LOS ANGELES – The cries from Clippers fans and Doc Rivers’ critics have united from time to time, joining forces to wonder why the Clippers coach has never embraced staggering his stars.

Blake Griffin and Chris Paul together have been a devastating combination, running the pick-and-roll with expert precision. The two have been the cornerstones of the franchise as it’s grown into a perennial contender.

So, why would anyone want to split them up?

The logic is sound. Do what you can to keep either Griffin or Paul on the court at all times.

And, in the early going of the preseason, for the first time since he took over as coach, Rivers and the Clippers are giving it a look.

“It’s something we’ve talked about, trying to adjust that,” Paul said after the Clippers beat Toronto on Wednesday. “It gives us the ability to still pay together at times but it gives the other units the opportunity to have (at least one) of us on the court with them.

“It’s preseason, so I’m sure Doc is still just flirting with things, and we’re going to see what works.”

Rivers staggered Paul’s and Griffin’s minutes in the first two games of the preseason, but Tuesday’s debacle at Golden State didn’t give anyone on the Clippers a good look at anything. But Wednesday, the change showed promise.

Griffin looked more aggressive without Paul on the court, pushing the ball up the floor and confidently stroking jump shots. And Paul, playing with extreme energy, created easy dunks for Brandon Bass and open looks from deep for Marreese Speights.

“A lot of times, you play with a guy like Chris who makes the game so easy, sometimes you relax a little bit, maybe a little too much,” Griffin admitted. “I think (staggering is) good as far as finding out different ways to affect the game and not being able to just rely on one guy, but really working the offense. When Chris is out, we still have these guys like Raymond (Felton), very capable ball handlers that can get us into our stuff. It’s more about trusting our sets and trusting our movement.”

Jamal Crawford, who has starred in the Clippers’ all-bench units in the past three seasons under Rivers, said there’s an adjustment to be made.

“It’s a little different. It’s always been a whole bench unit,” he said. “… But, I think the staggering is good. You see more teams doing it. Golden State does it. San Antonio does it.”

That’s good company, and soon, maybe the Clippers will do it too.

Contact the writer: dwoike@scng.com