Doug Christie, Malik Monk Respond to Kings' Tanking Allegations

Kings are not trying to lose

As Monk says, the Kings are not trying to lose. Things have just not gone their way this season. Heading into a rematch with the Warriors on Friday night, the Kings are just 21-59 on the season. Sure, when they lost 16 games in a row, the tanking conversation makes sense. However, they have now won seven of their last 16, improving from the worst record in the NBA to the fourth-worst.

Even if the front office is content with a few more losses than wins at this point in the season, as they aim for a high pick in this year's loaded draft, the players are not on the same page. Christie has his coaching staff and players striving for wins every game, and that has not changed, regardless of where they are in the standings.

Doug Christie is anti-tank

As he has voiced throughout the season, Christie reassured on Thursday that he would never try to lose.

"I would never put our organization, I would never put Scott (Perry) and B.J. (Armstrong) in any type of position like that. I have too much respect for the game. I have too much respect for our players. I have too much respect for this city. Just wouldn't do it, period. We're out there to win, and our guys are gonna play hard until the very end, period," Christie said.

This is no surprise coming from Christie, especially as a former Kings player. He would never intentionally lose a game, making the NBA's entire investigation into the matter obsolete.

Christie and his players might not be as successful as they would have hoped this season, but they are certainly on the same page about trying to win every game. For a coach who is constantly preaching about his team's competitive level, he is not going to intentionally give the Warriors a win under any circumstances.