Morning Phil-Up: Carter-Williams Believes Brett Brown Didn’t Want Him Traded

Michael Carter-Williams Believes Brett Brown Didn’t Want Him Traded – CSNPhilly

Michael Carter-Williams spoke before Wednesday night’s game against the 76ers, and offered some thoughts on the state of his former team.

Carter-Williams believes that if it were up to head coach Brett Brown, he would have never been traded. The former 11th overall pick in the draft believes the decision to move him was one that was made purely by general manager Sam Hinkie.

Brown knew what he was getting into when he agreed to become the head coach of the Sixers, however he hasn’t been on board with every move that Hinkie has made since last season. Brown was upset earlier in the year when the team traded away Brandon Davies, a guy who was good for the locker room.

Brown’s instincts as a head coach and a competitor are to do everything that he can to win. He prides himself in helping bring out the best in his players and helping them grow to reach their potential. Before the deadline, the Sixers were just starting to improve and were beginning to rip off some victories.

With the trades of MCW and rookie K.J. McDaniels, Brown is left starting from square one again.

Just When You Want To Believe, Flyers Make It Much More Difficult – The 700 Level

The Philadelphia Flyers have impressed a lot of people over the last few weeks, scratching and clawing their way back into the playoff picture in a desperate attempt to finish with the eighth seed.

However, the team’s hopes took a big hit on Tuesday night when they fell to a weak Carolina Hurricanes team by a count of 4-1.

Every game is critical for the Flyers at this point, and they can’t pass up any opportunity to obtain points in the standings. If they’re unable to handle a team like the Hurricanes in what should be a must-win situation for them, then it’s difficult to envision them finding a way to sneak into the post-season.

However, at the same time, it’s hard to expect to them to achieve such a feat in the first place.

I believe the Flyers have been playing over their heads for the last month, and were due to come down to earth a bit. They’ve been a woefully inconsistent group all year, they’ve got issues on defense, and they’re currently playing with a third-string goalie.

Will Jeremy Maclin Get Tagged? Birds 24/7

The NFL’s deadline for designating a franchise player falls next Monday afternoon, and the Eagles still do not appear to be close to having a deal in place with pending unrestricted free-agent Jeremy Maclin.

The Eagles must now decide whether or not they’re going to place the franchise tag on their top receiver, or risk allowing him to test the open market.

I don’t think Maclin is a lock to get tagged, but I don’t get the sense that a deal is going to get done in the next week either.

The team isn’t in a great position with their cap, with around $23 million currently available, and using the tag on Maclin would wipe out over $13 million of their cap room. It’s in the best interest for both sides to agree to a long-term deal as soon as possible, but the Eagles might be wise to at least temporarily place the tag on Maclin to protect themselves.

End Of The Line – Philly Voice

Jimmy Kempski of Philly Voice wrote a piece arguing that the offensive line, not the secondary, is the biggest need for the Eagles in this year’s draft.

Kempski’s argument is centered around the age of Jason Peters, Evan Mathis, and Todd Herremans, all of which are at least 33 years old and have logged plenty of miles throughout their careers. Mathis is actually projected to be the oldest starting guard in the league, with Herremans being the fourth oldest.

The position absolutely needs some replenishment. Alan Barbre remains valuable to the team as their top reserve, but the Eagles do need to avoid a serious problem in a couple of years by replenishing the talent on the line this season.