Is There Anybody Alive Out There? Sixers Play Hornets With a Combined Five Starters Missing

Share

You expect to get a couple games like the one the Philadelphia 76ers are
gonna play tonight against the New Orleans Hornets, with a combined
five projected pre-season starters out of the two teams' respective
lineups with injury—you just figure (or at least hope) that they'll come
a little later in the season, after we at least get some idea of what
every team is like fully healthy. Unfortunately for the Sixers and
Hornets, they were granted no such luxuries, and tonight's game will
likely be a ragged affair featuring a lot of players that fans of the
other team's probably haven't heard of.

You probably know who's
absent from the Sixers' lineup, as Andrew Bynum and Jason Richardson
remain out with no specific timetable for their return. On the Hornets'
side, neither of their two first-round picks from the last draft (big
man Anthony Davis, taken first overall, and combo guard Austin Rivers,
taken tenth), nor their max-extended shooting guard Eric Gordon, will be
playing tonight. Gordon's situation is eerily similar to Bynum's, as
both are out with nagging knee injuries that their respective medical
staffs seem to have difficulty gauging—though Gordon is taking more heat
for his, having been cleared medically to play, with Nawlins coach
Monty Williams basically calling Gordon a wimp for continuing to sit
out.

So it's probably not the star-studded affair that ESPN had
hoped for when the game was tabbed as one of their Wednesday night
telecasts. Still, even with so many key players out, the Hornets have
proven a decidedly tough out thusfar this season, getting contributions
from the likes of point guard Greivis Vasquez, swingman Al-Farouq Aminu
and defensive-oriented big Robin Lopez—a trio of one-time lottery picks
that struggled with the teams that drafted them, but appear to be
thriving in a more defined role on the Hornets. The solid,
defensive-minded New Orleans played San Antonio tough, squeaked out a
win against Utah, and even took one from Chicago on their home floor,
impressing in all three games.

The Sixers, on the other hand,
have only sort-of impressed once this season, the other two games being
blowout victories at the hands of the New York Knicks. A road game
against a lottery team like the Hornets should be the kind of win the
undermanned Sixers would hope to pick up, but if they think they'll be
able to cruise in the Big Easy, they will be quickly disabused of that
notion. Getting the offense (which has still yet to better 85 points in a
game) on track, including our struggling wing trio of Evan Turner, Nick
Young and Dorell Wright, will be the key, but it'll be no easy task
against either the Hornets or the Celtics, who the Sixers play on
Friday.

8:00 tip from New Orleans Arena. "We haven't played together, so we're trying to learn how to trust each
other," says Coach Collins. "We're trying to grow and win at the
same time while battling some injuries. We've had a little adversity
here." No kidding, but so have a lot of teams, and nobody's gonna give us sympathy wins.
Hopefully Spencer Hawes takes out his aggression over Mitt Romney's
election loss with a 28-point, 12-rebound, five-posterization night, at
the very least.

Contact Us