<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Don't bother Sam Cassell with concerns about his age and the supposed importance of NBA exhibition games. Cassell, who turns 37 on Nov. 18, has played in only one of the Clippers' six games to this point because of a strained left calf, but he said he would be ready to start in the season opener Nov. 1 against the Phoenix Suns at US Airways Center. "I've been in this game long enough to know what I need to go to work," said Cassell, beginning his 14th season. "Nobody needs to worry about me, no doubt about it, because I've been getting it done for a long, long time in this game." In his first season with the Clippers, Cassell averaged 17.2 points and a team-leading 6.3 assists. In the postseason, Cassell averaged 18 points and 5.8 assists. Cassell's confidence, upbeat personality and clutch shooting helped the Clippers experience their best season and improve the image of a franchise once considered among the worst in sports. A free agent last summer, Cassell said he considered offers from the Atlanta Hawks and Denver Nuggets but accepted a two-year, $13-million contract to return to the Clippers. Under his new contract, Cassell, who earned $6.2 million last season, receives $6.85 million this season and $6.15 million in the 2007-08 season. "There were some other teams out there, I could have definitely gone some other places, but this is where I wanted to be because of what we got started here last year for the fans," said Cassell, one of the team's most popular players.</div> Source
