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Sebastian Telfair is aching to get back into games

"It's extremely frustrating, especially a night like tonight," Telfair said after the Clippers lost by six points to the Lakers. "It's the closest thing you're going to get to the real season right there. It's kind of frustrating."

His early Clippers career has been slowed by an injured right hamstring, limiting him to one preseason game. There will be two more chances to get in game action before the regular season opens Oct. 27 against the Lakers.



The first is tonight's game with Maccabi Tel Aviv at Staples Center, with all proceeds going to benefit Migdal Ohr, the world's largest orphanage.

Telfair said he was about 90-95%. He tested the hamstring on Monday but Clippers Coach Mike Dunleavy and the training staff wanted to wait before making a decision. "We'll see what the reaction is to that," Dunleavy said. "If he's in, somebody else will be out."

The favored plan was to sit Rasual Butler, but Al Thornton (right arm) is being called doubtful for tonight's game, and that could change things. If Telfair is ready, then the Clippers could rest Baron Davis.

Telfair could probably play if this was the regular season.

"At first I probably still wouldn't have been able to play, but these last couple of days I would have been back," he said.

Lisa Dillman, LA Times

A different Baron Davis emerging this season for Clippers

Clippers assistant coach John Lucas was breaking down the game of pupil and point guard Baron Davis, and almost, as if on cue, the bearded one appeared in the locker room before Sunday's exhibition game against the Lakers.

"I don't know the BD she was talking about," Lucas said.

Davis, who had 16 points and eight assists in the 114-108 loss to the Lakers, said that he didn't know that Baron Davis, either.

It was suggested that it was the Baron Davis without the heavy beard, the beard he joked that makes him look like a werewolf.

Oh, that Davis. The leading symbol of the Clippers' woes last season. Gone, and best forgotten, all agree.

"I've never seen that BD," Lucas said. "I just know who and what he can be. We've got to get him up there for us to be successful."

Project Lucas/Davis, of course, is in the early honeymoon-like stages. It will be interesting to check back in, say, mid-January on the mentor and student.

"He's still a work in progress, but he's getting there," Lucas said. "I think he's had a good preseason. He's had a couple of double-figure assist nights and very close to borderline triple-doubles if he got a couple more rebounds.

"Defensively he's gotten better. I think he just continues to improve. He's going to be better the second year. He's got more of a better grasp of what Mike [Dunleavy] wants and that's been a big key."

Lisa Dillman, LA Times