Thunder acquires Tyson Chandler from the Hornets {multi-merged reactions}

[Chandler313]

Davis West's thought on the Chandler trade:

"This move has nothing to do with basketball; it was strictly a business decision, " said forward David West, contradicting General Manager Jeff Bower's remarks. "Using some common sense, that's what it came down to. I was hoping that all of it was a rumor. We have now become one of the smaller teams, and we really have put ourselves back in the situation we were in two years ago when we had a big hole in the middle. We have a little more experience now.

"People who don't have a true knowledge of game may not see this. As well as C.P. played in the playoffs and as well as I did individually in the playoffs, Tyson was the reason we were able to get by Dallas. If you notice in that series, they put Dirk (Nowitzki) on Tyson. When we played San Antonio in the second round, he was the only guy who could, throughout the game, defend Tim Duncan by himself."

[smcgull]

I am a fan who will support the Hornets no matter what. I just hope this keeps them equal to what they were before the trade, if not making them better. I keep hearing that they now have more depth, which I like.

[TC6ReboundKing]

Davis West's thought on the Chandler trade:

"This move has nothing to do with basketball; it was strictly a business decision, " said forward David West, contradicting General Manager Jeff Bower's remarks. "Using some common sense, that's what it came down to. I was hoping that all of it was a rumor. We have now become one of the smaller teams, and we really have put ourselves back in the situation we were in two years ago when we had a big hole in the middle. We have a little more experience now.

"People who don't have a true knowledge of game may not see this. As well as C.P. played in the playoffs and as well as I did individually in the playoffs, Tyson was the reason we were able to get by Dallas. If you notice in that series, they put Dirk (Nowitzki) on Tyson. When we played San Antonio in the second round, he was the only guy who could, throughout the game, defend Tim Duncan by himself."

In addition to West's comments here are what CP3 and Rasual Butler had to say.

CP3

"I'm going to miss him big time. That was my big fella," Paul said after the Hornets beat Oklahoma City 100-98 Tuesday night. "I feel like everyone always talked about how much better I made him, but he made me a much better player. Without him, I'm probably not the player that I am now. He instilled so much confidence in me."

Rasual Butler

"It's a little bit of a shock to me. Tyson was a great teammate, a great asset to our team," Butler said. "This is nothing against Wilcox or Joe Smith, but we'll definitely miss Tyson."

[Harvey]

I wouldn't expect Chris or Rasual to say anything else. For that matter, I wouldn't expect David West to anything else. As we all know, he's an emotional guy who struggles to contain himself. It's hard losing a teammate....even one who is reduced to being a cheerleader. This year hasn't worked out the way anyone would like it to...and it's taking a toll in some people. But, these guys are professionals...and basically the kind of players you want (on and off the floor)...I expect them to rebound from this. Pun intended.

Isn't it ironic that a player who would be the first to drop the "business" tag on a salary dispute is saying he doesn't like the "business" end of this deal? I don't like the system either DX...if I could change it...all of you would make less money and not have guaranteed contracts.

[OmahaHornets]

My knee-jerk reaction when I first saw it was dumb trade.

I'm at least willing to see how it plays out though.

[OmahaHornets]

Any particular reason Wilcox only got on the court once the last five games for the Thunder (not exactly a good, deep team)? If he was not seeing playing time for a 13-40 team, what kind of real contribution will he make here? Not trying to be pessimistic, b/c I know CP can make anyone look good, but I just don't see the value in this trade.

I can't say for sure, but it's possible that the Thunder were actively trying to trade him and may have had something "in the works," so they kept him out of action per the other team's request so he wouldn't get hurt.

[smcgull]

I don't know if it was the correct thing to do, but I hope it was and they will continue to be a top 4 team in the west.

[Metairie Hornet]

He had to. It was a direct order from the top. The Hornets needed to return as contenders. If they would have returned as a rebuilding team, it would have been a long term disaster and one none of us who love the team because they are New Orleans' team would be happy with.

That is something that most fans don't know, but it puts it in perspective and it makes sense.

It sucks to see Chandler go, but it was needed. As many have said, he wasn't producing like he was getting paid. The Hornets realized without him playing like he did last year they aren't a championship caliber team. I'm glad they realized it and made a move that will help in the short term and next year with more flexibility. The trade needed to be made, but it's hard for some to look at it without emotion affecting their views. Bower has done a great job, but we have to start drafting better.

