Feb
19
Sans Chandler, Hornets will miss playoffs
Written by The Prez 0 Comments
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If you don't think the down economy is affecting pro sports franchises, look no farther than Tuesday's trade of Hornets center Tyson Chandler.
At the start of Tuesday, the New Orleans Hornets were the third-favorites on BetUS to win the Western Conference at +800 behind the Lakers and Spurs. Following the deal that sent Chandler to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Joe Smith, Chris Wilcox and the rights to Devon Hardin (the 50th overall pick in the 2008 draft), the Hornets now would be lucky to get +800 odds just to make the playoffs.
Chandler, 26, is one of the league’s best young defensive-oriented centers, although his numbers are down from his breakout season of 2007-08 when he led the Hornets to the West semifinals and a near upset of the San Antonio Spurs. Chandler is averaging 8.8 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.4 blocks in 32 games this year but averaged 11.8 points and 11.7 rebounds in 79 games last year. This season he has been hampered by an ankle problem that had kept him out of 12 consecutive games.
While in the pre-recession days no team in its right mind would trade a mid-twenties defensively strong center under contract for another season, these are different times. The Hornets play in one of the poorest cities in the NBA, one without much corporate support. And Chandler was set to make $11.8 million next season, with the Hornets' payroll expected to be about $5 million over the cap of $71 million. That would have meant owner George Shinn would have had to pay about $10 million in luxury taxes. Now the Hornets are expected to have a payroll of around $65 million when Smith's and Wilcox's contracts come off the books at the end of this season.
This team will trend significantly downward now. Yes, the Hornets still have a couple of All-Stars in Chris Paul and David West, but Chandler was their defensive rock. While limited offensively, he was on the end of all those alley-oops from Paul that became a staple play of the New Orleans offense.
“You just don't find a 7-foot-1 athlete like that and he's the only 7-footer we have,” West said to the New Orleans Times Picayune when rumors of a deal were circulating. “Especially if we're planning on making a run into the playoffs.”
So even the players seem to know this wasn't in the best interests of the team competitively. In fairness, it probably was Paul who made Chandler appear better than he was offensively, but this loss will be felt on defense even if the Hornets improve a little on offense. There is a reason this team went 5-7 in the past 12 games Chandler missed.
It's expected that Wilcox (8.4 ppg, 5.3 rpg) will start at center now for the Hornets, with David West moving back to forward; West had been often filling in for Chandler at center while he was injured. Smith will be a role player off the bench who could even be bought out.
New Orleans entered Tuesday sixth in the West, but will be hard-pressed to stay there. The biggest beneficiaries of this trade, other than the Thunder, might be the Phoenix Suns, who sit ninth in the West, just a few game behind the Hornets.
UPDATE: Chandler failed his physical and the trade between New Orleans and Oklahoma City has been rescinded.
However, the NBA trading deadline is this afternoon and this won't be the last salary-driven move.