This just in from NOLA.com:
Tyson Chandler, who was traded to Oklahoma City on Tuesday, failed to pass a physical and has rejoined the Hornets, the team announced Wednesday after New Orleans beat the Orlando Magic 117-85.
"We welcome Tyson back with open arms," General Manager Jeff Bower said.
Chandler had missed 12 games with a sprained left ankle. Chandler tried to practice Monday, a day before the trade, but he couldn't participate. Coach Byron Scott said Chandler was running with a limp.
My initial thoughts: 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 affect 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.
UPDATE: Story confirmed by ESPN and The Oklahoman. Henry Abbott has some thoughts over at TrueHoop.
31 articulate comments post your own
Mark
02/18/09 10:27 PM
Now wouldn't this be less awkward if we just said it was for financial reasons, as it originally was?
www.dogpile.com/ #1
spiz83
02/18/09 10:30 PM
ouch
#2
daveysmack
02/18/09 10:39 PM
good news. i almost tossed out the mini tyson bball in protest.
#3
Ryan Schwan
02/18/09 10:41 PM
Okay - I'm glad to hear he's back, but what the hell?
Chandler's been down all year. Is there something here that made them willing to trade him in the first place that Hornets thought would slide past?
www.hornets247.com #4
StefanC
02/18/09 10:43 PM
I'm a happy man!
This situation just might be kind of awkward for Tyson now. Coming back after the team already traded you is a very weird situation. Hey I'm sure CP & DX are ecstatic.
Now, what are we going to do about the financial situation. Are we going to pull of some other type of trade before the deadline???
I'm excited to see what will happen all around the league, especially for us.
#5
LSUhornet
02/18/09 10:48 PM
I'm gonna hold off the excitement until we hear why he failed to pass the physical. I'd definitely rather two healthy rotation players than a seriously injured Tyson. I'm with Ryan, and really wondering if the Hornets trainers knew something that made the team so willing to ship him off.
#6
Andrea
02/18/09 10:49 PM
Hopefully we can pull off some kind of other trade for salary reasons. Maybe ship Mo Pete, Hilton or JuJu somewhere. Idk if we'd be able to move Mo either since he's injured. It'll be interesting to see if we make another move. I work tomorrow so I won't know anything about the trades until tomorrow night which sucks
#7
yatpatel
02/18/09 10:49 PM
who CARES why he failed the physical? we weren't going anywhere w/ wilcox and smith, and they'd both be gone this summer and we wouldn't spend any $ cuz we're over the cap...even if tyson doesn't come back healthy until next year this is a GREAT move (or non-move). Welcome home, Tyson!
#8
mW
02/18/09 10:53 PM
I'm with yatpatel.
www.hornetshype.com #9
emir
02/18/09 10:54 PM
well now i say we trade mo pete he is injured and to be honest i'm not missing his play at all so far this season
#10
bigindian15
02/18/09 10:55 PM
Him failing the physical in OKC should be a huge cause for concern. They weren't even going to come close to making the playoffs this year, which means that they saw something which made them worry about his health in the coming years. This isn't exactly the most uplifting news...
#11
stormsurge
02/18/09 10:55 PM
How about 'wait until the summer to trade'? This was a premature trade even if you agreed with the math of it.
www.stormsurgephoto.com #12
bigindian15
02/18/09 10:55 PM
Moving Mo Pete is probably impossible. A dude who is injured and can't get off the bench with a lousy contract? Not happening
#13
StefanC
02/18/09 11:04 PM
Julian Wright + Mo Pete for Dan Gadzuric & Malik Allen of the Milwaukee Bucks anyone??
They wouldn't do it. But I would :)
#14
HornetsManiac27
02/18/09 11:10 PM
WOOOO HOOOOO!!!!
Just when I've convinced myself of the benefits of the trade (Ryan's post had a lot to do with that, not to mention the beating of the magic), I get this news.
And you know what? I DONT CARE what the reasons are or whether we would be a better team or not if the trade had gone through. I'm just glad Tyson is back!!!
GO HORNETS!!!
#15
LSUhornet
02/18/09 11:11 PM
From Yahoo sports--
lingering problems with a “turf toe” injury crushed the deal, league sources said.
Chandler had surgery on the toe two years ago.
“It’s not going to end his career,” one source familiar with the injury said, “but it could hinder it.”
#16
Niall Doherty
02/18/09 11:24 PM
I'm guessing Jeff Bower won't be getting much sleep between now and the trade deadline.
One thing I'm wondering is when the new salary cap and luxury tax kicks in. if we were to stand pat, when exactly would we be penalized for being over the threshold? If it's not until late in the offseason, then I really don't understand the urgency to make a deal before the deadline.
www.ndoherty.com #17
yatpatel
02/18/09 11:27 PM
Tyson is really our only movable piece, outside of maybe JuJu whose value has plummeted, so I can't see what we do before tomorrow's deadline...unless someone wants to take MoPete or Peja off our hands...anyone? hello?
