Sixers Playoffs: Doug Collins Not Starting Nikola Vucevic at Center

Strange Doug Collins quote of the day comes from Bob Cooney and it's regarding (what else?) the Sixers starting lineup in the NBA playoffs.

Collins says he's not sure who will be starting center in playoffs but it won't be Vucevic

OK... Nikola Vucevic has started 7 of the last 8 games (and he'll be starting tonight) in place of E.D. Spencer Hawes but has not played more than 20 minutes per game in any of them. Rookie Wall Part Six! Clearly, the starting lineup does not matter for Doug Collins. So it won't be Vuce taking the tip -- the starting wheel keeps on spinning as we guess who it'll be.

Does Spencer get the call again? He was Wight Howard pre-injury, but post-injury Spence plays more like a fat White Goodman on the court. He's had a few nice moments, but my impression is that Doug doesn't particularly like him. Collins is a sucker for continuity though, so in the interest of the familiar, Hawes could be the pick.

Otherwise it could be Mr. 500, Chips Lavoy Allen, Vuce's co-rookie who has been yanked off the bench the past few games. He's got 13 games on the season but Collins gave him most of March and April off for an extended St. Patrick's Day holiday. 9 points and 4 boards in 19 minutes against Cleveland may be enough for Doug to pull his starting trigger. What have you done for me lately, indeed. Of the candidates, Lavoy is the least pillowy soft. So he's got that going for him. Which is nice.

Dark horse candidate would be Thaddeus Young, who started in the Orlando loss and got his testes handed to him by Ryan Anderson. That seems unlikely because The Night Shift Flying V would be missing in awkward smoothness. I don't even want to talk about Tony Battie, so nobody bring him up.

Since it looks like it'll be the Chicago Bulls as a first round matchup, the starters are looking at Joakim Noah and Carlos Boozer up front. Taj Gibson on the bench ain't nothin' to sneeze at either.

Who gets the call?