‘Hollywood’ Robinson Is OK

The creation of a nickname that sticks doesn’t always make sense.

An over-the-top television commentator spotted a hot-shooting teenager from Jackson, Miss., and promptly dubbed him “Hollywood” because the kid liked to wear shades.

Years later, veteran guard James Robinson finally got to Hollywood--sort of--when the Clippers signed him as free agent in the summer. And the nickname survived stints at Alabama and NBA stops in Portland and Minnesota.

“Dick Vitale said it because I wore shades all the time in high school,” Robinson said. “I’ve been to Hollywood before I came here. It’s not quite what it seems.”

After a three-hour practice Sunday at Carson, Robinson promptly had his right foot wrapped in ice, a preventive measure after a bone bruise forced him to miss all but one of the Clippers’ exhibition games.

“It’s a lot better,” Robinson said.

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Saturday was the only off-day the Clippers had scheduled during training camp, but Coach Bill Fitch said he never made it out of his office.

Trimming the roster to 12 players by Thursday became a bit more difficult when rookie center Keith Closs missed two exhibition games and Sunday’s long practice because he was attending his grandmother’s funeral in Connecticut.

“Keith Closs is still not here,” Fitch said. “And that’s going to kind of make it hard. It’s tough on him, he’s missed out on a lot of learning. He needed every day he could get, so it [the absence] was untimely. His grandmother was very close to him, and it was a shock.”