Philadelphia 76ers vs. Indiana Pacers Preview: Welcome Back, Turner

Victories will be difficult to come by for the Philadelphia 76ers down the stretch, but at least tonight's matchup against the Indiana Pacers comes with a fairly interesting sub-plot.

Evan Turner returns to Philadelphia for the first time since he and Lavoy Allen were dealt to the Pacers last month for Danny Granger and a second-round pick. The reaction to Turner at the Wells Fargo Center tonight will probably be mixed, much like the results that "The Villain" had during his three-and-a-half years in a Sixers' uniform.

It wasn't a stretch to believe that Turner could have evolved into a poor man's Andre Iguodala (not quite as good of a defender, but a better scorer). That, of course, never happened: Inconsistency was the most consistent weapon in Turner's arsenal.

He wasn't bad, yet he wasn't good enough for the Sixers to even consider giving him an extension. Perhaps the trade will light a fire under the No. 2 pick - it's far too early in the game to tag him with the "bust" label.

Lavoy Allen's status as a second-round pick saved the former Temple Owl from a fair amount of vitriol, but it's clear that he didn't maximize his talents here, either. All things considered, it's a good thing that the Pacers aren't expecting much out of him: Allen has appeared in just three games since the trade, playing a grand total of 13 minutes.

Sadly, the family reunion ends there: After making his Pacers' debut on Tuesday against the Boston Celtics, Andrew Bynum will not be in uniform tonight. So, for the record, Bynum has been a member of four NBA teams over the past 12 months, yet has played exactly one game in the city of Philadelphia.

And then there's the game itself: It figures to be a rather one-sided affair considering that the Pacers have the best record in the East (47-17) while the 76ers have lost 18 in a row. The 16-point spread seems about right: Indiana has title aspirations, while many players on the Sixers' roster aspire to be mentioned during Inside the NBA's "Who He Play For?" segment.

Much like an Evan Turner-led possession, tonight's game won't be pretty, folks.

Indy Cornrows

Pacers vs 76ers coverage

(EXCLUSIVE VIDEO FOOTAGE: Our very own Jake Fischer was able to get his hands on the Sixers' tribute video to "The Villain" that may or may not be played in the arena during tonight's game. Note: Some of the language is NSFW, so you may want to put the headphones on for this.)

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