Coach Mike Montgomery is back to the drawing board.

Because of injuries and illnesses to several of his players, Montgomery has made several adjustments in an attempt to alleviate the Cal men's basketball team's current lack of depth.

He's altered the Bears' starting five several times, more by necessity than by choice.

He's also called upon players like D.J. Seeley and Nikola Knezevic to replace forward Theo Robertson and guard Jorge Gutierrez in the regular rotation.

Reserves and starters alike -- Max Zhang, Jamal Boykin, even Jerome Randle -- are taking on new roles.

"Max played more minutes (on Sunday) than he normally would," Montgomery said. "Jamal played over to the five ... That would not be the norm."

Montgomery is even considering moving Randle off the ball and allowing freshman Brandon Smith to bring the ball up the floor and run the offense.

"Brandon is a good facilitator," Montgomery said. "He's a natural point guard. It would give us a different look."

Once Robertson returns from his foot injury -- the senior has been running on a treadmill with 90-percent weight and will continue rehabbing during the Bears' short trip to Albuquerque, N.M., for tonight's non-conference game against New Mexico (6-0) -- Montgomery might try him in a lineup with Smith, Randle, swingman Patrick Christopher and one post player. It would keep three perimeter shooters on the court and, potentially, take some pressure off of Randle.

Randle leads Cal with 20.5 points per game and has made 50 percent of his field-goal attempts so far this season, but Montgomery would like to see if the senior can be even more effective coming around screens to find his jumper.

The speedy point guard, whose craftiness with the ball often seems like a key to his success, is rolling with the punches.

"I'm trying to learn the best way I can," Randle said. "I like it -- it's not bad at all."

Of course, Montgomery's experimentation in the backcourt may not have materialized if the Bears (4-2) were completely healthy.

"If we had everybody," Montgomery said, "we would have seven or eight guys that would be in a fairly solid rotation. ... Maybe this will help us depth-wise."

Seeley scored seven points in 18 minutes against Princeton, showing his potential as an offensive threat for Cal.

Knezevic had five points and three assists in 24 minutes against the Tigers, but he has also been called upon for his skills off the ball.

"He doesn't always do what you want offensively, but he's improved his shooting," Montgomery said. "With Jorge out, you've gotta have somebody go in and defend and give you a physical presence. He'll do that."

Randle, who dished out a season-high nine assists on Sunday, expects his teammates to be ready when they step on the court -- even with the available roster in constant flux.

"We just need players to step up," he said.

Injury Report

-- Montgomery said at Monday's press conference that forward Harper Kamp, who has not seen any action this season because of a lingering knee injury, is close to deciding whether or not he will sit out the entire year.

-- Montgomery expects Markhuri Sanders-Frison to play limited minutes against the Lobos. The starting center was still recovering from the flu as of Monday.

-- Gutierrez received an IV after playing seven minutes against Princeton but should be available in New Mexico, Montgomery said.

-- Randle sustained a mild hamstring injury last week against Jacksonville but has no plans of sitting out. "I don't like missing games," he said.

Tags: CAL MEN'S BASKETBALL, JEROME RANDLE, CAL, MIKE MONTGOMERY