Bub Carrington doesn't deserve punishment for keeping it real when he had the chance. That much needs to be clear: let's not censor free speech when NBA players are being honest (and aren't talking about referees and whatnot). However, times like these demonstrate the slippery slope the NBA embarks on when they try to stop tanking.
For full context, in an exclusive interview with WUSA9, Carrington admitted that the team tanked to get their hands on AJ Dybantsa.
"We haven't been told to be the best version of ourselves. We were held back because we were trying to get AJ Dybantsa. That's no secret."
There's not one person on this entire planet whose mind should be blown by this. Of course, Washington was tanking. It was a loaded draft class this year, that even if they hadn't won the lottery, they would have been glad to accept the No. 2 or No. 3 pick, just like Utah did. Everyone was proven right to throw their season away to get the prospect they wanted.
Again, Carrington should not face any punishment for this, but it's funny that the NBA is reportedly allowing this to slide, per The Athletic's Sam Amick. The hilarity stems from the fact that the NBA fined the Jazz for benching multiple valuable players in the fourth quarter.
Yes, the situations are different, but-
Carrington admitting Washington was tanking while Utah throwing their games in their efforts are strikingly different. However, the Jazz didn't break any rules when they did this, making the fine look ridiculous.
The reason why they were fined was because benching the players they did for a few games affected the parlays for bettors, who are partnered with the NBA. Because the gambling companies made a stink of it, the NBA wanted to send a message. Well, that message has only aged like milk when instances like these make the rounds.
But it's times like these that serve as a good reminder of the controversy that breeds from these situations. The NBA letting this go while going out of their way to punish the Jazz for doing something shady, but perfectly legal, feels like a legitimate double standard. Even if they are not the same thing, they are very much related.
If Utah complains about a lack of punishment for Carrington, primarily because of what the NBA fined them for in February, no one should blame them.
Add us as a preferred source on Google