Knicks: 3 Years Ago Tyson Chandler backed up Theo Ratliff for a Bobcats team that got swept

[Tuddy]

Don't understand how someone who can't put the ball in the hoop without help could even be a top 50 player

[Latarian Milton]

At the time Chandler had played 10 years in the L and had managed to play 71+ games in seven of them. I think it was a risk worth taking, considering he was only 28 years old. He played in 74 games for the Mavs after averaging 48 games the previous two for Charlotte and New Orleans.

TC was the defensive anchor for the 11' team and it should've been their 1st priority of the summer to keep his service in dallas, but i can understand cuban's concerns. TC was in his last year of his contract and he suffered foot injuries the years before, so there were realistic risks of him turning complete after signing a long contract, like the 7'6 garbage who had rarely suited up for his team since signing the big contract in houston, when he had only missed a total of 5 games through his first 3 years in NBA.

cuban had the chance to make up a triple D dynasty in dallas by not re-signing TC and even though his triple D attempt miserably failed, the team still has the financial flexibility to acquire some amazing talents this year or next. just imagine what a terrible scenario it would've been if he had re-signed TC and TC turned out to be another yao, and you will realize that cuban just picked the option of lower risk imho. i would've probably made the same decision if i were in his position tbh

[Mal]

Chandler is the reason, why Melo and Knicks are on top of the east, rather than fighting for 5th spot.

But still, Nowitzki + Chandler would be at best WCSF bound.

[rayjayjohnson]

Deron Williams is shooting 41 percent from the floor. You definitely want to throw max money at that and lock that up.

[rayjayjohnson]

Zach Lowe says Tyson Chandler is one of the top 15 players in the league.

Zach Lowe also works for Bill Simmons, so he can't be THAT good a judge of quality...

[benefactor]

This is one of those situations where there are just too many variables involved to point at this or that and say it was the right move. Mono and DMC's points are key in leading to Cuban overthinking the situation...with the biggest being he'd been burned on the big men he overpaid before coupled with Chandler having an injury history.

All in all, it could have wound up much worse. The Mavs wound up with a ring. That in itself trumps all else.

[8FOR!3]

Other than Duncan, Tyson Chandler might be the most valuable center in the league this year. He's the reason why the Knicks are having the season they're having. Sure, there's other factors (notably Carmelo,) but he plays hard.

[cjw]

Why on Earth would CP3 leave a top 3 team in the West and take less money to play with an over-the-hill Dirk and always-injured Bynum?

Assuming you could even dump Marion into a trade exception or for an expiring deal, Mavs have $28 million committed for next season without Mayo (assuming he terminates early). How on earth would you afford five guys of that level into $30 million? Maybe you can assume Mayo gets signed under the mid-level exception. CP3 will take at least $15 million of that, but more likely 30% of the cap ($17.5). Bynum and Pekovic will each cost at least $12.5 million. So with that, you're left without Millsap and one of the other guys.

On top of that, what on earth are you going to do with four guys who play the 4/5? I guess Millsap can slide to the three. More likely, the Mavs target 2014-15 when Dirk can sign for a Duncan/Garnett-like contract and fit one more big piece onto the roster.

[BUMP]

It wasn't a good move but I can still see and understand Cuban's reasoning.

Before 2011, Chandler was an incredibly injury prone center who couldn't even start for the Bobcats. He was terrific in Dallas, but even then he was such a fouling machine that he'd have to sit for long stretches, and the last five minutes of every Mavs game was a stressful event since Tyson was almost always playing with five fouls.

At the time NOBODY could say definitively that he'd continue to play as well as he did in 2011 or that he'd stay as healthy as he has. You're a ing liar if you say otherwise.

At that point Dwight Howard was also playing at an MVP level and, even with a healthy Chandler, would have been a massive upgrade. If you say you knew Dwight Howard would, in less than two years, devolve into an injury prone pussy, you're also a ing liar.

You can LOL at Cuban for signing tier centers to better deals, you can LOL Cuban for what, in hindsight, was absolutely a horrific decision. But you cannot seriously take him to task for thinking in 2011 "I have no idea if Tyson Chandler can stay this healthy again, nor do I have any clue if he can keep playing at this level. I also see a guy in Dwight Howard who at this moment is a significant upgrade and possibly available soon".

Yes, Cuban made a huge mistake, but don't act like he has ing Bill Russell in his prime and dumped him for a shot at Tree Rollins.

Not to mention that the 11 Mavs got hot at the right time and made a ton of clutch plays, it's not like they were some dominant juggernaut. With the age of Kidd, Terry, Dirk, Peja and the inevitability of Miami getting even better, Cuban decided to take a year off and try to get Dwight Howard which in theory would keep the Mavs le contenders for a longer period of time.

[da_suns_fan]

This guy does a much better job explaining why Tyson Chandler is so extraordinary much better than I ever could:

http://www.thenbageek.com/

Tyson Chandler is shooting almost 70%, is a rebounding machine, never turns it over and is a big reason the Knicks have won a lot of games.

[Findog]

Zach Lowe also works for Bill Simmons, so he can't be THAT good a judge of quality...

I think Zach Lowe is one of, if not the best, basketball writers out there right now. He watches a -ton of basketball. I trust his takes. I think it's pretty cool that he gets access to a wide audience through Grantland. Simmon's basketball takes are entertaining more than they are informative, but Lowe is great.