Gentry Says There’s No Way to Hide ‘Desperate Situation’

Forget must-win games. Coach Alvin Gentry spoke Wednesday about pivotal moments in the franchise’s history and putting the team’s credibility on the line.

The Clippers had lost six consecutive games and eight of nine, tumbling into last place in the Pacific Division, before playing host to the Memphis Grizzlies.

“This is as desperate a situation as we’ve had since I’ve been here,” Gentry said. “There’s no use trying to sugarcoat anything. We don’t need to sugarcoat anything.”

Gentry was asked several times in several different ways if the team had the same grasp of reality as did its coach, in the final season of a three-year contract that pays him $1.25 million in 2002-03.

“All I can say is they better,” Gentry said from the relative quiet of his Staples Center office, out of earshot of his players. “They’re playing a very good basketball team tonight [Memphis had won nine of 13 games before Wednesday].... I shouldn’t have to tell them that. We’ve got bright players on our team. We’re in a fight for our lives. The credibility of our team is at stake.”

Meanwhile, there were greater issues to debate in the locker room.

Guards Quentin Richardson and Keyon Dooling joked about where to find a particular style of sneaker and how much one player would owe the other if the shoes could be found on a rack at a local store.

Richardson would be sidelined for his second game after spraining his left ankle during the Clippers’ loss at Memphis on Friday, when the Clippers rallied from a 32-point deficit only to falter in the closing minutes.

Dooling played his customary backup role to starting point guard Andre Miller.

Moments later, power forward Elton Brand entered and seemed to have his sneaker issues under control.

“Every game could be must-win for us,” said Brand, the team’s leading scorer and rebounder. “For the spirits of the team, we’ve got to get on the right track and push it. It’s not just tonight’s game, it’s every game.”

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Neither the Clippers nor the Cavaliers are reaping the rewards of their off-season trade that brought Miller to L.A. and sent Darius Miles to Cleveland.

The Cavaliers’ 7-29 record is the franchise’s worst after 36 games in 20 seasons. The Clippers were 12-22 before Wednesday.

Miles, troubled by tendinitis in both knees, is averaging 9.1 points on 39% shooting -- both career lows. He often is asked to play point guard, an unfamiliar role for the 6-foot-9 forward.

Miller, slowed by a sprained left ankle suffered Nov. 29 against the Sacramento Kings, was averaging 15.9 points and 7.6 assists before Wednesday. He led the NBA last season by averaging 10.9 assists.