Kaman Getting Better

Chris Kaman, who the Clippers feared might be sidelined through the exhibition season because of a herniated disk in his back, might be closer to playing than they first thought.

“He’s been running the floor really well,” Coach Mike Dunleavy said of the rookie center from Central Michigan. “So I imagine that, maybe by the end of the week, depending on how well he’s responding to all the running, he might be able to start getting a little contact in.”

Dunleavy said it was too soon to say if Kaman would be able to play in exhibition games, the first of which is Tuesday night at Sacramento.

“It depends on when we start doing contact with him,” the coach said.

Kaman, who stretches or rides a stationary bike when his teammates are scrimmaging in Palm Desert, has been kept out of contact work since mid-August. He said yoga has helped him increase his core strength and flexibility.

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Elton Brand and Corey Maggette, who as four-year veterans were not permitted to participate in the first three days of camp, practiced for the first time.

“They’re in great shape,” Dunleavy said. “Their conditioning is not an issue. It’s just a matter of catching them up and spending time with them on little things.”

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Forward Desmond Penigar was cut, leaving 19 players in camp. Among them are guard Jason Crowe, who played at Cal State Northridge, and forward Matt Garrison, who played at Biola. Neither is expected to make the team.

Crowe played in Ukraine last season, Garrison in Australia.

Of the training-camp invitees signed last weekend, the most likely to stick are Bobby Simmons, a 6-foot-6 swingman who played with the Washington Wizards last season, and Josh Moore, a 7-2, 328-pound center from Michigan.

-- Jerry Crowe