. One losing streak won’t damage the team’s psyche, he said.

“We’ve lost before,” he said. “It’s not like we’re a young team that’s had everything go right. We know what it’s like to lose....Right now our problem is not overconfidence. We’re confident.”

Coach Alvin Gentry knows the toll an 82-game schedule can take on a young team. He saw it happen in 2000-01, when the Clippers rallied late to post 31 victories by season’s end and ignited interest around town.

“It’s a long season and there’s going to be ups and downs for every team,” Gentry said. “It’s the way you handle it. It’s easy to handle success. When you’re losing, that’s a character test.”

The Clippers’ longest losing streak last season was nine games. When asked how the team might respond to a prolonged skid this season, Gentry said, “We won’t let that happen.”

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Monday was Darius Miles Day in his hometown of East St. Louis, Ill. Miles, a forward who is expected to be the Clippers’ first player off the bench this season, participated in a question-and-answer session with an estimated 2,400 students at East St. Louis High.

Miles averaged 22 points, 12 rebounds and seven blocked shots during his senior season in high school. The Clippers selected him third overall in the 2000 draft.

The Clippers play the Cleveland Cavaliers tonight at the Savvis Center in St. Louis, where Miles will again be honored. It’s the second game on a five-exhibition trip for the Clippers, who are 0-2 in exhibition play after losses to the Seattle SuperSonics and Memphis Grizzlies.

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For what it’s worth, the team’s payroll is expected to be about $35 million, which puts it well below the NBA salary cap of $42.5 million. Don’t expect the Clippers to wheel and deal simply because they have room under the cap, however. The payroll and the roster appear all but set for 2001-02.