Having to watch Tyson Chandler win NBA defensive player of the year with New York does not mean Dallas erred when it didn’t re-sign him. But it’s worth considering what the Mavericks might be if they had. Chandler transformed a Knicks defense that allowed 105.7 points per game last year (27th in the NBA) to giving up just 94.7 this season (11th). Dallas, meanwhile, is down 2-0 to Oklahoma City in the first round of the playoffs and will have to manage with exactly nothing from Lamar Odom if they’re to come back and repeat as NBA champions.
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Chandler was important but not key to Dallas’ title run, just as he isn’t the main reason that the Knicks are also down 2-0 in the playoffs to the Miami Heat. Realistically, hopes for another Mavericks title are secondary to landing Deron Williams in free agency, especially since Dwight Howard is no longer available (at least, not without a trade).
But if Dallas starts next year without a trophy, without Williams and without Chandler, it certainly will seem like a waste.
– Craig Stouffer
