How good can the Clippers be? “We can be really good,” point guard Baron Davis said.

Good enough to reach the playoffs this season? Davis paused to gather his thoughts.

When informed that Charles Barkley recently told a reporter that the Clippers are good enough to make the playoffs, Davis smiled. Then he gave an emphatic answer.

“We can be in the playoffs easily,” Davis said, his mood suddenly upbeat.

Now you have to keep in mind that the Clippers haven’t had No. 1 draft pick Blake Griffin all season because of a broken left kneecap and he’s not expected back until January. Don’t forget that Clippers second-year guard Eric Gordon sat out eight games because of a sore left groin and one game because of a sore left hamstring.

Yet, these are the Clippers, the Clippers who haven’t been in the playoffs since 2006, the same Clippers who have been in the playoffs only four times since the team moved to Los Angeles for the start of the 1984-85 season.

Not to mention that the Clippers play in the Western Conference. And the Clippers are only 9-12 and next to last in the Pacific Division.

But in reality, the Clippers do have talent. They have some nice pieces.

“We can be real good,” Davis repeated three times, for emphasis.

OK, you can be real good if what happens?

Davis laughed.

“We’ve all got to figure it out,” Davis said. “It’s like cooking, man. You have got to have the right ingredients and it’s got to mesh in order for it to taste good. You can’t cook the beef too much. You’ve got to throw some carrots in the pot. Somebody — and I’m trying to be that person — has got to take what we all have and give us the confidence…”