Clippers Coach

The list includes Blake Griffin , Brian Skinner and Marcus Camby . All victims of Clippers teammate Craig "Rhino" Smith , and all injured during training camp. Now, perhaps, is the time to add an opponent to the list. Smith, jokingly, had a former teammate in mind with tonight's game against the Minnesota Timberwolves. None other than Big Al. As in Al Jefferson . "I told him I'm going to take him down," Smith said, laughing, at practice Sunday.

The number one, as in the number of Clippers wins, was lodged in Rasual Butler's mind, but so were some others from his performance Monday, such as his three-for-15 shooting from the field. That's why he stayed after practice Thursday, going well into extra time. Butler worked on his shot long after his teammates had departed for lunch or other errands before their afternoon flight to the Bay Area for tonight's game against the Golden State Warriors. "I was just a little disappointed in the way I shot the ball the other night," said Butler, who was also five for six from the free-throw line.

A case can be made that the Clippers are at a key juncture in their bid to make the NBA playoffs this season. With the season not yet half over, the team is now only two games under .500 after a slow start and has won four of its last five games. The Clippers also have won three consecutive games -- including their win against the Lakers on Wednesday night, their first against the reigning NBA champions in more than 2 1/2 years. At issue now is whether the Clippers can maintain that momentum and avoid stumbling back into mediocrity.

Randy Foye, barring any last-minute setbacks, will be the first of the longer-term injured players to return to the Clippers' lineup. Foye is targeting Saturday night's game against the New York Knicks at Staples Center for his first game back after injuring his left hamstring. That would be three weeks to the day since he "tweaked" it in practice. He will just miss out on playing at Minnesota on Wednesday against one of his former teams, the Timberwolves. The first positive sign for Foye was when the pain in his leg started to diminish.

Closing time with the Clippers doesn't always come around. In the last month, the Clippers have seen halftime leads turn into five losses. That was most painful in the last two games, when Utah and Atlanta demonstrated how to finish games. "Right now, we're at the point where we have the confidence to get up on teams and then press our will," guard Baron Davis said. "In the second half, we have to continue to attack. I think so many times we get the lead we try to preserve the lead, take care of the ball.

Whether it was stretch limos hovering around Staples Center or more designer clothes than you would see except for Fashion Week, the hoopla on the streets did seem a little excessive, a little misplaced. Wasn't this too much for Chris Paul vs. Blake Griffin ? Or did people mix up their dates and show up in the Staples Center/Nokia Theatre area a few days early, thinking the Lakers were opening their title defense? Neither. Instead, it was partly a celebration of the cosmetics company Nu Skin, highlighting its 25th anniversary.

Little wonder the kid was looking weary in Las Vegas during summer league. After all, leaving the hotel late at night and getting back after 1 a.m. can take its toll. Only small forward Al-Farouq Aminu, the Clippers' first-round draft choice in June, was shooting a thousand or so jumpers with veteran Pistons guard Ben Gordon at the gym, not posting up around blackjack tables. "I wasn't happy with his energy at times during summer league," said Neil Olshey , the Clippers' vice president of basketball operations.

It had been a month since the Clippers conducted a full-fledged practice — the last one was on Feb. 27. Even the practice session they had Tuesday wasn't all-out, but it still gave the Clippers a chance to watch some videos, run a few drills and get in some shooting. The condensed NBA schedule is the reason the Clippers have had so few practices. This week brings three home games in four days, starting Wednesday night against the Phoenix Suns at Staples Center. "There were some things we talked about today," Clippers Coach Vinny Del Negro said Tuesday.

DeAndre Jordan stood before the assembled media after the Clippers' victory Wednesday night, with an edginess in his tone. The Clippers had just won their third consecutive game, following a three-game losing streak, and Jordan felt compelled to admonish the media because of their doomsday articles about his team. "Last year when we lost a couple of games, you all didn't care, you know what I mean?" Jordan said after the 103-86 victory over Phoenix. "So now that there's a bandwagon, there's higher expectations, which we understand and that's fine.

Reporting from San Antonio — Consider the Clippers one of the many teams hoping to sign Joel Przybilla . The Milwaukee Bucks, Miami Heat and Dallas Mavericks also have expressed interested in the 7-foot-1, 245-pound free-agent center. Przybilla's agent, Bill Duffy , confirmed Wednesday that the Clippers have interest in his client. Przybilla played in just 38 games last season because of knee injuries. "He's feeling healthy," Duffy said. The Clippers just signed free-agent center Reggie Evans last week, but have two spots available because they have only 13 players on their roster.