[cp34mvp]

Trust me, it won't continue. There are a couple of guys on my radar...and if they don't bring up their game, they'll be gone.

why is there beef...hh...are u an adm..cause your rampage is a little GWB...why cant there be ONE love...give peace a chance...we all need somebody...and dont ever...ever forget that you got a friend in me...

[JOE in NO]

When I first saw people doing things like saying on Facebook that "? says the Hornets season is over" the first thing I thought was "Oh God, what happened to Chris Paul?!" Then I saw it was just Chandler traded. I just wanted to go on record that I'm ok with the trade.

I just don't understand that if there was as much interest in TC as I hear people saying, why'd we only get Smith and Wilcox? I'm sure the point's been brought up but I'm not about to go through 27 pages. I see a slight dropoff defensively, but we couldn't get any worse offensively with TC, so until I see Wilcox and Smith play with Paul and West, I'm going to be an optimist and say things will be fine.

And if the team falls apart, I'll eat crow.

[Snarly]

Guys ! Many folks only place a "stat value on a player" You can't just evaluate a player based on pts and rebs etc ( not all players).What about players that help influence where you will force the ball defensively ? Guys that force the driver to take a different path ? Bigs that are mobile enough to defend the pick and roll and recover ? Off the ball defenders ? These stats are not in the box score....

Value comes in different ways and stats are influenced by roles and the guys you play with. When does a guy score ? In close games ? In games that are blowouts ? How many points and rebs in crucial moments ? Is he on the floor during these moments ? I could go on and on.

Some of you guys are nit picking back and forth. I will tell you this. One of these new guys better be able to defend in P& R situations.......DEFENSE better be a PASSION.
REBOUNDING & DEFENDING THE LANE !!! ( which includes "off the ball " as well.
Those are the two HUGE concerns not scoring big numbers daily from the CENTER position.

I totally agree with this post. Fans tend to judge the overall value of a player by their stats. Getting rid of Chandler was not so much the problem. The problem here is... that they do not have a true reliable center to take his place. The problem will rear it's ugly head in when we reach the playoffs where a player of Chandler's caliber will be valued in the post.

We'll have to deal with guy like Notwitzi/Bass/Dampier, Duncan, Gasol, Shaq/Amare, Nene/Martin, Alridge/Oden, Milsap/Okur, and Yao/Scola.

Davis West is now our best low post defender. Are we going to ask him to shoulder the load in the post? We went from a formidable tandem of size with West/ Chandler to an undersized tandem in West/Wilcox.

We become a more explosive team on offense. Our ppg will probably go up now that we have a credible options down low making it tougher for teams to defend West. Smith will bring what was lacked on the bench.. a player whom the offense could go through in the pick and roll and a player who knows how to finish in and around the post.

The biggest question at the moment is Scott. How will he adjust his offense/defense with the addition of the new vets. We failed with Wells/James when we forced them to play within the offense and made them play the way Scott wanted them to play. Will this be a repeat? Or will Scott find a way to put them in a position to contribute? We will find out real soon.

I have to admit, I am excited about the thought of having a legitimate scoring threat in the middle. This is a very risky move and at the end of the day, if Wilcox succeed all expectations.. the hornets will look like geniuses... which I don't believe is a long shot.

[Radiohead311]

I still don't see him being "too" expensive. First, he's entering free agency a year too early. With this economy and the big payday coming in 2010, I don't think the offers will be out to him like some here think. He was a backup averaging 19 minutes per game on a 13 win team. Not sure why that is but it isn't conducive to earning your big payday.

Yeah and back when he was averaging 15 and 8 on a bad Sonics team he was asking for a contract extension of $8 million+ per. If he fits in here and puts up big numbers it's going to cost a lot to keep him negating the original point of the trade.

Wilcox and Smith are 30 game rentals plain and simple. And for the Hornets to replace Tyson with someone else they still need to dump Mo Pete, Posey or preferable and most unlikely Peja to have the flexibility to do so.



Why isn't there a thread about how horrible a job Jeff Bower has done or has it been deleted? Besides drafting Julian the only good move Bower has ever made was trading PJ and JR for Chandler and now because of the financial corner Bower put this team in he had to give away Chandler basically for what it took to get him. So besides drafting Julian every move Bower has made has been a disaster, and Julian is even questionable.

