LOS ANGELES -- With the Los Angeles Clippers re-upping Nate Robinson to a second 10-day contract earlier in the day, it's not out of the question they seek out an additional body to lift their ailing wing depth.
"Yeah, we may," coach Doc Rivers said when asked about the idea of bringing in another forward. This was after Rivers announced before Tuesday's game against the Charlotte Hornets that Matt Barnes would miss his third game this season relating to an injured right hamstring.
To make matters worse, Jordan Hamilton -- a D-League call-up who had just completed a second 10-day contract and was in line to be signed for the rest of the season -- suffered a high-ankle sprain in Sunday night's loss to the the Houston Rockets. Hamilton had acquitted himself nicely recently, scoring 19 points in 18 minutes across the past two games as he was thrust into the rotation because of the Clippers' urgent need for bigger perimeter players.
The untimely injury to Hamilton puts the Clippers in an interesting position, allowing them an opportunity to bring in and experiment with another player in a spot they had anticipated to be filled just days earlier.
Barnes isn't expected to miss any substantive time and Hamilton is progressing better than expected, so a temporary wing may ultimately be moot. But with a team already missing their reigning Sixth Man of the Year in Jamal Crawford (out at least a week longer with a right calf contusion) and a small forward rotation that will feature Hedo Turkoglu, Austin Rivers (6-foot-4) and Dahntay Jones (6-foot-6), every day will count for this Clippers team in the midst of the hunt for playoff seeding.
Barnes is averaging 10.1 points, 3.9 rebounds and a career-high 38.2 percent from 3-point range this season.
