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Hey everyone! There's still a second team in Los Angeles! Not just an old-man farm system for the Celtics, either. The Clippers, who have been thinking about next year since last year, hoped to have star Elton Brand back for the spring run. His injury was serious, though, and E.B. is just now getting on to the practice court.

But Joe Stevens of the Los Angeles Daily News (via Hardwood Paroxysm) has some sobering words for fans and E.B. alike. While Brand suspects he'll be game-ready in two weeks, coach Mike Dunleavy has other estimates.

Brand said he thought he'd return to games in about two weeks, but Dunleavy said on Wednesday it would be more like a month.

"He was so excited to be on the court, and we were so excited to have him there," Dunleavy said. "You can't lose reality, though. It would make no sense to throw him out there when he's not in absolutely great shape because then he might injure something else. It just doesn't make sense."

Today is March 6. One month from today is... April 6. At that point, the Clippers will have six games left. Does it make sense to bring this guy -- an absolute stud making fair value -- for a six-game stretch of potential exhilaration/injury aggravation despite no necessity for wins? (Note that Dunleavy does say he expects E.B. back; but his two statements do not compute.)

There's another lurking factor: Brand's early termination option. If Brand wants to play (for psychological reasons) and the doctors clear him? You let him play six games. Maybe 20 minutes, maybe one night of 30 minutes. But you don't do anything which might push him to free agency this summer. We'll see if this figures in Dunleavy's decision.