Alternator and fan drive belts off car: can I start the engine?

[HuskyMan]

I turned the drive pulleys on the alternator after removing it from the car to check it. It drags quite a bit in two different places, no doubt the alternator bearings are toast. I then turned the cooling fan on the engine by hand and it appears to turn freely. I'm wondering if I can start the car and let it run for only a few seconds to listen for any unusual sounds? I'm 99% sure the previous squeal/smoking drive belts were due to frozen alternator bearings.