Thursday Bolts – Trade Reversal Edition
Niall Doherty of Hornets247: “I’m not sure. I’d like to throw a party to celebrate this, but OKC aren’t sending Tyson
back for no reason. Remember, they’re not playing for anything this season, so they must feel that the injury is something that will effect Chandler’s play beyond the next few months. Best case scenario, the Thunder are being overly cautious and Tyson will be healthy and ready to help the Hornets make a good playoff run this season. Then we can worry about shedding salary in the summer, or perhaps put together a more fan-friendly trade before tomorrow’s 2pm Central deadline. Worst case scenario, Tyson has some serious health issues, meaning he can’t help us on the floor and we’re stuck with his contract. Then we might have to settle for a real ugly trade to avoid paying the luxury tax next season.”
Henry Abbott: “And don’t you think the Hornets wish, now, that they would have admitted the trade was about money? Instead, they told everyone they really wanted Joe Smith and Chris Wilcox. But hey, Tyson, buddy … we didn’t really mean that. I wonder if perhaps we also learn a little something about why the Hornets may have been willing to make a lopsided trade. Not that they were trying to dupe the Thunder, but if the medical staff has long-term worries about Chandler, then that might be one more reason to make a move.”
John Rohde: “The Thunder wanted Chandler big-time, which means it must be something pretty ugly for the Thunder to rescind the trade. Chandler has battled toe/foot/ankle injuries this season, which has limited him to 32 games. Yahoo Sports reported late Wednesday the trade was nixed because Chandler had a horrid case of turf toe.”
Hardwood Paroxysm: “A trade that at least produced one happy party has been rescinded, and all of the happiness in the room went with it. Any joy that goes along with Tyson’s return has been sapped by the elephant in the room, and it’s tough to say just how much his physical status could impact the Hornets’ outlook. Maybe OKC is just enjoying the luxury of time for a team with low expectations. Or maybe there is something legitimately problematic with Chandler’s wheel. It does make for quite the leverage-killer though; Chandler’s curious injury status practically ensures his place in NOLA, barring some ridiculous, unspeakably lopsided trade. That likely means that the Hornets will be active until the final bell tolls on the trade deadline this afternoon, trying desperately to clear enough salary to duck under the luxury tax line.”
Kevin Pelton: “So it’s back to the drawing board for both teams. The Hornets presumably will find it nearly impossible to move Chandler, and are back in their previous luxury-tax predicament. Do they try desperately to move Morris Peterson or James Posey in the next 16 hours? Meanwhile, Oklahoma City again has two expiring contracts burning a hole in their pocket. The real winner here could be the Boston Celtics. I just got finished doing a radio hit in Boston explaining how bad the Smith deal was in terms of keeping Smith from being waived or bought out after the deadline. Now that’s back in play and the Celtics could get the veteran big man they’ve desired.”
At The Hive: “My assessment: one of two things has happened. (A) There’s something seriously wrong with Tyson that hasn’t been brought up by the Hornets (bone damage? etc.). (B) The Thunder had semi-cold feet, concerning Tyson’s low stats, all along, and the (expected) injury assessment of Tyson gave them the perfect excuse to rescind the deal.”
Hornets Hype: “I have no clue how I feel right now. So really, I am just going to put a whole bunch of emotions on little pieces of paper into a hat. And then, you know, we can just go with whatever gets picked, and pretend that’s what I said. Elated. Ecstatic. Hopeful. Worried. Confused. Uncertain. Optimistic. Regretful. Disbelieving. Nervous. WHOO! WTF?”
Fanhouse: “Presti and the Thunder are building for the future, and actually care about the players coming their way in any trade. If the physical was failed by Chandler, it makes sense that they’d pull the plug and look to deal elsewhere before Thursday’s deadline.”
The Hoop Doctors: “If I were living in New Orleans right now, i’d be more than a little concerned that a team as desperate for interior defense and rebounding as the Thunder, returned Chandler due to health reasons. Now the Hornets are stuck paying a player 12 and 13 million over the next two seasons, who may not be able to play at 100% health (if he plays at all). Personally, I think the Hornets would have been a lot better off with two serviceable rotation guys for the rest of the season like Chris Wilcox and Joe Smith who have expiring contracts, given Chandler hadn’t been playing all that great this season before his injury anyway. As for the Thunder, well the trade deadline doesn’t end until this afternoon. Maybe they have something else in the works?”
Smart thoughts from this OKCThunderFans.com poster: “I know many people here feel like they got “kicked in the gut” as one poster put it, but there is a reason they do these physicals, and it served it’s intended purpose. We averted a disaster. Be happy with the knowledge that we did not get some useless lump in exchange for two useful players … This is not a team killer, and I am sure both men knew they were trade considerations long in advance. When you are making millions of dollars in the NBA, as long as you still get a multimillion dollar paycheck in this economy, I am sure you will not get your feelings hurt too bad … Maybe we trade for someone, maybe we go into the post season with who we have. Personally, I LIKE who we have. There will be plenty of wheeling and dealing after the season is over, and into next season. The Thunder will only get better from here. Crisis averted, time to thank God and move on.”
Chris Sheridan reports Joe Smith doesn’t want to be traded: “A source who has been in the know for years tells me that Joe Smith is keeping his fingers crossed that the Thunder do not find another trade for him now that he’s back in Oklahoma City. Smith, the source said, would like to do a buyout and then sign with the Boston Celtics as this season’s version of P.J. Brown.”
Charley Rosen of Fox Sports says there’s three reasons for Thunder optimism: “Durant is also comfortable stopping and popping (right and left), pulling and fading, and his straight-ahead shooting range is virtually unlimited. He even executed a nifty backdoor cut that led to an uncontested dunk. Even more impressive was the pressurized 3-ball he dropped to tie the score with the game clock down to a single-digit … To his credit, Green certainly showed the desire to play defense, and more than a modicum of talent as well. Give him another two years to learn the tricks of the trade — and to sharpen his jumper — and Green will be Robin to KD’s Batman.”
The On Deck Circle makes the point that the people saying Kevin Durant “had a coming out party” last weekend haven’t been paying attention: “The message here is that you should believe the rush of Durant stories that are about to hit in earnest when they suggest he will challenge for MVP someday. You should believe them when they write how his scoring jumped nearly five points a night, and his rebounding increased by nearly four a game, when he moved from guard to forward. You should take note when they say he is a potential rival for LeBron for the next decade. You should even believe them when they proclaim him a future all-time talent. Just don’t believe them that he is potential All-Star “on the rise.” He is that, and more, already, even if you (and the coaches) haven’t come to see it yet.”
