Typically, before any NBA trade is finalized, team doctors take a look at the new players and make sure they are fit for duty. Apparently, the doc in Oklahoma City doesn’t think Tyson Chandler’s toe is up to snuff.
Tyson Chandler missed the New Orleans Hornets’ last 12 games before the All-Star break with a sprained left ankle. But that had nothing to do with why he failed his physical with the Oklahoma City Thunder and was thus sent back to the Hornets on Wednesday.
After examining Chandler’s left big toe, Dr. Carlan Yates, Oklahoma City’s team physician, determined that the risk of re-injury was too great to give Chandler a clean bill of health. He therefore advised the Thunder to rescind Tuesday’s trade that landed them Chandler for Joe Smith, Chris Wilcox and the rights to Devon Hardin.
“This is absolutely crazy,” Chandler said in a telephone conversation Wednesday night. “I’m super shocked. This is nuts.”
Chandler, 26, was baffled by Yates’ ruling in part because Yates performed surgery on Chandler’s big left toe in April of 2007 when the Hornets were playing in Oklahoma City. Chandler played 79 games the following season and while he’s missed 19 games this season, none have been because of his toe.
“He said he doesn’t know how long I’ll last,” Chandler said in reference to Yates. “He told me, ‘I have no doubt you can play on it. I’m just saying it could take a turn for the worse if you come down on somebody’s foot or hyperextend it or something.'”
Oklahoma City was looking at Chandler as a long-term solution in the middle, but concerns over the toe made it impossible to count on him in that capacity. They didn’t want to take the risk, and that’s their right. They can now use that cap space on another center this summer or next.
For the Hornets, it makes for a somewhat awkward reunion. David West and Chris Paul were none too pleased about the decision to trade Chandler away, so they were happy to hear the news. For his part, this is what the Hornets’ GM had to say.
“We welcome Tyson back with open arms,” Hornets general manager Jeff Bower said. “We went into this trade to garner more frontcourt depth to add to our team as we continue our push towards the playoffs. We expect Tyson and the rest of our big guys to step up to the challenge.”
All right, Bower is flat out lying here. They tried to make this trade for salary cap relief, not to “garner more frontcourt depth.” West said it best…
“This move has nothing to do with basketball. It was strictly a business decision. 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.”
If Chandler is able to return and get back to the type of play we’re used to, the Hornets will once again be a major factor in the Western Conference playoffs. His PER was a stellar 17+ the last two seasons but it is sitting at 14.16 right now, and injuries are to blame.
