Sixers' Young starting to make his name known around NBA

SAN ANTONIO - In the course of his rookie season, 19-year-old Thaddeus Young has introduced himself to NBA legends Bill Russell and Julius Erving. Now, little by little, he is introducing himself to the league.

He hasn't taken the 76ers, or Philadelphia, by storm, but that was never the plan when he became the No. 12 overall pick in last June's draft. The Sixers' scouts and personnel specialists saw the strong possibility of a star in the making.

Still, with the Sixers struggling far more than they had anticipated, there has been some recent media speculation that coach Maurice Cheeks was about to force-feed Young into the starting lineup. That didn't happen Friday night against the Chicago Bulls in the Wachovia Center, and it is unlikely to happen tonight against the defending champion San Antonio Spurs in the AT & T Center.

Asked before the 100-97 loss to the Bulls whether he was anywhere close to placing Young in the lineup, Cheeks said "No."

But Cheeks has been trying to find more and more time for him within the substitution rotation. Young, averaging 12.8 minutes in 29 games, was on the court for 22 minutes in the Jan. 4 blowout loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, for 25 on Jan. 6 against the Denver Nuggets, for 14 in the Jan. 8 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks and for 28 in the Jan. 9 loss to the Toronto Raptors.

In that stretch, he shot 22-for-37 from the floor, scored 47 points and took 24 rebounds. In each performance, he showed glimpses of his exceptional athleticism. He was much less effective in the loss to the Bulls (four points, three rebounds, 1-for-5 shooting in 20:07), but that comes with the territory for a developing player with only one season of college experience at Georgia Tech; it didn't hurt that he had to go head-to-head with the rugged Andres Nocioni.

"I think he gets it," Sixers veteran guard Kevin Ollie said. "He knows what spots to be in; I don't know whether it's innate or what, but he gets it on defense. On offense, he stays within his limitations and it makes him look good.