The Philadelphia 76ers have shut down reserve guard Lou Williams for the rest of the regular season to rest his hamstring for the playoffs.  Williams played in 75 games (0 starts) for the Sixers this year and he averaged 23.3 minutes, 13.7 points, 2.0 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game.  The Sixers will turn to rookie guard Evan Turner to pick up the pace the next two weeks.  Turner has played in 73 games (13 starts) for the 76ers so far this year and he is averaging 22.6 minutes, 6.9 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game.  The Sixers have been disappointed with Turner so far this year, but this is a chance for him to redeem himself.

26-year old starting small forward Andre Iguodala has been ruled out of the next five games to rest his right Achilles (tendinitis).  Iguodala has played in 25 games (all starts) for the 76ers so far this year and he is averaging 37.6 minutes, 14.2 points, 6.1 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 1.3 steals per game.  31-year old Andres Nocioni will be replacing Iguodala in the starting lineup.  Nocioni has played in 28 games (11 starts) for the Sixers so far this year and he is averaging 19.4 minutes, 7.3 points, 3.5 rebounds and 0.8 assists per game.  Nocioni’s last start went pretty well against the Suns as he scored 22 points, grabbed 12 rebounds and he dished out 2 assists in 41 minutes on the court.  I have a feeling that Nocioni will do a good job for the Sixers as long as A.I. is out of action.

The Sixers will be without 26-year old starting shooting guard Andre Iguodala a while due to a Achilles injury. Iguodala has played in 8 games (all starts) for the Sixers so far this year and he is averaging 33.6 minutes, 12.8 points, 5.6 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 1.0 steal per game. He has been replaced in the starting lineup by rookie Evan Turner who has been doing a decent job. But, they still miss Iguodala who is the best player on the team right now.

The 76ers have shut down starting small forward Thaddeus Young for the year due to a fractured thumb. Young played in 67 games (45 starts) for the Sixers this season and he averaged 32.0 minutes, 13.8 points, 5.2 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.2 steals per game. This is a shame for the Sixers who are starting to look at there younger players the last week. Young played well for them this year.

The Sixers have lost starting point guard Lou Williams for at least tonight with a fractured jaw that he injured last night. He has played in 14 games (all starts) for the Sixers this season and he is averaging 34.8 minutes, 17.4 points, 3.5 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 1.7 steals per game. His loss will be huge especially if rookie Jrue Holliday doesn’t step up. Holliday has played in 8 games (0 starts) so far this season and he is averaging 7.6 minutes, 3.5 points, 1.6 rebounds and 1.0 assist per game. Royal Ivey will also likely see a bump in playing time for the Sixers as long as Williams is out of action. Ivey has played in 9 games (0 starts) this season for the Sixers and he is averaging 8.8 minutes, 2.2 points, 0.8 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game. The Sixers better hope that Williams is ready to return soon because he has been playing very well for them this year.

UPDATE: Williams will miss the next 8 weeks after he underwent jaw surgery to repair the fracture in it. This will really hurt the 76ers.

The Sixers have lost PF/C Marreese Speights for the next 6-8 weeks due to a partial tear of the MCL in his left knee. This is a huge blow to the 76ers as Speights was playing the best of any of the big men on the team. He has played in 10 games (0 starts) for the Sixers this season and he was averaging 23.4 minutes, 13.0 points, 6.4 rebounds and 0.6 assists per game. With Speights out of action the Sixers will need Elton Brand and Samuel Dalembert to pick up their games. Brand has played in 10 games (all starts) this season for the Sixers and he is averaging 27.1 minutes, 9.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, 0.9 assists and 1.2 steals per game. Everyone knows that Brand is a better player than he is showing right now so he needs to pick up his game. Dalembert has played in 10 games (all starts) for the Sixers so far this year and he is averaging 23.5 minutes, 6.2 points, 6.8 rebounds, 0.7 assists and 1.8 blocked shots per game. The 76ers know that Dalembert is better than he is playing right now too. Dalembert and Brand have been complaining about getting their minutes cut so they have no excuses to not produce right now.

Rookie forward Herbert Hill is out indefinately after undergoing surgery for torn cartilage in his left knee. He hasn’t played a game yet this season but the Sixers will miss him because of how poorly they have started out this season.

The 76ers will be without Kyle Korver for the next 7-10 days with a strained groin. This will hurt the Sixers as Korver is the best shooter on the 76ers…..by far. Korver has played in 8 games so far this season (0 starts) and he has averaged 24.4 minutes, 9.1 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game. He has only shot 35.3% from the floor, 32.5% from three point range and 92.3% from the free throw line.

Kyle Korver has a small tendon tear in his right wrist and is out indefinately. The Sixers might as well shut him down because his best skill is his shooting ability and having a right wrist injury will surely effect his shooting. He has played in 73 games this season and he averaged 14.4 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game. He also shot 42.5% from three-point range which is fantastic. If he played better on defense he would be a starter, but he’s very effective in his role as the long range bomber off of the bench for the Sixers.

Rodney Carney has a torn right rotator cuff and labrum and will likely miss the remainder of his rookie season. He played in 55 games and he averaged 17.4 minutes, 6.3 points and 1.8 rebounds per game. He was a decent shooter from the floor as he hit 45.5% of his shots. But, he wasn’t a good free throw shooter as he only made 60.3% of his charity tosses. He looks like a keeper for the rebuilding 76ers.