Rick Adelman turned the tables on us ink-stained wretches tonight in New Orleans when he came out for his pre-game availablity and asked us a question first before any of us gathered could fire one his way.

"Who am I starting, right?" he said.

Actually, he threw me off.

I was going to ask, given that it's Friday the 13th, if he's superstititous.

But since he brought up the topic...

After two days of deliberation, Adelman is giving Ricky Rubio his first NBA start tonight, alongside Luke Ridnour even though J.J. Barea is unavailable to spell either of them as a third point guard.

"Just the way they finished the other day," Adelman said of Tuesday's game against Chicago when asked why this particular change. "Those two guys play well together. The more we can get Ricky on the floor right now, the better off we are."

So soon?

Adelman said he's limited to make other changes because of Michael Beasley's injury, which basically forces him to play Wes Johnson at small forward.