Time for Sixers to trade Evan Turner and move on

I can't say it's what I would have decided, but I understand the logic behind the choice the Sixers appear to have made.

It will be Andre Iguodala over Evan Turner.

Since a choice eventually must be made, I think the Sixers will stick with the known qualities of Iguodala rather than roll the dice on the potential upside of Turner.

The signs are there.

If Turner isn't exactly in Doug Collins' doghouse, it doesn't take much to see that the coach isn't enamored with the No. 2 overall pick of the 2010 draft.

Most damning are his minutes played.

Jodie Meeks, who would be a seventh or eighth man on virtually every other team, plays 26.3 minutes a game while Turner averages 23.7.

It's not because Meeks has started all 36 games, because Collins has always said the five guys who start might not necessarily be the five best players.

But considering how Meeks, who provides little if he's not hitting three-pointers, has struggled with his shooting consistency this season, the disparity in minutes says more about what Turner has not done than what Meeks has.

Meeks has run an average of 33.3 minutes the last three games, while Turner got fewer than 20.

The high draft pick touted as the shooting guard of the future can't beat out a minimum-wage guy, who ranks near the bottom in scoring for starting "two" guards.

On Thursday in an interview on 97.5 The Fanatic, Sixers president Rod Thorn was asked bluntly by host Mike Missanelli why Turner can't get more minutes.

Thorn acknowledged that Turner likely wants more minutes, but added, "The Catch-22 is that you have to play at a level that the coach feels would make you deserving of those extra minutes.

"Right now, [Turner] is behind Iguodala, who plays the position that [Turner] is probably more suited for at this point and time anyway. [Turner] does play in the backcourt as a 'two' guard. A lot of his minutes have come there.

"We're trying to win every game we can, and we have to go with the players who are producing that particularly night."

There has been a lot of talk about giving Turner minutes at point guard, where a lot of people have said he'd be more affective, and moving Jrue Holiday to the "two."

Thorn basically shot that down, saying Turner would have a hard time against many of the quick, athletic point guards in the league.

He also indicated the Sixers are committed to Holiday, who is only 21, at that position.

From the moment the Sixers selected Turner, many said they had picked younger version of Iguodala. Originally, I thought Turner was acquired with the intention of trading Iguodala and building this club around a young backcourt combination of him and Holiday.

The problem was that, although Iguodala is a forward, he needs to handle the ball to be most effective.

There were not going to be enough touches or time on the shot clock for Iguodala, Holiday and Turner to be effective when on the court together.

Turner struggled through a disappointing rookie season while trying to develop his off-the-ball skills. He's not much better without the rock this season.

It's not so much that Iguodala and Turner can't mesh together on the court; they just do the same things, which then makes the Sixers' offense less versatile.

At this point, the only way the Sixers will find out what they might have in Turner is if they trade Iguodala. At the end of last season, that seemed likely, when Iguodala skipped out of town, giving the impression he might have been looking forward to starting fresh in a new place.

If the lockout had not occurred, that might have happened. However, with basketball operations frozen, there was no time to orchestrate a good deal.

I thought that was a mistake.

On the eve of the NBA lockout's ending and the 2011-12 season starting, I wrote: "It's simple. Use the amnesty clause to remove the remaining years of Elton Brand's contract from the salary cap and then trade Andre Iguodala in whatever deal that will take the remaining years of his deal off the books."

That would have been a commitment to Turner to accelerate his development.

Now, I think the Sixers are committed to Iguodala.

As soon as it became obvious Iguodala was coming back, Collins got proactive in reassuring him that he was a vital element and that he needed him on board with the program.

Collins successfully lobbied hard for Iguodala to make his first All-Star team. He'll tell anyone who wants to listen that Iguodala should make the 2012 U.S. Olympic team.

It makes sense if you think about it.

Collins is a defensive-minded coach, and he has always said he thinks Iguodala can make the all-NBA defensive first team.

Removing Iguodala would cripple, if not destroy, the identity of a team just beginning to experience some success.

Considering Iguodala just turned 28 and has proven his durability by missing only 21 of the 610 games he could have played, it is understandable if the Sixers have decided it's best that Iguodala guide such youngsters as Holiday, forward Thaddeus Young and rookie big men Nik Vucevic and Lavoy Allen.

This is a lot like when former team president and coach Larry Brown traded Larry Hughes because the young guard could not adapt his game to co-exist with Allen Iverson, then grew frustrated with his role.

Turner has begun to exhibit that kind of frustration.

The NBA deadline is less than 2 weeks away.

The Sixers' struggles over their last 10 games indicate that they must add something if they hope to maintain their precarious lead in the Atlantic Division and hold on to a top-four seed into the Eastern Conference playoffs.

If they make a significant move, I would not be surprised to see Turner be the chip dealt out of Philadelphia.

From the moment the Sixers drafted Evan Turner, I thought they would keep him and trade Andre Iguodala.

Now, I'm convinced it will be the opposite.