MCW binge a coincidence?

WAS IT JUST a coincidence that Michael Carter-Williams had his best stats of the season Saturday, when Tony Wroten sat out with a knee sprain?

In the loss to Dallas that dropped the Sixers to a franchise-record 0-16 start, Carter-Williams produced 18 points, 16 assists and 10 rebounds while playing a season-high 35 minutes. While his coach said MCW was looking to elevate his game after a slow, eight-game start, you have to wonder if the absence of Wroten had something to do with his inflated numbers.

Wroten was the starting point guard and led the team in scoring and assists for the season's first six games while Carter-Williams, the reigning rookie of the year, was recovering from offseason shoulder surgery.

For a five-game span before Saturday's loss, the two were the starting backcourt duo, and posted mixed reviews. There were far too many turnovers, some questionable shot selection and inadequate defense.

The two do pose a formidable offensive threat with their ability to take the ball to the basket and use their size (both 6-6) to their advantage. Still, coach Brett Brown said last week that the duo sharing time was still a work in progress.

So did Saturday's numbers from Carter-Williams only prove the point that many make: that the two are too similar to have on the court for a majority of the time?

"I think that [Saturday] night was more of a reflection of him than not having Tony there," Brown said following yesterday's practice at Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. "I think that he was adamant that he was going to make up for what he considered to be a poor season to date and that he wanted to show great body language, that he wanted to pass the ball and get teammates involved. Whether Tony was there or not, I think he would have come out and had that type of game."

You have to wonder. They both need the ball in their hands to excel. They are the two best on the team at creating their own shots, and both get the majority of their assists by driving to the basket and dishing. Neither is a very good outside shooter, so that limits who the other is passing to when both are on the floor.

It is one of the many conundrums that this team and its coaches face everyday.

"I'm not prepared to say Tony and Michael can't work," Brown said. "I think that it's a work in progress and you're really trying to figure out if it can or it can't. But the sample size is far too small to just discount it entirely.

"The thing that I do know is we need to have as many shooters on the floor as possible. But it comes with some decisions on defense, on matchups. It's not as simple a blanket statement as getting more shooters on the floor. It isn't that. Somewhere out there, there's a better mix that I've got to do a good job based on who you're playing and who guards who."

With Wroten expected to miss at least a couple more games, starting tonight against the defending champion San Antonio Spurs, the ball is literally in Carter-Williams' hands. After that, who knows?

When the gathered media was able to watch practice yesterday, Nerlens Noel was down on the far side of the floor with trainer Kevin Johnson hovering over him. As he rose, he was seriously favoring his right side, grimacing with every attempted movement. He slowly limped toward the locker room, but soon made his way over to reporters, moving a lot better. "I'm OK," Noel said. "Hollis [Thompson] hit me on the hip with his elbow. I never felt anything like that, but they said it will be fine."

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