Well the rumour I posted earlier came to pass, only better. The Thunder didn't even have to give up a draft pick for Tyson Chandler. Instead, they give Joe Smith (expiring contract), Chris Wilcox (expiring contract) and DeVon Hardin's rights (He's in Europe).
That's it. Hardin was a second rounder and isn't with the team. Joe Smith and Weezy weren't going to be in OKC next year anyway.
The only risk for OKC is that Chandler is currently injured and may never regain his form. He's a seven footer and feet don't handle the bulk that well.
However, if he can stay healthy the Thunder have just drastically improved. TC brings a defensive presence to the paint that the Thunder desperately need. It also allows Nick Collison to move back to Power Forward behind Jeff Green. Now you have Nenad Krstic backing up TC. Durant, Green, Westbrook, Chandler et al plus draft picks and the Thunder are scary.
Legit centers are hard to come by. The Thunder just stole one.
I feel bad for New Orleans. Joe Smith and Weezy are fine players and really great people but it's going to be hard for the Hornets to do anything in the playoffs. In fact, their chances of making them just went down.
All the best to Joe and Weezy.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
KD Shines at All-Star Weekend, NBA Trade Deadline and the Thunder Unveil a Mascot
Kevin Durant set the record for most points in any All-Star event with 46 on Friday in the Rookie-Sophomore Challenge. He proved why he was the most glaring omission from the big boys roster and made everyone outside of the Thunder fan base jealous. He also took away MVP honors.
He wasn't finished. He then went on to win the H-O-R-S-E (dba G-E-I-C-O) contest. He defeated Joe Johnson and O.J. Mayo en route to capturing the worst looking trophy of all time.
The NBA All-Star Weekend is ultimately a convention for front-office types to meet face-to-face in advance of the Trade Deadline. The Thunder are looking to be active and the juiciest rumor to come out of the weekend is the Thunder's interest in Tyson Chandler.
ESPN's Chad Ford lists the possible trade as one of his "five trades that need to happen". He speculates that the Thunder would receive Tyson Chandler and give up Joe Smith, Chris Wilcox, Mo Sene and a first round pick the Thunder received from the Spurs.
This seems like a lot to give up on the surface but it really would be a good deal for the Thunder. Joe Smith has been on the trading block all season long and will most likely be gone by Thursday as part of this deal or some other. Chris Wilcox, by virtue of his sporadic playing time, is clearly not part of the long term plan. Mo Sene has never been part of the plan. He's played 23 minutes this season and he was last spotted on the court November 26th. Plus, the Thunder have DeVon Hardin playing overseas who represents the next Center project. The draft pick is not nearly as big as the Phoenix Suns unprotected draft choice that the Thunder still possess.
It makes less sense for the Hornets from a basketball perspective. A quality big man is always helpful come playoff time. However, Andrew Bynum is out for the season for the Lakers which leaves Yao and Shaq as the best true centers in the West that the Hornets could face in the playoffs. It's a salary dump for the Hornets.
The Big Unveil
It's a big night at the Ford Center tonight. OKC's favorite non-Thunder basketball team, the Hornets, are in town. But even bigger, if possible, is the unveil of the new mascot. A teaser is available on thunder.nba.com.
I'm a little more excited for this than I think I should be.
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