After strong start, Sixers guard Meeks returns to earth

The calendar had just turned to December and Doug Collins' 76ers had won two straight games to improve to 5-13. Collins, however, was struggling mightily with trying to find a starting lineup that could provide him a little more spark offensively.

At the time, rookie Evan Turner was the starting "two" guard, having started the previous 12 games at the spot. But he had become quite ineffective, mired in a 5-for-21 shooting slump in his previous six games and was often becoming nonexistent in the offense.

So Collins looked down his bench and decided before the Dec. 3 game in Atlanta that second-year pro Jodie Meeks would be his starting off guard - who could bang home open jump shots consistently, who could create spacing on the floor for the many Sixers who are at their best when avenues to the basket are opened by the threat of an outside shooter.

Meeks proceeded to give Collins and the team exactly what they needed. He stroked jump shots with the same kind of regularity he had done at the University of Kentucky. When the Sixers got out on the fastbreak, he ran to a spot beyond the three-point arc, got a pass, and, when he had a sliver of an opening, pulled the trigger and usually hit his target. In only his second start, against the Charlotte Bobcats, Meeks went off for 26 while drilling seven of his 10 three-point attempts.

Then, after six pretty successful starts in which Meeks averaged 15 points and the Sixers won four games, teams "put Jodie Meeks on the scouting report," as Collins likes to say. He means that Meeks no longer can run down the court without getting noticed. No longer can he come off a pick or two with just his man paying attention. No longer are there open jump shots. And because of it, Meeks isn't an effective starting "two" guard right now.

Meeks has scored in double figures only twice in his last 11 starts, averaging only 7.8 points. Worse, he isn't getting many shot attempts anymore, averaging only 3.5 in his last four games. It really is somewhat amazing that Collins has gotten his team to win five of its past 11 games with the lack of contribution he's gotten from his "two" guard.

Take a look at the starting "two" guards on the Eastern Conference teams in the playoff hunt: Ray Allen in Boston, Dwyane Wade in Miami, Jason Richardson in Orlando, Joe Johnson in Atlanta. Even Indiana's Mike Dunleavy and New York rookie Landry Fields are outside threats for their teams. All seemingly are way ahead of the Sixers.

"Jodie's at his best coming off the bench and giving you that juice off the bench against that second-line player," Collins said. "That's no disrespect to him. That's his best role."

That is true. And that is probably what the team envisioned Meeks doing before the season. He was deactivated for the first six of the season. But Meeks worked his tail off and never showed signs of being disgruntled over the lack of time. In fact, it seemed to drive him even more. He truly worked his way into the rotation, and ultimately into the starting lineup. But it is truly not where he belongs. Not with the other pieces out on the court at the beginning of the game.

And here is another problem: The role Collins described for Meeks is filled quite admirably right now by Lou Williams. So, the addition of Meeks might have been a case of adding too many players to one position, something that has plagued this team for quite a while.

Recently, Collins has been able to somewhat mask the lack of production from the starting "two" spot by asking point guard Jrue Holiday to score more, by expecting more from Williams.

And now another problem is arising. Swingman Andre Iguodala is due back from right Achilles' tendinitis next week. There is no chance he will come off the bench.

So what will happen?

When he played well early in his starts, Meeks showed how much this team benefits from a dangerous outside shooter. But he's not dangerous anymore as a starter. When Iguodala comes back to the starting lineup, most assuredly, Meeks will be relegated to the bench, maybe even sooner. Perhaps Andres Nocioni, one of the team's better three-point threats, will move to small forward and stay a starter, meaning Iguodala will play the "two." What probably won't happen is Turner being reinserted into the starting lineup, as he and Iguodala just don't seem to mesh well together on the court.

It appears that the way his game is constructed now, with limited outside shooting, Turner is better suited playing small forward, as Holiday rightfully is gobbling up most of the minutes at the point.

So for the time being, it appears that Collins will have to continue to do a masterful job of tinkering and tweaking, finding combinations that work for certain stretches, then scratching them when they don't.

He'll have to continue to rely heavily on the 20-year-old point guard who is in his first full year as a starter. He'll have to hope Elton Brand continues his productive season. He'll have to hope the team doesn't stay the same, but, instead, actually improves when a healthy Iguodala returns. He'll have to hope starting center Spencer Hawes can return to the form that he showed during a six-game stretch in which he scored and rebounded with regularity.

For those who say dealing Iguodala could fill some needs, you won't get a disagreement here. The front office is listening to any and all offers - not only for Iguodala but for anyone. The problem is that the collective bargaining agreement expires after this season, making general managers around the league fearful of doing any deals involving large amounts of money. After this season, Iguodala is due to make about $44 million over the next 3 years.

So, for now, it's shuffling of cards, and Collins has done a very good of improving the hand he has. It would just help if the cards went together a little better, or at least for a longer amount of time.

Tonight:

vs. Chicago Bulls, 7 o'clock

TV/Radio: Comcast SportsNet/WIP (610-AM)

The skinny: Well, if the Sixers need any motivation for this one there is something seriously wrong with them. Only 17 days ago, the Bulls beat the Sixers by 45 points. That's right, 45 points. The Sixers were down in that game by 51 a couple of times. Pretty safe bet to say that won't happen again.

at Detroit Pistons, 7:30 p.m.

TV/Radio: Comcast SportsNet/WIP (610-AM)

The skinny: Coach John Kuester's team is one of the most inconsistent in the league. Like the Sixers, they don't have a big-time scorer on the team this season, with Rodney Stuckey (15.3) and Tayshaun Prince (14.5) leading the way.

vs. Indiana Pacers, 7 o'clock

TV/Radio: Comcast SportsNet/WIP (610-AM)

The skinny: The Pacers are one of the teams that the Sixers probably will battle for a playoff spot until the end of the season. They are one of the NBA's worst shooting teams, making only 43.5 percent, but they also limit opponents to 43.4 percent.

21.2: That's how many points Sixers point guard Jrue Holiday is averaging over his past six games.

56: That's the percent of shots Holiday made during those six games.