Kaman likely out through All-Star game

Funny thing about these trade rumors involving the Clippers’ Chris Kaman.

Rarely has an injured player been mentioned quite so often. The “reports” about Kaman have ranged from the Clippers thinking about moving him to various teams thinking about acquiring his services.

There should just be a standing headline on the home page of hoopshype.com: “Kaman still a Clipper . . . for now.”

Never mind that the Clippers have maintained they aren’t of mind to move him. And even if they were, it turns out there won’t be much time for other teams to evaluate his health before the NBA’s trading deadline Feb. 19.

That was the news coming out of the Clippers’ training facility on an otherwise slow Saturday as they returned to Los Angeles after a three-game trip.

They are mired in a 10-game losing streak.

Mike Dunleavy, the Clippers general manager and coach, said that they did not receive good news about Kaman and his strained left arch, saying he probably wouldn’t be ready to return until after the All-Star break.

The All-Star game is Feb. 15 in Phoenix. Kaman has not played since Nov. 26, when he managed only 12 minutes against Denver.

“What they looked at is the healing process is there, but not totally complete, and the fact that he is 7 feet tall and has all that weight on it,” Dunleavy said. “The foot expert talked about it and said probably the timeline to ensure he is OK is after the All-Star game.”

The first of the many injured Clippers to return should be swingman Ricky Davis, who will be back Saturday against Milwaukee. Davis (knee tendinitis) is serving a five-game suspension for violating terms of the league’s anti-drug policy and has not played since Nov. 22.

“We’ve played well in stretches,” Dunleavy said. “But then we’ve had some drop-offs. There’s been a lot of good play by Marcus [Camby]. Eric Gordon’s been terrific and Al [Thornton] has had some really good games and Mardy Collins has been solid.

“The next couple of days will allow us to bring some guys up to speed for knowing [our plays]. We’ve had some guys in the mix who have had no clue.”

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