Have all the FIRE JEFF BOWER threads been deleted or are most people here blind sheep?

[the big H]

There really is too much negativity around here now. We've all read it and heard NIH, Hornets Haven, Eleven79 etc bang on and on about how bad the trade was/is.

I want a thread that's not highjacked by negativity. A thread where the positives can be discussed. Please don't post hate in this thread.

My thoughts:

When i first heard the rumor i thought...that would add depth and i can see how Wilcox and Smith would fit right in and help immediately. Then i though "hang on, OKC will be under the cap next year so we can trade Chandler in the offseason for nothing (just like Camby to the Clips)".

NO-ONE EVER MENTIONS THIS!!!!!!!!

So for me this, trade is about improving right now by getting more depth. I believe that. Both players games will fit right in to what the Hornets are doing.

On the finance side this allows the MLE to be spent next year, our draft pick to be signed etc without paying the luxury tax. It gives us flexability. Shin has to fill the roster out with and thus will spend up to the tax next year.

Please don't merge this so the haters can post the same thing over and over.

[Radiohead311]

He had to. It was a direct order from the top. The Hornets needed to return as contenders. If they would have returned as a rebuilding team, it would have been a long term disaster and one none of us who love the team because they are New Orleans' team would be happy with.

Signing Peja for TWICE what he deserved even when NO ONE ELSE WAS EVEN INTERESTED IN SIGNING HIM was a direct order from the top or a direct order from fellow Kings alum Scott? Giving an over the hill Bobby Jackson a 3 year over 6 million per contract was a direct order from the top for fellow Kings alum B Scott? Overpaying for a washed up Mo Pete, direct order from the top? Byron Scott fell in love with Hilton and Cedric Simmons and Marcus Vinicius on THE VERY FIRST DAY OF PREDRAFT WORKOUTS IN 06 and the team never considered drafting anyone else from that point forward. Bower isn't even running the front office, Scott has too much say in what goes on.

[Radiohead311]

Lets not forget that we have the ability to continue dealing too. If we decide we want Wilcox back, there are ways we could approach that. Everyone acts like every move leaves us in a final destination...well thats not the case....managing an NBA roster is a constant journey.

Yeah like how? No one wants Peja, Mo Pete or Posey. Even if we gave other teams draft picks and Julian no one else is going to take on any of those 3 horrible contracts. Unless you want to take on worse contracts like Jamal Tinsley or Eddy Curry we're up sh1ts creek without out a paddle. Peja and Mo are seriously untradeable and Posey is close to being untradeable.

[desolatos]

some serious word on it.....

here

[Snarly]

2 fill time scouts huh? That explains why our drafting has been so bad.

[Luke's Pelicans]

D West

"This move has nothing to do with basketball; it was strictly a business decision," said forward David West, contradicting General Manager Jeff Bower's remarks. "Using some common sense, that's what it came down to. I was hoping that all of it was a rumor. We have now become one of the smaller teams, and we really have put ourselves back in the situation we were in two years ago when we had a big hole in the middle. We have a little more experience now.

"People who don't have a true knowledge of game may not see this. As well as C.P. played in the playoffs and as well as I did individually in the playoffs, Tyson was the reason we were able to get by Dallas. If you notice in that series, they put Dirk (Nowitzki) on Tyson. When we played San Antonio in the second round, he was the only guy who could, throughout the game, defend Tim Duncan by himself."

Butler

"I'm shocked, I didn't see this coming,"

Ely

"I haven't been here as long as some of the other guys, but I know he was part of the family," backup center Melvin Ely said. "It was one of those things where you think you would be the one leaving before somebody like that would."

Paul refused to comment on it yet.
This scares me I hope Paul isn't losing his faith in the organization to win.

[Dollar Theater]

Paul's:

"I'm going to miss him big time. That was my big fella," Paul said after the Hornets beat Oklahoma City 100-98 Tuesday night. "I feel like everyone always talked about how much better I made him, but he made me a much better player. Without him, I'm probably not the player that I am now. He instilled so much confidence in me."

[truck man]

1. Chandler was not overpaid. Stop repeating this lie.

2. This salary dump has nothing to do with playing in New Orleans, it has everything to do with Bower's idiotic contracts to overpaid veterans.

