Do You Side With Lou?

I like Lou Williams. I really do. But when he said today that thinks the Sixers should be 4-0 . . .

I would disagree by one.

They could be--not necessarily should be--3-1. Toronto was simply better opening night. On the other hand, Atlanta was more than ripe to be had.

Williams also said after practice that they're not adjusting to each other as much as people (that includes me, by the way) think.

''We've been (together) basically all summer and training camp, so the majority of that process is over with,'' Williams said. ''Now, it's just a matter of going and winning games.''

If they do (and I'm sticking by my prediction of 49 victories), here are some encouraging signs:

1--The're plus-54 in rebounding, plus-14 in offensive rebounding.

2--Thaddeus Young is shooting a solid 26-for-45, with moves he didn't have as a rookie and a vastly improved 7-for-11 from three-point range.

3--Andre Iguodala is still figuring out the nuances of playing with a post player, but even as he's doing that he has put together 48 points, 22 rebounds and 20 assists, still filling up multiple columns of the boxscore. That's a talent in and of itself.

4--Young isn't the only one who has extended his range. Willie Green looks much more comfortable than last season, shooting 16-for-25 overall and 4-for-9 on triples. He has one turnover--one--in four games.

5--Andre Miller has a minimal 5 turnovers in 4 games.

6--Marreese Speights, just in general. The kid is on a faster track than I thought. He just needs to run more consistently and not hang his head after a mistake. But he's coming.

So is tomorrow. And the Miami Heat and Dwyane Wade and Michael Beasley and Shawn Marion wearing a mask to protect a broken nose. And our first look at new Heat coach Erick Spoelstra.

See you then.