Tyson Chandler arrived in Charlotte recovering from ankle and toe surgery. After slogging through the first third of the season with unimpressive results, he was shelved again with a stress reaction in his left foot.
Finally healthy, he's ready to return -- but wary of fitting in with a team that hit its stride without him.
Chandler went through his first full practice yesterday since he was sidelined just before Christmas. He missed 22 games but said that it's possible he could play some tonight against Washington. Whenever he returns, it won't be as a starter -- at least not right away.
"Under normal circumstances, I would always start a guy who's been your starter," Coach Larry Brown said. "But I don't think this is normal circumstances because he hasn't had a lot of time on the floor. But let's hope he can come back (today). It's a nice problem to have."
Nazr Mohammed, buried on the bench last season, has been one of the biggest surprises for the Bobcats, who are 24-25 and in seventh place in the Eastern Conference. Mohammed, 32, has had impressive numbers in Chandler's place, making 26 of 37 shots in the last four games and grabbing 10 or more rebounds in three of the past five.
Chandler was averaging 6.6 points and 7.0 rebounds. Since he was hurt, the Bobcats matched a franchise record with six straight wins, set a team mark with nine straight home wins and went 13-9, counting their current three-game losing streak.
"Right now we're playing so well I don't want to disrupt chemistry at all," Chandler said. "I'm pretty sure I'm not going to be playing starter's minutes when I first come back. But I also think it's how I perform out there."
Managing partner Michael Jordan, in his big offseason move, sent steady if unspectacular big man Emeka Okafor to New Orleans for the 7-1 Chandler, who is bigger and more athletic, can play some power forward and is a better fit for Brown's style.
Chandler, 27, was coming off a season in which he was limited to 45 games, and his trade to Oklahoma City last year was voided when he failed a physical.
He missed preseason with the Bobcats, then struggled to adjust once the regular season started.
"I knew the beginning of the season was going to be tough," Chandler said. "I spent the whole summer rehabbing, and I was coming off surgery. I wasn't able to do any basketball or any strength training.
"Unfortunately, I was just starting to come on, starting to feel better, starting to feel my legs and I got hurt."
Chandler said he was able to do strength training while he was sidelined, which he feels will help as he returns to the court.
Although many wonder what Brown will do with Chandler, Mohammed said he expects to be coming off the bench again soon.
"You don't lose your starting spot because you get hurt. If I got hurt I wouldn't want to lose my starting spot that way," Mohammed said. "So I don't expect to continue starting. Maybe a game or two while he gets his legs under him. But once he gets going I expect him to start."
Email
Facebook
Google
Twitter
Favorites
More
Advertisement