Against the Pistons tonight, the Clippers are starting three rookies, and four players under 23.
PG Eric Bledsoe
SG Eric Gordon
SF Al-Farouq Aminu
PF Ryan Gomes
C Blake Griffin
DeAndre Jordan will play also, although Vinny says he's still hurting.
The Pistons, with Prince and Daye at the forward positions, don't really play a power forward. And Ben Wallace is not really a scoring threat, so there's no big concern about going so small.
The good news is that it's AFA's first start, and another step in his development. He has probably been the best player on the floor for the last two games, so why shouldn't he be starting? The bad news is that Ben Wallace is a crafty defender who could lock up Blake. However, Ben is also 106 years old, so it's entirely possible he won't be able to stay with Griffin.
Gordon is still sore as well, so it remains to be seen how effective he'll be. But my assumption is that if he's good enough to start, he'll be fine once the adrenaline kicks in.
A major coup for Club D tonight - if DJ is the first sub off the bench, we'll get out full U23 team out there.