Tyson Chandler isn’t the best player for the New York Knicks. That title most certainly goes to a fellow by the name of Carmelo Anthony. Chandler isn’t the most popular, most exciting or flashiest player on the team either. However, when assessing the team’s long-awaited return to the position of legitimate (though certainly not favored) title contenders, all roads lead through Mr. Chandler.
As a Dallas Mavericks fan for the past 15 years or so, I can recall two moments that made me question the sanity of the team’s vocal and eccentric owner, Mark Cuban. The first instance was back in 2004 when he declined to offer Steve Nash a worthy contract extension, claiming the 30-year-old point guard’s best days were behind him. Of course Nash went on to win back-to-back league MVP awards in 2005 and 2006. The second instance was when Cuban passed on re-signing Chandler, whose defensive fortitude brought legitimate “D” to Dallas and helped bring the team its first championship in an upset win over LeBron James and the Miami Heat in 2011.
Now in New York, Chandler finds himself in a similar situation. Though he earned his first All-Star nod this season after averaging 10.1 points, 10.7 rebounds and 1.1 blocks, the center’s star power pales in comparison to Anthony’s. While Melo’s game is silky smooth, Chandler’s game is built on grit and grime. Each night he is expected to patrol the paint, guard the opponent’s best post player and control the boards.
While his blocked shot numbers don’t stand out like Serge Ibaka’s insane 3.03, Chandler is a master at altering and affecting opponents’ shots. Most of his defensive efforts are thankless to the common fan, but the Knicks are grateful to have last season’s Defensive Player of the Year handling those underappreciated duties.
He represents a throwback to the days of Patrick Ewing and Charles Oakley, when as Oakley eloquently put it, “[The Knicks] played hard and didn’t let anyone (expletive) on us.”
It’s a dirty job, but someone has to do it.
In order to make a difference, Chandler will need to be a full strength. He missed 16 out of the team’s final 20 games this season due to a neck injury. His return in Game 1 versus the Boston Celtics was subpar by any standard. In 20 minutes, Chandler accumulated no points, no blocks and just five rebounds.
Luckily for the Knicks, reserve big man Kenyon Martin stepped up big time and provided plenty of defensive intensity along with his 10 points and 9 rebounds in a very Chandler-esque game. The 35-year old Martin still has enough juice in the tank to provide those types of games once in awhile, but the team is in trouble if they must rely on K-Mart on a nightly basis.
The team’s only shot to build on its first Atlantic Division title in 19 years by upsetting the juggernaut Heat from South Beach is with a healthy and effective Chandler. Despite his scoring genius and star power, Anthony has only led a team past the first round in the playoffs once.
While the Celtics are old and battered, they still offer a tough challenge in the playoffs. Even though Anthony seems to playing with a chip on his shoulder this season and will surely keep the nets wet alongside Sixth Man of the Year J.R. Smith, scoring won’t be the key to bouncing the Celtics or making the improbable, but not impossible run at the defending champs.
Defensive execution will be the key. It’s deeply ingrained into the DNA of the Knicks franchise. It’s where Chandler earns his keep (and his paycheck). He’s done it before and if the Knicks have any hope to make it to the Promised Land, they’ll need him to do it again. Whether he can shoulder the load will likely depend on the strength of his achy neck.
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