Michael Carter-Williams Discusses Tanking in Column for The Players' Tribune

The Philadelphia 76ers front office has routinely been accused of purposely putting together a bad team to collect high draft picks in recent seasons. However, if you want to talk about tanking, don't do it with Michael Carter-Williams. 

In the latest athlete article on Derek Jeter's website, The Players' Tribune, Carter-Williams opened up about how any discussion of the team throwing in the towel is maddening:

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In order to get to the NBA, you have to be crazy, over-the-top competitive. When I was riding the bench my freshman year at Syracuse, I used to stay in the gym so late doing dribbling drills that I had to superglue my fingers to stop them from bleeding.

You can question my shooting. You can question my ceiling. Just don’t question if I’m giving my all every single night. Don’t talk to me about tanking.

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Carter-Williams, who won the NBA Rookie of the Year award last season, started the piece by talking about how much "losing sucks" and the media circus that came as the result of Philadelphia's 26-game losing streak last season:

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We knew it was going to be a circus when ESPN flew in Stephen A. Smith to Philadelphia for the 27th game against Detroit. In the locker room before shootaround, we got swarmed by reporters. You could barely move around the room. Somebody actually asked, 'So how does it feel to be a part of the most losing team in NBA history?' Which was really funny because we hadn’t even played the game yet. Everybody just expected us to lose and set the record.

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Any discussion of tanking has to feel like a slap in the face to the players on the court. As Carter-Williams said, no one likes to lose. Professional athletes, whose careers are at stake, don't play sports hoping to lose so their team can get a better draft pick. Sometimes there are circumstances beyond one's control that result in what we are currently seeing in Philadelphia.  

What does Carter-Williams do to relax and tune out all of the criticism? He watches his favorite afternoon program:

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For me, it’s all about Ellen. I just think she’s awesome. So every weekday at 4 p.m., my stepfather and I pause the basketball talk, grab some snacks and watch The Ellen Degeneres Show. It might sound funny, but this is one of the ways I’m able to get away from the frustration of losing.     

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The 76ers have turned into a laughingstock because of what the front office has done in recent drafts and trades. They aren't going to the playoffs this season, barring some miracle turnaround, but we forget that it has nothing to do with the effort of those players and coaches on the court each night. Perhaps their time is coming, though. 

Sometimes, teams go through peaks and valleys. Right now the 76ers are in a valley and trying to climb their way out of it. And with promising young players like Carter-Williams, Nerlens Noel and Joel Embiid on the roster, perhaps that time will be coming soon.