Elton Brand

The Clippers are shrinking. Up front, they are reduced to center Chris Kaman as a big man with little in reserve. With Elton Brand and Paul Davis out because of serious injuries and Aaron Williams and Tim Thomas sidelined in the interim, the Clippers are looking for short-term answer to a big problem. Rookie Al Thornton has shifted to fill the power forward void, and Josh Powell is receiving steady minutes for the first time this season.

Elton Brand couldn't wait. The long awaited news came recently that he was cleared to begin heavy running and jumping as his recovery from a ruptured Achilles' tendon continues. So when he returned from his examination in Wilmington, Del., on Saturday, he went straight to the gym to begin the exercises. Strength and conditioning coach Richard Williams stayed behind on the Clippers' recent two-game trip to meet Brand and monitor his workout.

Injured Clippers forward Elton Brand on Monday inched closer to his return to the court by participating in non-contact drills and afterward said he definitely plans on playing this season. "That's what it looks like to me," said Brand, who has sat out the season while recovering from a ruptured left Achilles tendon. Brand stretched with the team and went through 5-on-0 drills. He is dunking and said he can leap as high as he could before he sustained the injury last August.

They are still recovering and still hoping. Elton Brand and Shaun Livingston each recently said they still plan to return to the Clippers this season from serious injuries even though the team is running short on games and heavy on losses. Brand, healing from a ruptured Achilles' tendon, has started light contact drills and bumping bodies in the post. He began traveling with the team and is targeting to resume full practices within a couple of weeks.

In a Clippers season where topsy-turvy is status quo, two steps toward progression in a single day is a milestone. Yet that was their Tuesday with owner Donald T. Sterling and Coach Mike Dunleavy speaking with one another to break an impasse and forward Elton Brand practicing with his teammates for the first time since rupturing his Achilles' tendon in August. Mired in a six-game losing streak capped with a blowout home loss to the Philadelphia 76ers, both were welcomed advances for the team.

They had him cornered. It was after a recent home loss among a string of many. And as Elton Brand walked along, a trio of season-ticket holders approached him. They spoke of their agony. He listened. They complained of a dismal season. He agreed. They said if he isn't coming back, they aren't. He committed . . . somewhat. "I told them, 'Yeah, as long as everything is right. I don't want to see you guys like this,' " Brand said. "They are down. They are definitely down.

What do you know? The Clippers were almost whole Monday, with key components of the squad returning to practice. Elton Brand took part in a full-fledged scrimmage for the first time since rupturing his Achilles' tendon last summer. He joined center Chris Kaman, laboring through an injury-plagued second half. Coach Mike Dunleavy gave a target date for Brand's return for the first time, pinning down the last five or six games of the season.

SEATTLE -- Elton Brand is back, just in time to potentially make life tough for some Western Conference teams fighting for playoff position. The Clippers forward made his season debut Wednesday night against the lowly Seattle SuperSonics. Brand had missed the entire season while recovering from a surgically repaired left Achilles' tendon. Brand was injured during an off-season workout on Aug. 3 and the Clippers have been a non-factor this season.

The highs and lows -- the joys and frustrations -- have already rippled through Elton Brand. "It's funny," he said at Saturday's practice. "I forgot how good a win feels and how bad a loss feels. You are always thinking after a loss I could have done this, could have done that to help the team win." He experienced both during the team's recent trip.

The Clippers have had a chance to be spoilers. But it hasn't worked out that way. They have lost four consecutive games and three to playoff-hunting teams. Their season ends with another trio of daunting road opponents -- tonight against the Golden State Warriors, followed by the New Orleans Hornets and Houston Rockets. In their latest loss, Thursday's manhandling by the Lakers, Elton Brand and Al Thornton combined to make 19 shots. The rest of the team converted only 11 of 46 shots.