Garrett Temple is not a fan of tanking.
The Toronto Raptors veteran was vocal when talking about tanking and fans rooting for their team to lose.
The Raptors have been trying to actively tank and most of their fans have been cheering for losses instead of wins, which helps the team’s draft lottery odds in May.
Temple called it out.
“It’s bullsh*t! I’m a realist and I can understand the big-picture thinking. But I would never wish for my team to lose a game. I would never wish my players to go out and not compete to win,” Temple told The Athletic.
The Raptors have been blatantly trying to lose games as of late. Whether it be sitting out key players game-to-game or benching starters late in games.
The whole narrative is part of a bigger problem the NBA faces of teams actively trying to lose. The Raptors aren’t the only team that have tried to throw games. The Utah Jazz and Philadelphia 76ers have been part of that equation as well.
Temple’s comments are justified because he’s a player. If this Raptors tank has taught us anything it’s that management tank, players don’t.
The players who have suited up for the Raptors have played hard and have gone out there trying to win even if the fans don’t want to see it.
The Raptors have 11 games left. They are currently on a 4-game losing streak and are all but eliminated from the Play-In Tournament.
Management will likely want to continue to try and lose games, so it’ll be interesting to see how things play out over this final stretch of the season.
Raptors fall to Spurs 123-89 for fourth straight loss
Devin Vassell poured in 25 points, Julian Champagnie added 20, and the San Antonio Spurs cruised to a dominant 123-89 victory over the Toronto Raptors on Sunday, extending their winning streak to three games and picking up their fifth win in the last seven.
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