It's up to Andre Miller to steer a Clippers team starved for direction. That's his job. So far the reviews have been great. Neither players nor coaching staff can find anything wrong with Miller's leadership or ball distribution in his first preseason out west. But that was preseason and -- gasp! -- Miller won't be able to keep all of the outstretched paws happy.

	When healthy, Dooling is a force for the Clips.

Since head coach Alvin Gentry won't play Dre 48 minutes a night, he'll need plenty of help from his two understudies. Marko Jaric and Keyon Dooling help make up the most intriguing point guard attack in the league. And potentially the best. Miller is the rock solid, All Star-caliber leader; Jaric, the 6'8" matchup nightmare; and Dooling, the ultra-athletic oft-injured prodigy. So many worthy lead guards could lend itself to either harmony or gridlock in the backcourt.

So how will it work? Let's start with Jaric. One option is playing Miller and Jaric together for about 15 minutes a game. Both are pass-first guards (though true to his European pedigree, he isn't afraid to pull it) and work together as if they've played alongside each other for years. That means that the team (and Jaric) will live with Marko spotting up more than he creates. Jaric, a better passer in the open court, still must get used to the very American idea of penetrating deep, drawing the D, then kicking it out. Miller will dominate the ball regardless of who is running alongside of him, which means Jaric's subordinate style will give him plenty of extra minutes.

Dooling, on the other hand, needs the ball. When the Clippers traded a draft choice to the Magic in exchange for Dooling they pulled a major fast one. But Elgin Baylor can't yet add the feather to his cap since the third-year guard has yet to make an impact. In Dooling's rookie season he teased the Clippers faithful with skywalking drives and a keen playmaking sense. His spectacular drive and dunk over Dikembe Mutombo was the highlight of a season in which the Clips established themselves as the most acrobatic team in the league.

But the rest of his rookie campaign was plagued by indecision and erratic minutes. Last season, Dooling, a former AAU teammate of Tracy McGrady, missed all but 14 games due to a high ankle sprain. His summer was cut short in July by surgery to remove a piece of floating cartilage that caused pain and limited his mobility.

Even with the arrival of Miller, expectations for Dooling to finally make an impact are high. With the exception of Steve Francis, there may not be a more athletic point guard in the league. And his boys swear by him.

"Key is the best kept secret in the league," says Quentin Richardson. "He's one of the few people who can break you down and dunk on anybody."

Miller and Dooling will rarely find themselves on the floor together, but a Jaric/Dooling combo is an intriguing possibility. And if Gentry is in to experimenting, why not throw all three of them out there together?

As deep as his team is, Gentry does not want to go with last year's 10-man rotation. "It's going to be an eight or nine-man rotation, so someone is not going to be happy," says Gentry. "Somebody is going to be angry about not getting time."

That could be the talented Dooling if he can't overcome his nagging injuries. But it will be hard to keep him off the floor. Clippers practices are a showcase of his tireless work ethic. Long after the last Escalade has pulled out, Dooling can still be found working on his defensive footwork and pull-up jumper.

Regardless of who spells Miller, the Clippers are capable of running in top gear for four quarters. The hard part will be getting everyone a turn behind the wheel.

Chris Palmer covers The NBA Life for ESPN The Magazine. Email him at christopher.palmer@espnmag.com.