Collins' priority is to get Iguodala, Williams healthy for playoffs

As the end of the regular season was winding down, 76ers coach Doug Collins steadfastly denied that he would give any of his players some rest, saying that securing a winning season and playing well going into the playoffs were priorities.

Sometimes, the best-laid plans must be changed on the fly. Forward Andre Iguodala, who has been plagued by tendinitis in his right knee for much of the season, sat out last night's game against the visiting Orlando Magic. Collins said Iguodala also might sit out the season finale tomorrow when the Detroit Pistons visit the Wells Fargo Center.

Iguodala's absence left Collins without two of his most important players, as guard Lou Williams missed his third straight game with a strained right hamstring.

"The No. 1 thing for us is getting healthy," said Collins, whose team will play the Miami Heat in the opening round of the playoffs, which will begin this weekend. "After the game [Friday], I think he sort of felt a few days' rest might do him good. That knee has been a little bit sore. We'll see what his status will be on Wednesday night. And Lou, of course, has been out with the hamstring, so, from our standpoint right now, getting healthy will be No. 1 Then, No. 2, we want to do a good job the last two games executing and getting back to a good rhythm, and that's going to be hard, because two of our key people are out."

At times, Iguodala's knee has caused him to practically drag the leg during games. At other times, it hasn't appeared to bother him too much. Only a little more than a month ago, he posted back-to-back triple-doubles. But now, should he also miss tomorrow's game, Iguodala will have close to a full week with no activity, which is the best remedy for the knee.

"I think it can help a little bit," Iguodala said of the rest. "I'm just trying to stay on top of it and do a lot of stretching exercises. It kind of takes a little of the soreness out. It's good just to get a little bit of rest going into the playoffs."

Iguodala has been encouraged that one "sliding" exercise helps, but it is so intense, he said, it leaves him sore for a few days.

"It's frustrating missing regular-season games. It's been the situation like that all year, so you just got to play through it," he said.

"The big thing with him is I want him to be mentally fresh and sharp," Collins said. "I think that knee has taken a little bit of a toll on him. I think it's been sore I think it's probably restricted some of the things he can do, and I think that's a source of frustration when you're an athlete. Your struggles are not caused by anything other than the fact that you're not 100 percent.

"We would have liked to have finished up with our full complement of people, because we think that we got a lot of work to do going in, but who knows, this might be a blessing in disguise."

With Iguodala out, rookie Evan Turner got the start last night. Turner saw his minutes cut dramatically before Williams' injury forced Collins to play him more. It is a showcasing of sort for Turner, as he tries to earn the trust of his his coach to use him in the playoffs.

"I think he's done well; he's had some really good moments," Collins said. "I would like to see him continue to focus off the ball defensively and his rebounding. Those are two areas he can really help us in. His offense - he had a really, really good game against Boston [21 points]. The other games, he's not shot it particularly well. He's gotten down in the post a couple of times and made a couple of nice moves."

Before being held by the Magic last night to seven points and two rebounds, Turner averaged 10.8 points and 5.8 rebounds in 30.6 minutes in the 13 previous games missed by Iguodala. Collins also wants Turner to get some time to prepare to play major minutes if need be in the playoffs.

"Evan has done a good job. The good thing about it is I want him to get in better shape," Collins said. "I thought he lost a little conditioning when he hadn't played and stuff, which is to be expected a little bit when you don't get the minutes. I think he's done a good job, and we hope he has two good games here going into the playoffs." *

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