After benching his starters for the entire fourth quarter of Monday’s loss to the Hawks, Kevin McHale might take it a step farther in tonight’s tip in Philly. According to the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, McHale might roll out a starting lineup consisting of the same reserves who finished the Hawks game:

Bobby Brown, Kevin Ollie, Rodney Carney, Brian Cardinal and Craig Smith wore the black jerseys at this morning’s shootaround at Wachovia Center, an indication that Mac is going to shake things up and start his reserves tonight against the 76ers.

It was primarily those guys who brought the Wolves back from a certified blowout Sunday against Oklahoma City and the ones who provided the most energy in Tuesday’s loss at Atlanta.

With just 11 games left and his team running completely on empty, he probably figures he’s got nothing to lose.

I’ve seen the “put the backups in the starters practice jerseys” tactic used in high school and college, but not in the pros until now. And I have yet to see a coach actually pull the trigger on starting all of his backups.

Is this a good motivational move by McHale, or something that could blow up in his face?

Source: Minneapolis Star-Tribune