Chanlder Trade Analysis - OK City should get Excited

The road to stardom has been anything but easy for Tyson Chandler. Initially drafted by the LA Clippers in 2002 he was immediately dealt to Chicago, much to his mother’s tearful chagrins. But the move drew a bevy of excitement from NBA fans because it united Chandler and Eddy Curry, who was the third pick in that very draft. Born were the Baby Bulls…who very quickly descended in to the infamous Unwatcha-Bulls. Ouch.

Injuries, a lack of mental maturity and heavy feuds with other young big men in the game (namely Brandon Haywood of Washington) left a blithering and unmitigated disaster. He averaged just 6.9 points per game and was noted for his stiff fourth quarter defense. The Jerry Krause era in Chicago officially ended when Chandler was dealt to New Orleans over frustration with Bulls’ management, and was invariably replaced by Ben Wallace from Detroit, which ended up being another disaster for the Bulls.

The move, however, was a huge boost for Chandler.

United with Chris Paul, David West and Peja, the Hornets became one of the best NBA bets in the country. As Paul developed in to the best point-guard in the NBA at an absurdly swift rate, the career of Chandler took off. Chandler quickly became a rim-rocking 10-10 guy with an admirable contract that was beloved in New Orleans for his energy, quickness and defensive prowess. The Hornets advanced to the Conference Finals in the West, but were dismantled by a far more experienced Lakers team.

This season has been a catastrophe form the Hornets. While they’re defense is ranked third overall, thanks in part to Chandler, their offense couldn’t score points to cover the spread or win games. The Hornets ranked amongst the league’s worst with 95.4 points per game. In the process, New Orleans has been devastated by the oddsmakers with a 22-28-2 ATS record on the season, a far cry from their spread demolishing ways of 2007-08.

I wrote in a trade article that Oklahoma City was in desperate need of a big man. Joe Smith was not the answer. They needed somebody far more athletic, who was relatively cheap and could score. My recommendation was Chris Bosh of the Toronto Raptors, but that was an absurd fan-thought of mine. The idea was simple though – acquire a big man who could run with the trio of Green-Westbrook-Durant.

And so they did.

The biggest trade as of the printing of this article has become Chandler-Smith/Wilcox between the Hornets and the Thunder. It seems as though the Hornets are willing to write off the season already, but this is a massive move for those of you who have been pushing for the Thunder as a second-half bet. Already, Oklahoma City has boomed to an exciting 33-21 ATS this season. With Chandler in the mix, and the Big Three in O-K-C running wild, expect some nice things to happen for the Thunder.

Chandler is a player who can not create opportunities on his own. He is vastly dependant on the presence of playmakers around him to do what he has to do effectively. The Thunder are 25th in the league with 103.3 points against per game and Chandler is an instant boost in the front court on the defensive end. His role will simply be to produce that 10-10 he averaged in New Orleans and shut down the lane so that Durant and Green can continue to steamroll the NBA with their high-flying style.