The LA Times reports that Coach Alvin Gentry plans to alter his rotation tonight, and it involves more than giving small forward Lamar Odom his first start since regaining his eligibility after serving an eight-game drug suspension.

"We're going to stop giving guys so many consecutive minutes," Gentry said. "I think guys lose their effectiveness. It makes more sense to give Elton Brand a rest with three or four minutes to go in the first quarter [for instance]. And you're not going to see Lamar play as many minutes as he did last year."

Gentry also said he might play Odom some at point guard. Earl Boykins has been Jeff McInnis' backup since Keyon Dooling suffered a sprained ankle Nov. 14 against the Chicago Bulls.

The banged-up Rockets are a team in trouble.
Trailing by as many as 21 points, the Rockets used a three-point barrage to come flying back and get within 2 points, but as has become the norm, they couldn't complete the comeback and fell to the Clippers 90-83 in the Staples Center.

After starting off the season 5-1, the Rockets, who have lost 6 of their last 8, have now slipped to .500 at 7-7.

After playing below par against Portland and sitting out against Seattle, Francis is questionable with plantar fasciaitis against the Clippers on Sunday, according to the Houston Chronicle's Jonathan Feigen.  Kenny Thomas is also out with the same condition, though he would play in an emergency.  The Rockets third-string point guard, Tierre Brown, is on the injured list, leaving Moochie Norris as the starter and Cuttino Mobley, the starting shooting guard, as his backup.  Walt Williams filled in for Thomas in the Seattle game.

The Orange County Register reports that Clippers forward Lamar Odom's suspension for violating the terms of the NBA's anti-drug program was lifted Wednesday.

Odom, who missed eight games, will play tonight at home against the New Jersey Nets. The Clippers were 5-3 without Odom.

Gentry plans to ease the 6-foot-10 Odom back into the starting lineup. For now, Corey Maggette will remain the starting small forward. But Gentry said Odom would play a lot, probably cutting into Maggette's minutes.

Odom has been slow to recover from a bruised left foot suffered in the Clippers' loss Nov. 3 against the Golden State Warriors. It was possible he would have been sidelined for all eight games because of the injury.

The AP is reporting that Los Angeles Clippers star Lamar Odom was reinstated by the NBA on Wednesday after being suspended for violating terms of the league's anti-drug policy.

The 22-year-old forward will be eligible to play Thursday night against the New Jersey Nets at Staples Center. He has missed eight games since his suspension Nov. 5.

Odom, suspended for five games last March, tearfully admitted at a news conference two days after his most recent suspension that he had ``chosen to experiment with marijuana.''

The NBA does not disclose information about the testing or treatment of any player in the program, but Odom volunteered the information following the Clippers' shootaround with his coaches and teammates present.

The league says it can't say when the Clippers can expect Lamar Odom back on the floor. But it's beginning to sound as if the league simply won't say when he'll be reinstated from a drug suspension it announced as a minimum of five games Nov. 5, writes the LA Times' Elliot Telford.

But the NBA's refusal to announce how long Odom will be suspended isn't good for the game. No other league handles suspensions in such a seemingly clandestine manner, leaving all concerned in the dark.

It's a particularly bad deal for the ticket-buying public, which expects to see the Clippers at full strength. After all, they're paying full price--in some cases, that means more than $1,000 for a courtside seat. There's no such thing as 20% off all tickets while Odom is out.

The league says Odom's suspension is a confidential matter between the player and the league's drug council. Perhaps the league would have been wiser to simply announce he had been suspended indefinitely.

Most people read the words "a minimum of five games" and see only "five games." Odom sat out his eighth game Tuesday, when the Clippers faced the Lakers at Staples Center. A sellout crowd of 20,316 showed up hoping to see Odom play, but Odom was not there.

So, why the cone of silence over Odom? The NBA has no comment.

Clippers Do the Little Thing Well

Lamar Odom was suspended without pay for a minimum of five games Nov. 5 for violating the league's antidrug policy. The team then put Odom on its suspended list Nov. 7. He missed his sixth game Friday, when the Clippers lost to the Toronto Raptors.

Now, the LA Times reports that the team is starting to wonder when it might expect its best player to be reinstated. Because the NBA's handling of drug suspensions is a confidential matter between the league and the player, the team is in the dark. Odom also had heard nothing from the league, Coach Alvin Gentry said Saturday.

"Obviously, he's an integral part of our team," Gentry said of Odom. "We're just waiting to hear some information from the league. We've been trying to inquire, but until they say he's released from his suspension, we have to go under the assumption that he's not going to play."

SPORTS IS ABOUT more than just numbers, right? More than money, more than making column A agree with column B?

Take yesterday's three-way NBA trade as one argument, or a Raptors' record that wasn't as another.

First, the trade, a three-cornered transaction that with each side of that triangle illustrates a different angle. The Suns, those traditionalists, actually made a basketball move in acquiring Bo Outlaw from the Orlando Magic. They had a problem rebounding the ball, and Outlaw will bring his uncomplicated approach to that part of the game in his Phoenix debut against the Raptors tomorrow night.

The Magic and the Clippers are in it only for the money. This is the way it goes in this league.

The Suns kept saying they wanted to get tougher. What better way than to hire an Outlaw?

In a three-team trade, the Suns acquired Orlando forward Bo Outlaw in a move the club hopes will shore up what has been one of the most porous defenses in the NBA this season.

The Suns sent forward Jud Buechler to Orlando and guard Vinny Del Negro to the Los Angeles Clippers. Also in the deal, Orlando agreed to give the Suns back a first-round pick Phoenix owed the Magic as part of the Penny Hardaway sign-and-trade deal in 1999.

The Clippers received cash in the deal from Orlando, and Orlando gets an option to swap second-round draft picks with the Clippers in 2005.

Suns coach Scott Skiles said the club was looking for "old-fashioned hustle" in making the deal for Outlaw.