Tom Izzo. The Big 12. Tyson Chandler. Can anyone agree on anything these days?
We told you earlier about Chad Ford’s report that Tyson Chandler is considering opting out of his contract to become a free agent. Now Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer is reporting that if that’s the case, Bobcats General Manager Rod Higgins hasn’t been notified.
This doesn’t necessarily mean that Chandler’s not opting out, it simply means that if he’s considering it, it hasn’t reached a point where he and his agent think it’s necessary to notify the Bobcats. Ford’s rarely wrong, but then again, Brian Windhorst is rarely wrong and thought Danny Ferry wasn’t going anywhere.
If there’s one thing we can take away from this whole thing it’s that we need to prepare ourselves for the onslaught of rumors and confusion that’s coming over the next two months. Tyson Chandler doesn’t even matter in the context of changing the NBA landscape. What’s going to happen when the massive amount of people affected by LeBron James or Dwyane Wade’s decision start leaking information?
The undersold element in all of this?
$12.6 million comes off the Bobcats books. They’ve got centers, though not a stellar crew with Nazr Mohammed and the rotting corpse of Diop. But that kind of cap space would help out a low-budget franchise and might help with putting together another big trade, since that’s been their M.O. for the past three seasons. Chandler was gone for most of the season with injuries, so losing his impact on the floor would be minimal.
Chandler’s departure might be a blessing in disguise for the Cats.