By Kyle Soppe
When Amar’e Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony joined forces midway through the 2010-2011 season, the Knicks were expected to be an offensive machine that would challenge the Eastern Conference powerhouses in Chicago and Miami. However, when Tyson Chandler was brought to the Big Apple, much was made about how much the defending champs would miss their defensive rock, but little was said about how much he would help his new squad. Jeremy Lin has put the Knicks on the map, but it is Chandler that has New York in position to make the playoffs.
ESPN the Magazine did a “One-Man Revolution” piece on Kevin Garnett in its latest issue, and the Celtics big man is well deserving of all the credit given. KG was a superstar in Minnesota for quite some time and I’m not saying the Tyson Chandler is in the same Hall Of Fame company as Garnett, but his impact on the game is eerily similar. For example, Chandler’s career offensive rating (the number of points scored by a players team per 100 possessions) stands at 114, three points better than that of Garnett. Chandler is a tad bit behind in the defensive rating (the number of points scored by the opponent while a certain player is on the court, per 100 possessions), trailing KG 101-99. Chandler’s ability to keep that number low, despite playing for perennial run and gun teams in Dallas and New York is astounding. The Knicks rank second in the NBA in possessions per game (94), while the Celtics rank last in possessions per game (91). In other words, the Knicks have many more opportunities to give up points, but Chandler remains neck and neck with KG in all statistical defensive measures. When it comes to turning opponents away, Chandler has a sizeable advantage on KG, as he has blocked an estimated 3.7% of all two point attempts while he’s on the court. Garnett is viewed as much more athletic and much more intimidating, but his block percentage sits at 3.1%. Chandler may not talk the game Garnett does, but with an offensive minded supporting cast, it is reasonable to think that “anything is posibleeeeeeee” of the Knicks in 2012
His career numbers are impressive, and they are only getting better this season. He and Lin lead all duos in points per shot (PPS). Chandler is the second ranked center in the entire NBA when it comes to plus/minus ration, quiet impressive considering the Knicks have lost more games than they have won thus far. His plus/minus ratio ranks ahead of all stars like Rajon Rondo and LaMarcus Aldridge. Even further advanced statistics show just how valuable Chandler is to New York. He ranks in the top 25 in the NBA in Value Added and Estimated Wins Added, ahead in both categories of household names like Paul Pierce, Chris Bosh, and Dirk Nowitski. Make no mistake about it, while Chandler may average seventh on his own team in points per game, he is the one player they can ill afford to lose.
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