Fred Carter of 9-73 Sixers says this year's Sixers are even worse

When the Philadelphia 76ers take the floor in Houston on Thursday, they'll have the chance to tie the NBA's all-time record for the longest losing streak. 

If the Rockets win, as expected, Philly will have lost an incredible 26 straight games. Only the 2010 Cleveland Cavaliers have ever lost 26 straight, and the Sixers appear set to join them.

Depending on your point of view, though, this may only be the second worst losing note in 76ers history. That's because the 1972-73 team owns the distinction of the worst (full) season in league history, a hilarious 9-73 mark (the current Sixers are 15-56).

If you ask Fred Carter, the leading scorer on that 72-73 squad (consider him "retro Thad Young"), there's no question that this year's team is worse.

Asked Monday to compare the roster of his team with that of this year’s club, he said, “It’s not even close. We were a much better team, but we were in a much stronger league.”

There were only 17 NBA teams then, compared to 30 now.

“The talent,” the 69-year-old Carter said, “was not as thinned-out as it is today. Therefore you have much tougher teams to go up against every night.”

It's difficult to compare league quality across eras, but Carter's point about talent being less dispersed is a valid one. In any case, the team's are close: