Buyer Beware: Tyson Chandler (ESPN Insider)

[Arsenalist]

Kevin Pelton on Chandler:

Colleague Chris Palmer ranked Chandler as the top free-agent target this offseason, and with good reason: He was even more important than Barea to Dallas' playoff run. He was arguably the second-best player on the NBA champion team. But there are reasons for potential buyers to be wary, most notably the fact that Chandler's performance has been so inconsistent from year to year. The previous two seasons, Chandler was a below-average player, which led the New Orleans Hornets and Charlotte Bobcats to trade him away in consecutive summers.

It's not necessarily that Chandler focused in a contract year so much as his performance tends to be unpredictable. He was terrific his first two years with the Hornets before slipping badly in 2008-09. Injuries that cost Chandler more than 30 games both seasons were surely a factor, as his rebounding declined before bouncing back with the Mavericks. When Chandler is right, he is one of the league's better centers. However, whoever signs Chandler cannot count on his being healthy throughout the lifetime of his next contract.

[ceez]

im pretty wary of anyone that performs leaps and bounds better in a contract year, and as such think we should avoid chandler. i know im in the minority on that one.

[WJF]

I don't see him as a long term fit for us, he will be looking for a multi year deal and I don't want to see us spend the money on him.

[Apollo]

If there is no hard cap then the Raptors won't have a chance in hell at grabbing him. If there is a hard cap it probably wouldn't be wise to spend the kind of money that's going to be needed to get him. I'm thinking Chandler isn't on their list because he seems out of reach.

[Tony West]

He's definitely not worth any kind of commitment. Just look at his track-record..to say he's an inconsistent performer is an understatement.

[star_bury]

I was devastated when last year's deal for Chandler fell apart, but prying him away from Dallas after a championship wil be tough, and probably not worth it...

[CalgaryRapsFan]

I've never really been supportive of the Raps going after Chandler.

- Raps just drafted their legit C of the future, so any C brought in this year is a rental for 1-3 seasons at most

- his age means he won't be part of the young core nucleous; he won't be part of the team's long-term future

- his salary, even before it gets driven up by this off season's supply&demand (I've read that Atlanta, among others, are pushing hard for a starting C) will make him overpaid, especially for a player who isn't in the long-term plans; waste of precious cap space

- his addition might lead to a few more wins next season, which would hurt the team's chances for another top draft pick (not into tanking, but being realistic... what's a few more wins for a lottery team?); Raps got their C of the future this draft, SF of the future hopefully comes next year

--> I would rather go for a less effective but still decent, cheaper, temporary defense/rebounding C this offseason... a player to hold down the fort this season (if there is one) until JV comes over

[GarbageTime]

thats one thing I've thought with Chandler... he plays to his team. He needs his team to be focused in order to stay focused himself.

In Chicago.... inconsistent. A bit of a headcase. Young guy on a young team.

In New Orleans.... money for the first 2 years, and so was the team. Playoff team, hard working, team played great he played great. Injuries didn't help.

In Charlotte... team was going no where and so was he. Disinterested most of the time and going through the motions. Much like the Cats.

In Dallas... one of the best Cs in the league. Hard working and dedicated much like his team.

If he ends up in Toronto... I'd expect nothing from him. Boston, Miami, Dallas, Chicago, LA, OKC are probably the teams best suited for him.

[Maleko]

I was devastated when last year's deal for Chandler fell apart, but prying him away from Dallas after a championship wil be tough, and probably not worth it...

Yah, and Cuban notoriously overpays for lukewarm Cs, imagine what he will do with Chandler. He isn't going anywhere.

[Shadybiz]

I like Chandler but Honestly what would we be trying to accomplish with him on the team? I mean if we made the playoffs, we would miss out on a very important Draft class for us.

[charlz]

I like Chandler but Honestly what would we be trying to accomplish with him on the team? I mean if we made the playoffs, we would miss out on a very important Draft class for us.

hmmm .... pay an FA going for last big contract after a trip to the finals - sound familiar? I would also stay away - chandler is all about money motivation once he gets signs his new deal the complacency is almost sure to follow.

Also given that they are tanking/developing one more season I doubt he will be gotten.

[MyMomLovesMe]

Get Bryan to overpay and than ask for a trade, you can't lose.

[Hassan]

hes probably gonna stay in dallas

[Bendit]

thats one thing I've thought with Chandler... he plays to his team. He needs his team to be focused in order to stay focused himself.

In Chicago.... inconsistent. A bit of a headcase. Young guy on a young team.

In New Orleans.... money for the first 2 years, and so was the team. Playoff team, hard working, team played great he played great. Injuries didn't help.

In Charlotte... team was going no where and so was he. Disinterested most of the time and going through the motions. Much like the Cats.

In Dallas... one of the best Cs in the league. Hard working and dedicated much like his team.

If he ends up in Toronto... I'd expect nothing from him. Boston, Miami, Dallas, Chicago, LA, OKC are probably the teams best suited for him.

My feelings as well...except that Casey is here now and they might have a bond Casey is confident about. However I cant see him taking a less than 4-5 yr. deal and that wouldnt seem prudent considering the JV draft.

[Matt52]

My feelings as well...except that Casey is here now and they might have a bond Casey is confident about. However I cant see him taking a less than 4-5 yr. deal and that wouldnt seem prudent considering the JV draft.

A four year deal could make sense.

Year 1 - no Jonas

Year 2 - Jonas is the back up as a rookie and 21

Year 3 - Jonas 2nd year still back up and 22

Year 4 - Jonas 3rd year and transition to full time C at 23 and Chandler becomes trade bait at 33 for a Western Conference playoff team looking for depth

My fear is with Chandler:

1) he gets paid and quits
2) they trade ED or Amir (More ED) to pair Bargnani with Chandler
3) the Raptors become good enough to enter the dead zone of playoff bubble.

[planetmars]

The Raptors would have more options acquiring a center through trades instead of through free agency. With Bargnani (hopefully), Calderon (less likely since we didn't draft a PG), Barbosa, and now possibly Weems we may be able to put together an enticing package for another team.

This would be an interesting trade forum topic, but trying to find the best possible trade that would yield the following:
a) trading Bargnani
b) gaining a center
c) gaining a pick from 2012 (preferably a lottery)


Right now I have Bargnani for Hickson and the Cavs 2012 #1 pick. We lose a lot of offense though with that, but would get our banger/rebounder/center and a pick. Cavs would use their Lebron TPE to acquire Bargs.
http://games.espn.go.com/nba/tradeMa...radeId=3cf7dpm

[Fully]

I think Chandler would step in and help the Raps quite a bit on the defensive end, but I hate the idea of signing him. As much as I enjoyed watching him play this season with the Mavs, the guy is a front runner(plays hard when the team is doing well) and has a history of injury problems. That's the last guy I want to sign for $70 million over 5 years or whatever Chandler is going to end up getting.

His arrival in Toronto will help them win a few more games but it won't make them anywhere close to a contender. So we get stuck drafting out of the top 8 or 9 for the next few years and pray that Chandler keeps playing hard for us, or playing at all. If you're going to bottom out then just do it properly.

Just because you have the cap space during a given summer does not mean that you have to use it. Having that financial flexibility has allowed teams like the Thunder (I thought I'd use them since they're the front office that every other front office looks up to at this given time) to buy extra draft picks and get other assets on the cheap. The Cavs ended up with Kyrie Irving this year because they were able to take Baron Davis' whale of a contract off the Clippers hands and got a first rounder back in return. If we willingly give out a huge deal like this to a player that is going to marginally (in my opinion) help the win total then we're handcuffing ourselves and losing all ability to do those things.

[Bendit]

The Raptors would have more options acquiring a center through trades instead of through free agency. With Bargnani (hopefully), Calderon (less likely since we didn't draft a PG), Barbosa, and now possibly Weems we may be able to put together an enticing package for another team.

This would be an interesting trade forum topic, but trying to find the best possible trade that would yield the following:
a) trading Bargnani
b) gaining a center
c) gaining a pick from 2012 (preferably a lottery)


Right now I have Bargnani for Hickson and the Cavs 2012 #1 pick. We lose a lot of offense though with that, but would get our banger/rebounder/center and a pick. Cavs would use their Lebron TPE to acquire Bargs.
http://games.espn.go.com/nba/tradeMa...radeId=3cf7dpm

Hickson I am afraid is not a center. He is a PF and may have been inserted as a C in a matchup situation. We are already stocked in that area. I would replace him with Varejao and it would make a bit more sense. I dont know that the Cavs would go along with that though.

[planetmars]

I'd take Varejao over Hickson too :-)

But I guess the point of my post was that instead of looking at Chandler or any other potential free agent who plays center, I'd go down the trade route instead. If it was done right we could gain a center (temporarily until JV is up to speed), get rid of Bargnani, and gain another pick from a really good draft.

Some other candidates would include Phoenix (Gortat), Houston (Thabeet), Charlotte (Diop), NJ (Lopez), Utah (Okur), Golden State (Biedrins), Minny (Miller/Milicic), Sacramento (Whiteside), or Washington (Blatche).

I just quickly looked at available centers on each team. Guys who aren't really studs, that you could potentially get for Bargs and an unconditional 2012 pick. Is it too late to trade for a 2011 draft pick? With Charlotte we may even be able to get Kemba or Biyombo back with Diop

[Fully]

I'd take Varejao over Hickson too :-)

But I guess the point of my post was that instead of looking at Chandler or any other potential free agent who plays center, I'd go down the trade route instead. If it was done right we could gain a center (temporarily until JV is up to speed), get rid of Bargnani, and gain another pick from a really good draft.

Some other candidates would include Phoenix (Gortat), Houston (Thabeet), Charlotte (Diop), NJ (Lopez), Utah (Okur), Golden State (Biedrins), Minny (Miller/Milicic), Sacramento (Whiteside), or Washington(Blatche).

I just quickly looked at available centers on each team. Guys who aren't really studs, that you could potentially get for Bargs and an unconditional 2012 pick. Is it too late to trade for a 2011 draft pick? With Charlotte we may even be able to get Kemba or Biyombo back with Diop