3. The Hornets didn't even get ONE of the FIVE picks that OKC has. That's horrible.

4. The Hornets dumped Chandler to a Western Conference Rival who is poised to be strong (should have traded him to Detroit for Sheed) and we'll face him twice as often as if he were in the East.

5. We were good enough to get to at least the 2nd round with a healthy Chandler, perhaps farther. The Hornets had the 2nd and 3rd best record in the West (even with Chandler's slow start) until the injury bug hit.

6. Wilcox and Smith are irrelevant. They are gone next year.

1) Chandler was very much overpaid. 8.3 PPG 8.6 RPG doesn't equate to a $12 Mil contract

2)can't say i disagree here

3) that is now 2 moves that Bower has gotten rid of players with value where he's failed to get a 1st round Pick. if teams are getting 1st round Picks for guys like Raef Lafrentz and Wally Szerbiak than i think we can get one for TC.

4) i'm not that worried because i don't think Tyson will be that much of a difference maker in OKC. plus we know his weaknesses so we can use that aginst him.

5) i don't think this team was good enough to get out of the 1st round this year without homecourt and it didn't look like we would get that.

6) if Wilcox plays well he could be brought back for the midlevel excpetion and with more possible trades this Summer could really fit what this team is trying to do for the future. don't be surprised if D-West is shopped if Wilcox plays well

[killah]

This is because Wilcox is still on his rookie contract. He'll make nearly as much as Tyson next season and he's not CLOSE to being as good of a player.

Tyson is underpaid, not overpaid. In fact, the only guys on our team who are overpaid are Peja, MoPete, and Posey. And only Peja is GROSSLY overpaid.

CP3, David West, Tyson, Rasual are all underpaid vets.

Underpaid? Tyson? No way. He is paid very well.

[Spider13]

I dont like it. The thing I'm worried about is CP. I hope this didnt make him mad enough at the organization to leave after 3 years.

[roturn]

I agree with the yahoo blogger in the sense that we have improved our team for the next 30 games + playoffs.

Wilcox is a better offensive player. Maybe even a little tougher in the middle. I would go as far to say a better defender, but I will say Tyson has not been at all impressive on the defensive end this year. We have played a lot games without Tyson this year as well.

I have liked Joe Smith all season for this team. He imediatly moves to front of the bench for our front court depth. He can play both the 4 or 5 and is an excllent veteran defender. There is a reason why the Celtics were not happy with this trade. They were hoping that YHT would release Smith so they could pick him up.

I don't know much about this second round pick, anyone have some details? I think this move would have been easier to swallow initially if we would have gotten one of YHT's 5 first round picks.

I loved Tyson's attitude, he was a great part of the team's character and this community, but this is a buisness. we woun't be able to judge this move's effectiveness until the offseason and see what Bower does to secure us another starting center. Right now there are several players that the Hornets could target, but other roster moves would have to take place to gain us more cap space. Outside of giving us more flexibilty, this move did very little for the long term. But I do feel this move makes us better team today.

[thefuture]

Ladies and Gentlemen

I present you

Doom & Gloom

[rogerdorn1]

There are two ways to interpret CP's statement. One, basically being that he was left in the dark, had no input, and is pretty upset. Barring some great additions that help the team advance, and get better, if this is the case, I would expect him to leave after his contract runs out, if not request a trade behind the scenes. Of course, option 1 goes with the assumption that the front office and management/ownership are dysfunctional. The second way is to read this as something any player not wanting to expound further, but also not show that they were consulted on the idea. If management had even half a brain...strike that...if they just had a brain, they would have talked with CP before doing this, and make sure he understood where they were coming from, and see what he thought. My thinking is he loves TC, but also realized that we needed to make some moves. My gut says he was consulted, but didn't think it was a smart move. With that said, I'm sure they are promising him some major moves, if not this year, next. Either way, if this team goes down hill fast, fan support will follow. Not 2004-2005 fan support (which was non-existent), but it will drop below these past couple of years, and then we will get to hear about all the inducement payments, etc. Personally, I'm ready to see if we can unload Mo Pete, and maybe even Peja to a contender, b/c we are not one, and keeping them around for the next couple of years won't help us any.