Hobbled Cassell a liability?

Sam Cassell plans to hobble through the playoffs until the Minnesota Timberwolves are finished.

Though Cassell is battling back spasms and a hip injury, the All-Star point guard expects to start again in Game 4 of the Western Conference finals on Thursday night.

Cassell might not play as much as in Game 3, when he scored 18 points in 26 minutes but couldn’t keep up with Gary Payton on defense.

“He’s going to have to be at a higher percentage for him to play for us and be effective,” coach Flip Saunders said. “Nobody knows how he’ll feel from day to day, so we’ll figure it out on game day.”

The injuries have bothered Cassell since early in the playoffs, and he has been seriously limited in the conference finals. He sat out the fourth quarter of Game 1, then played just 43 seconds in Game 2.

“It’s difficult, because I worked so hard all year to get my team into this position, and then this injury happened right now,” Cassell said. “Injuries are a part of basketball, but it’s definitely difficult not being able to do things I can do.”

After practice Wednesday, Cassell had his evening planned out: Dinner with Payton, his longtime friend and brief teammate last season in Milwaukee, followed by a few games of billiards.

And he didn’t expect Payton to apologize for scoring 14 of his 18 points on Cassell in the first quarter of the Lakers’ 100-89 victory in Game 3. Most observers believe the 35-year-old Payton has lost a step this season, but he was too fast for the 34-year-old Cassell.

“I think the injury is bothering him,” Payton said. “I’ve never seen him play that way. I feel bad for him, but we’re trying to move on and win a championship. He understands. I would understand, too.”

Orlando wins lottery

The Orlando Magic won the NBA Draft Lottery on Wednesday night, giving hope to the franchise after a league-low 21 wins last season.

The Los Angeles Clippers made the biggest move in the lottery jumping from the fifth pick to No. 2. Chicago slipped from No. 2 to No. 3.

The expansion Charlotte Bobcats were assured of the fourth pick.

Washington, which had the third best chance of getting the No. 1 pick, slipped to No. 5.

Atlanta will have the sixth pick, followed by Phoenix, Toronto, Philadelphia, Cleveland, Golden State, Seattle, Portland and Utah.

McGrady will skip Olympics

Tracy McGrady will not play for the U.S. men’s basketball team at the Olympics, U.S. coach Larry Brown said.

“Tracy dropped out,” Brown said, breaking the news of yet another superstar’s withdrawal from the roster.

McGrady joins Ray Allen, Jason Kidd, Kevin Garnett, Karl Malone, Kobe Bryant, Vince Carter, Elton Brand and Kenyon Martin among players who have withdrawn from the team or have said they would not accept invitations.

Around the league

Former NBA player Sam Mitchell was hired as the top assistant coach of the expansion Charlotte Bobcats. Mitchell, who played 13 seasons with Minnesota and Indiana, spent the past two seasons as an assistant with the Milwaukee Bucks. … The Lakers’ 100-89 win over the Timberwolves on Tuesday was the highest-rated NBA playoff game ever on cable. … Commissioner David Stern proposed expanding the National Basketball Development League from its current six- or seven-team structure to 15 franchises, allowing each NBA team to farm out one young player on its roster.