Tyson Chandler might have been the most important part of the 2011 NBA Champion Dallas Mavericks roster not named Dirk Nowitzki. His defense and paint presence allowed the team to use the pick and roll with J.J. Barea to perfection and he blocked or contested just about everything at the rim along with tenaciously ripping down rebound after rebound for Dallas.
So when he was allowed to walk away from the team following the 2011 title and join the New York Knicks, it was viewed as simply just a business decision. Tyson was reacquired by the Mavericks last summer, along with other pieces, to attempt another run similar to the 2011 title team. Their offense was on pace to be one of the best in NBA history, but injuries, egos and age played their part and Dallas was sent home in the first round of the NBA playoffs.
Now that Tyson was allowed to walk away from the Mavs for a second time without any hint of willingness to keep him around, he made sure everyone knew that he felt Dallas was pulling the wool over his eyes during his two stints with the team.
Following from Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic.
Wednesday, Chandler returns to the city where he helped the Mavericks to a 2011 championship and wanted to set roots – twice. Dallas let him go in 2011 in the name of financial flexibility, only to come to regret it and bring him back in 2014. A year later, Dallas set him free again.
“I definitely felt like, after winning a championship and help bring it there, that I was going to be there for the long run,” Chandler said Tuesday. “I never heard of a championship team being broken up like that. When they traded for me to come back, I sat at the podium with everybody else and heard them say this was going to be a long-term deal and they weren’t going to make the same mistake as last time and blah-blah-blah. Seven months later, the same thing happens again. But I learned in this business that you can’t trust everybody. That’s why it is what it is.”
When Chandler was reintroduced in Dallas last year, Mavericks owner Mark Cuban said, “Let’s just say I learn from my mistakes.” Cuban recently told ESPN’s Dallas radio affiliate that Chandler has a right to feel “salty” because he suggested Chandler would be there for a long time.
That changed when Jordan became available, although Cuban also said in the radio interview that Dallas approached Chandler about an extension last year and that Chandler’s camp gave Dallas an ultimatum when the Suns came after him.
“I saw the bull—- they put out,” Chandler said. “It’s just bull—-. Just saving face. It was what it was. It was clear. The whole process was going on while I was basically still in the jersey.”
“To be honest, I don’t know what my emotions are going to be like going in there until I get there,” Chandler said. “I feel like the whole situation was all bad – twice.”
Rick Carlisle, who coached Tyson during his two stints with the Mavs, said that Tyson deserves a spot among some of the great Mavs of all-time.
Following from Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News.
“We have nothing but the utmost respect for him. It’s my hope – and this of course is not my decision – that one day he will get consideration to have his number retired here. I think he deserves that consideration. And I know Mark really has great respect for him, even though the way things went twice. There are people that feel he doesn’t, but I know Mark has a lot of respect for Tyson and a lot of gratitude for what he did for us, as do I and our fans.”
Tyson didn’t hold back in his remarks about the Dallas Mavericks and the big man didn’t need to either. As a player who gave it all for one organization on more than one stint, he feels wronged and disrespected.
Chandler is on to Phoenix, possibly the last stop on his fantastic underrated NBA career. He’s joining the young Suns as a veteran, who is already taking some younger players under his wing and he will make an immediate impact on the team in the 2015-16 season but will it be enough for Phoenix to compete in the Western Conference? Only time will tell the future of the Suns.
