duncan228
06-11-2010, 06:30 PM
Tyson Chandler Opting Out? (http://nba.fanhouse.com/2010/06/11/tyson-chandler-opting-out/)
By Tom Ziller
We knew a few veteran players with big contracts and opt-out clauses would be entering free agency this July in order to avoid relying on the power of the union in its collective bargaining negotiations over the next year. Despite that, a few opt-out declarations have come as surprises.
Count Bobcats center Tyson Chandler among them. Chandler, a 27-year-old scheduled to make $12.6 million next season, is strongly considering opting out of his deal, reports ESPN's Chad Ford (http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/post/_/id/16662/chandler-a-free-agent-in-2010). Back in April, Chandler told FanHouse's Chris Tomasson he'd be picking up the final year of his deal (http://nba.fanhouse.com/2010/04/02/felton-chandler-seek-return-to-up-and-coming-bobcats/).
Considering Chandler has missed more than 30 games in each of the last two seasons, and hasn't played well when he's been on the court, isn't this a risky move?
That depends on how much Chandler's reputation has suffered. Just two years ago, Chandler was anchoring a defense that had New Orleans within reaching distance of the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference. Chandler, when he's healthy and playing well, is among the best centers on defense in the league, no questions asked.
The problem, again, has been health and consistency. Ford's source reports Chandler has gotten totally healthy, but teams aren't so easily convinced. Any contract offered to Chandler this summer will come after only a detailed physical. And just as a physical canceled a trade which would have made Chandler a member of the Thunder 18 months ago, a bad medical report or two can kill Chandler's salary demands this July.
It is worth noting that Chandler missed less than 10 games in four straight seasons from 2005-08, and played at least 70 games in each of his first two seasons. Other than the last two, the only season in which Chandler missed at least 30 games was 2003-04, when he played in only 35 contests.
By Tom Ziller
We knew a few veteran players with big contracts and opt-out clauses would be entering free agency this July in order to avoid relying on the power of the union in its collective bargaining negotiations over the next year. Despite that, a few opt-out declarations have come as surprises.
Count Bobcats center Tyson Chandler among them. Chandler, a 27-year-old scheduled to make $12.6 million next season, is strongly considering opting out of his deal, reports ESPN's Chad Ford (http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/post/_/id/16662/chandler-a-free-agent-in-2010). Back in April, Chandler told FanHouse's Chris Tomasson he'd be picking up the final year of his deal (http://nba.fanhouse.com/2010/04/02/felton-chandler-seek-return-to-up-and-coming-bobcats/).
Considering Chandler has missed more than 30 games in each of the last two seasons, and hasn't played well when he's been on the court, isn't this a risky move?
That depends on how much Chandler's reputation has suffered. Just two years ago, Chandler was anchoring a defense that had New Orleans within reaching distance of the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference. Chandler, when he's healthy and playing well, is among the best centers on defense in the league, no questions asked.
The problem, again, has been health and consistency. Ford's source reports Chandler has gotten totally healthy, but teams aren't so easily convinced. Any contract offered to Chandler this summer will come after only a detailed physical. And just as a physical canceled a trade which would have made Chandler a member of the Thunder 18 months ago, a bad medical report or two can kill Chandler's salary demands this July.
It is worth noting that Chandler missed less than 10 games in four straight seasons from 2005-08, and played at least 70 games in each of his first two seasons. Other than the last two, the only season in which Chandler missed at least 30 games was 2003-04, when he played in only 35 contests.