Tyson Chandler: Players who can challenge Dwight Howard for next NBA Defensive Player of the Year
Tyson Chandler, the Dallas Mavericks centre, might not be prolific scorer but when it comes to protecting the floor, he is one of the best there is at the moment. The 7 feet 1 inch big, after years of under achievements and disappointments
early in his career, rose to stardom last season, when he played a pivotal role in guiding the Mavs towards their first NBA championship in the 31 years of franchise history.
He was especially instrumental in the NBA finals against the Miami Heat. Faced with a task to control the likes of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, the Mavs big took his game to a brand new level. He not only formed a
formidable back court partnership with the brilliant Dirk Nowitzki, he also set up offensive screens and helped in opening up the floor for his team mates.
The result was that the Miami stars were never able to dominate inside the paint. They failed to penetrate the inner circle and had to rely on jump shooting – a thing that is certainly not Heat’s strength.
Tyson Chandler averaged 9.4 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game last season. However, the main thing was that the guy, who promised so much when he came into the league back in 2001, finally lived up to his potential.
Chandler is a free agent now and going by the way that the NBA labour talks are shaping up, the Mavericks might have a hard time in retaining the big. The Dallas franchise has six player in the free agency and if they decided to
retain Chandler, they might not be left with enough money to rope in others.
However, either in Dallas or away, Chandler has shown his credentials last season. He is in the form of his life, and given that the injury issue don’t catch up with him, the time is right for Chandler to make it big. He can be
the defensive core of many craving NBA franchises at the moment and given his dominance in the D last season, he might well a top threat to Dwight Howard’s dominance on the defense next season.
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