Sinking Feeling: Thad Young Injury Keeping Him Out Three Weeks

Though the Sixers have won three games in a row, things are looking mighty ugly for them right now. They've only beaten two teams that could be classified as "good" since 2012 (Knicks and Rockets, both at home after 2+ days of rest), Andrew Bynum is still out, and now their most consistent player in Thaddeus Young will miss at least three weeks with a strained hamstring.

As Brandon said last night, this is awful news. You cannot exaggerate how important Thad has been to this team this season. The team is wildly better with him on the court (over 12 points per 100 possessions), most obviously in their Effective Field Goal Percentage, which drops from 49.7% with him on the court to 43.9% when he sits. That's rough.

The most hilarious part of all this is that Doug Collins may be forced (FORCED!) to play "prized" rookie Arnett Moultrie. He logged a career high in minutes last night with...gasp.... 12. He didn't look horrendous, which is an improvement on all his other appearances. If he doesn't play 20 minutes a game, then I honestly don't think I can justify anything Collins does anymore.

Bynum is out. Thad is out. Both may come back after the All-Star Break but who knows. They will probably start Spencer Hawes and Lavoy Allen, though I'd rather see Kwame Brown starting for the sake of my funny bone. We were promised KWAMESPENCER and I want KWAMESPENCER. And I bet we see an awful lot of Damien Wilkins at the 4, which gives me diarrhea.

If they weren't playing the Bobcats on Saturday, I would guarantee the Sixers would go winless without both Bynum and Thad. As it stands, they'll just lose to Indiana, LAC, and Milwaukee until maybe Bynum and Thad return. And even when both of them do come back, those injuries will bother them all season long. Anybody want to keep that draft pick now?

Sixers basketball.