Samuel Dalembert's status for tonight's game is still unknown, but if I had to bet, I'd put money on him missing at least a couple of games. Last night, after the injury, Elton Brand started at the five, with Miller, Green, Iggy and Thad rounding out the lineup. If Sammy can't go tonight, that's the lineup I'd expect to see.
Kate Fagan got a somewhat ambiguous statement from Coach DiLeo on the matter:
"As of now, yes," Sixers coach Tony DiLeo said when asked whether Brand would replace Dalembert.
This is actually the lineup John Hollinger was saying the Sixers should run with even with a healthy Sammy. I don't agree, but given the circumstances, it's probably the best idea. I don't think Speights is ready for starter's minutes.
Two keys to having success with this lineup, as I see it.
- EB needs to be a defensive force under the hoop. He's blocked 10 shots in 51 minutes over the past two games, so he's off to a good start.
- A team effort to control the boards. EB, Thad and Iggy all need to make sure they crash the defensive glass and secure the ball before they get out and run. This team will have an enormous athletic advantage over every team they play, there's no need to cheat down the floor.
Pregame will be up a little later. In the mean time, does EB at the five worry you, or excite you?
What happened to bringing Brand back slowly? I would say I don't approve of Brand at C with a very poor rebounder at PF.
Thinking long term this season, it isn't worth it to me.
What lineup do you go with then? I don't know. Maybe remove Willie or Thad(my preference would obviously be Willie) and start Brand and Theo or something like that. Maybe you start Brand at C, but give him some help on the boards with Reggie out there.
I just have a feeling that having only 1 player who rebounds more than 7 boards/36 normally means you are going to need a big effort and I don't want that from Brand right now...
I don't think 30 minutes is out of the question based on the minutes he's played in the past two. I do worry about this being the second game of a back-to-back though. I think Theo will see about 15.
I don't think Brand is ready for really heavy minutes at center. This should be a good game to unleash our aged mummy of De-Nile, Theo Ratliff for a good 15 min run. I'd rather see more Theo than Evans. Also look forward to seeing more Speights/Brand together.
The more minutes sp8s gets with eb, the better. No better way to learn how to board and defend than playing alongside a guy who works hard at doing both.
My vote goes to Theo Ratliff. Give him 15-20 minutes and you'll see a big who knows what he's doing out there, all the time.
I believe you'll get your wish, but EB will start at center if Sammy can't go. He's listed as a game-time decision right now.
I am not a big fan of Reggie. Last night he did not help alot in my opinion. I would like to see Marshall in there more than Reggie helping out. If I recall correctly, Marshall had a good number of rebounds the few times he played. I also think this is good to see how we do w/out Sammy since many of us (including me till recently) wanted him traded!
I doubt we see Marshall, but the Nets would be a good team to dust him off and stick him in there against. They allow teams to shoot 41% from three.