According to Derek Bodner of Liberty Ballers, Doug Collins has opted to keep number two draft pick Evan Turner on the bench for the start of the season (and on his 22nd birthday, no less!). Here’s how the lineup figures to shake out:
PG – Jrue Holiday covering Dwyane Wade
SG – Andre Iguodala covering LeBron James
SF – Jason Kapono “covering” no one Carlos Arroyo
PF – Elton Brand covering Chris Bosh
C – Spencer Hawes covering Joel Anthony
While having a shooter like Kapono will spread the floor for Jrue and Andre, it’s hard to believe a defensive-minded coach like Collins would trust Kapono to D up on anybody on the Heat, much less a quick point guard. He’s certainly not covering LeBron.
I’m anxious to see how soon Turner gets into the lineup. Against this team, I’m betting Louis Williams is the first one off the bench. The smallish guards of the Heat will dictate how the Sixers play against them. While a win is unlikely (get used to that), I want to see the team play 48 minutes of solid basketball against a better team.
If Turner gets a DNP-CD though, I’ll gut somebody.