New York Knicks stars welcome Tyson Chandler in the fold – NBA update
The New York Knicks revealed Friday that they had agreed terms with free agent centre Tyson Chandler and the Knicks stars have welcomed the new addition to their roster.
Chandler played for the NBA World Champion Dallas Mavericks last season and was one of the most sought after free agents on the market this offseason.
The 7-foot-1 star had an offer to remain with the Mavericks but that didn’t go beyond the next year, therefore he started to field glances from other teams in the NBA, finally deciding to link up with the Knicks.
His acquisition has been hailed by the roster at New York; with super star forward Carmelo Anthony leading the praise for a player he believes would immensely improve the side.
"It'll beef up our frontcourt," Anthony said as quoted by ESPN. "Tyson brings a lot of energy and a lot of enthusiasm to the basketball in court, and I think he will do the same thing that he did in Dallas here in New York.”
Chandler joined the Dallas Mavericks just last summer and fitted in seamlessly with an often underachieving group of players. His size, enthusiasm and defensive strength gave the Mavericks a solid base to build upon and the cashed
in by winning the NBA World Championship.
Those are the qualities missing from the Knicks team and Anthony was happy that with Tyson on board those weaknesses would be redressed.
“We got what everybody wanted what New York to get, which was a big man. Tyson has established himself as a dominant force on the defensive end.”
He said that Tyson’s credentials could not be questioned because he had just won an NBA World Championship.
"He showed that on the biggest stage in sports, winning a championship."
Tyson will now pair up with star power forward Amar’e Stoudemire when the season starts. Amar’e himself signed for the Knicks as a free agent last season and hasn’t looked back since, averaging around 25 points per game to haul
the side back into the playoffs.
His abilities on the defensive end have though been under question once or twice and the player was happy that he would now have a defensive stalwart in Chandler to fall back on. That, in Amar’e view, could make them an NBA Championship
contender.
"We were looking for a centre and Tyson Chandler's a perfect fit for us," Stoudemire said. "It's something we talked about doing when I first signed here ... looking to build a championship-calibre team."
The players weren’t the only ones filled with joy at the signing, Knicks head coach Mike D’Antoni hailed the signing as a step in the right direction and said the team was much better for it.
Tags: