Now Calling Wilson Chandler!!!

So I was watching the Clippers Vs. Knicks Game a few weeks back night, and Baron Davis aka B-Diddy aka The Baron did his thing against the Knickerbockers. He went hesitation dribble, fake right, spin left, fall away jumper on a few Knicks a couple of times.  Now that I’ve given The Baron his due, it’s time to tackle the purpose of my third post.  For my third topic: IS WILSON CHANDLER FOR REAL?!?!?!?

Now, we see guys every year who appear to be on the verge of breaking out and making a significant impact on their team and the league.  This year, more than anyone, Wilson Chandler of the New York Knicks, now of the Denver Nuggets, has been that guy. His level of play has jumped to the point that he was the centerpiece of New York’s trade for Melo!!! All this from a late first round pick selected during the infamous Isiah Thomas regime; and the critics say this guy doesn’t know talent. (Just to clarify, I do think Isiah made some risky gambles during his tour of duty as the Knicks VP and GM, but they guy could definitely draft.  Renaldo Balkman, Chandler, Tracy McGrady? Yeah, he has an eye for talent. But I digress) 

So we have Wilson Chandler, who has been playing out of his mind this season, putting up career numbers across the board.  He’s averaging 16pts a game, shooting 35% from three point range, and six rebounds a game, all career highs. Chandler has played stellar this season and is a big part of the reason why the Knicks have had a resurgence and why we consider them a lock for the playoffs this season.  But is this guy for real or is he just another product of a contract year? Or could it be that this is just another guy who has had his statistics padded by D’Antoni’s run and gun offense? Or is this just a guy developing at a normal pace?  I wonder.

Well, now that he’s been shipped off to Siberia, er, Denver, we’ll definitely get to see who the real Wilson Chandler is.  Granted, he’ll be counted on to replace some of the scoring from the wing lost in the trade so hel'll have the ball in his hands, but this is his opportunity to shine.  In NY, I wasn’t totally convinced by Chandler’s performance because of three reasons:

• This was the first year that he played with a bona-fide star (Stoudemire), which undoubtedly made his job getting buckets easier
• He’s playing in the D’Antonio offense, which always inflates stats (sorta like Quentin Richardson when he played for the Suns and was paid that monster albatross contract) and, lastly
• This guy is in a contract year

Denver, however, offers a NBA diehard like myself a chance to see what Chandler can do by himself.  Can he effectively create off the dribble and get his own shot? Can he handle being the top priority on the scouting report?

We will see.

Aside from Nene, and overlooking the volatile “Don’t call me J.R., call me Earl” Smith, Chandler is going to be touted as one of their best offensive players.  Now that he’s out of his comfort zone of where he’s played for four years, we’ll get to see what he is really made of. And make no mistake, this is make or break for Chandler.  If he drops the ball on this opportunity and his productions falters, then he assuredly won’t be cashing in on as big of contract as he would like this summer (that’s if basketball is still around, ahem, LOCKOUT). 

If Chandler doesn’t bring the pain in Denver, he’ll be considered just another product of D’Antonio’s freelancing offense scheme, and a guy who was playing for a check.

Hey Willie!!! Time to test your mettle. You control your own destiny.