Bobby Brown, Kevin Ollie, Brian Cardinal, Craig Smith and Rodney Carney indeed will start tonight in Philadelphia instead of Randy Foye, Sebastian Telfair, Ryan Gomes, Kevin Love and Mike Miller.

What? No Jim Petersen?

Asked if this doesn’t appear like he’s playing to improve the team’s lottery chances, Kevin McHale said, “No, those guys (the second unit) earned it.  I tell you what, I’d say the we’ve played with the other guys, that looks like a lottery to me, holy cow. I’d be a lot more concerned that we’re playing for the lottery if I was playing those continually. These guys derserve to go out there and play. They’ve brought energy. They’ve moved the ball better. They’ve played well together. The ball hasn’t been sticking. They’ve brought a lot of stuff.”

McHale walked into the locker room after Tuesday’s loss at Atlanta and delivered the news that the second unit was starting the next game. They were the ones who brought the Wolves back from a 32-point deficit Sunday against Oklahoma in that seven-point loss and played with more spirit Tuesday.

Asked if he talked to the starters about his decision, McHale said, “Yeah, I told them they weren’t starting. And I told them why.”

The reaction?

“Not too much, no,” McHale said.

The move gives Carney the chance to start against his former team but removes Foye from the lineup in his return to the city where he played college ball at Villanova.

“Discipline,” Foye said when asked for his reaction. “The other guys have been playing well, moving the ball and we sure haven’t. Maybe it’ll rub off on us.”

McHale said he “just thought I’d reward” the reserves.

Love was asked if he considered it a reward or punishment.

“Reward for those guys, punishment for us because we’ve been playing like doo-doo,” he said. “I’m 20 years old, I can say that. We talk like that.”

Cardinal shrugged when asked the last time he started a game.

“I don’t know, 2004?” he said. “Mac is looking for something to change and we’ll see if we can help him out with that.”

Ollie said he assumed the move was simply for change.

“I don’t know, I can’t read his mind,” he said. “We’ll see if we can bring what we’ve been bringing the last couple games. I know that’s been against their reserves, but we’ll see….”

AN UPDATE HERE RATHER THAN A NEW POST: Wolves lose 96-88 after they led for much of the first three quarters until they surrendered the final nine points of the third quarter and a 11-0 run midway through the fourth to a Sixers team just back from a five-game Western trip when they beat the Lakers and Portland.

Carney scored all of his 21 points on threes, seven of them, a career high and just one away from Stephon Marbury’s franchise record. He made seven of 10 shots, more makes than starters-turned-subs Gomes, Foye and Telfair combined. Those three went 6-for-32. Yikes!

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