Livingston Is Eager to Play

Asked how frustrating it has been to sit and watch the new Clippers sail to one of their best starts in franchise history, Shaun Livingston answered diplomatically.

“It’s frustrating,� the 20-year-old second-year player said, “but at the same time I’m just happy to see the team do well because I’m a team player, you know?�

Translation: The 6-foot-7 point guard -- who has been sidelined since training camp because of a back injury but was cleared to begin practicing Friday -- is so eager to get into a game that he has been nagging the trainer about when he might be given the green light almost daily for the past week or so.

He acknowledged as much as the post-practice interview wore on. “Behind the scenes with the trainer, we’ve gone back and forth,� he said. “He’s out for my best interests and I understand that, but he understands at the end of the day that I just want to get out there as fast as possible.�

A date has not been set for his return, but Coach Mike Dunleavy said it would be in two weeks or less. “We think he’s going to be a terrific point guard in the league, and he’ll give us a different dynamic,� Dunleavy said. “He’s a very tall, huge point guard that can play multiple positions and he delivers the ball as well as anyone in the league.�

Livingston played in only 30 games as a rookie last season because of knee and shoulder injuries. He averaged five assists and 7.4 points in 27.1 minutes.

TONIGHT

vs. Cleveland, 7:30, Ch. 5

Site -- Staples Center.

Radio -- 1150.

Records -- Clippers 10-5, Cavaliers 10-5.

Record versus Cavaliers -- 0-1.

Update -- The Clippers, 5-1 at home, are hoping to box out better and shoot better than the 41% they managed in losing at Cleveland on Wednesday in overtime, 112-105.

Tickets -- About 1,200 tickets remain for tonight’s game, and 900 for Monday’s game against Miami. Details: (800) 462-2849.