#18
Apple
02/18/09 11:33 PM
Maybe it was a strategic move by Tyson. He doesn't want to leave the team so every time the doctors poked and probed he yelled, "Ouch! That hurts!"
Whadya think?
appleita.blogspot.com/ #19
StefanC
02/18/09 11:39 PM
@Apple:
That would be extremely funny, but I just don't see it happening. I'm sure Tyson would be more professional than that...right?
I didn't know it was his "turf toe" again. I thought it was just the ankle now. WTF.
#20
DemonDeaconHead
02/18/09 11:43 PM
Man, I am getting whiplash from the past 48 hours. As a Bulls follower as well, I've seen them be the frontrunner for Amare, lose Amare, then pull a sweet salary dump + talent upgrade, then discuss a terrible salary dump, then Tyson gets traded, then untraded, then is potentially hobbled for a long time...All I need is for the Bobcats to trade Gerald wallace for Raef's expiring, then fail Gerald's physical, and I think I'd have to lay down for a while. Like, a week. Here's to crappy OKC doctors, and super-healing Tyson powers.
#21
Juncti
02/18/09 11:56 PM
So now that the announcers and everyone pretty much lied about the reasons for this trade, and spent the entire game last night convincing us over and over how this trade made us so much better off to contend in the west....
... how do they now spin it that no, they were kidding?
If you take what they said all during the OKC game, this failed trade has now made us weaker.
Looks like they should have just been straight all along and called this a financial move and they wouldn't be in this mess.
#22
Ryan Schwan
02/18/09 11:59 PM
Feh - everyone knows it was for financial reasons. I'm not convinced it'll have much of an impact being rescinded.
I understand Chris Broussard of ESPN has spoken to Tyson Chandler and should have a post up shortly with the interview. It's good to have ESPN connections.
Oh, I also had recorded a podcast earlier today talking about how the trade was "crushing". They cut it now since it's out of date and they didn't have time to re-record.
Sorry all you big fans of me. :)
www.hornets247.com #23
Ryan Schwan
02/19/09 12:07 AM
Oh, and I forgot to mention. Ely scored 11 points tonight against the Magic. I think the plan was successful (Trading for Wilcox, swapping him for Ely, getting the trade rescinded, and sending Ely back to OKC)
www.hornets247.com #24
LSUhornet
02/19/09 12:48 AM
@ Ryan
You're killing me man I'm supposed to be studying and now I'm checking back here and at ESPN every 10 seconds waiting for that Broussard post. The Ely/Wilcox swap thing was hilarious.
I really hope this physical is nothing serious. If Tyson's production doesn't go back up and this turf toe thing scares away trade suitors it puts the Hornets in a huge bind and could force an even more drastic and spirit-killing trade. I was actually kinda excited about seeing the new lineup, but I'm happy Tyson is back at the least to keep locker room morale up. I'm definitely disappointed in the way the team dealt with it and glad to see Ty back, also nervous about this physical thing. Overall, I'm kind of exhausted about the whole ordeal, but imagine how Tyson must feel. I sure can't.
#25
oilcan
02/19/09 01:17 AM
A litte snippet of the interview that is up at ESPN:
After examining Chandler's left big toe, Dr. Carlan Yates, Oklahoma City's team physician, determined that the risk of re-injury was too great to give Chandler a clean bill of health. He therefore advised the Thunder to rescind Tuesday's trade that landed them Chandler for Joe Smith, Chris Wilcox and the rights to Devon Hardin.
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3917505
#26
LSUhornet
02/19/09 01:30 AM
Yeah, this is getting beyond soap opera. The doctor that examined him is the same doctor that performed surgery on the toe in 2007. Crazy.
#27
JoJo
02/19/09 01:52 AM
The doctor- "hey I know I was the one who operated on your toe, but it still doesn't look good. My bad. I'm really not very good at fixing stuff, only diagnosing. Maybe I should have mentioned this earlier..."
Hornets GM- "Tyson, our bad...you know this was just about cutting salary right?"
Wilcox- "god damnit... I was going to get to play with Chris Paul and compete in the playoffs in NEW ORLEANS while inflating my stats before free agency, but now I'm stuck in this crap hole of a city again playing behind trash players because my coach sucks...."
Joe Smith- "Please let me go...I hate it here. I have already visited the pigeons like 12 times. They still suck... I already booked a flight to New Orleans. Can't I just stay please?"
Tyson- "Although i pretended I was mad I failed the physical, I actually am really excited. My toe doesn't even hurt. When my ankle gets better I will be back to normal. I am SO HAPPY I don't have to play for the Thunder. Oh my god this is like Christmas and my Bday mixed into one. WOW! I can't believe my luck! OH MY GOD I AM SO HAPPY!!!!!!"
Chris Paul- "Whatever. I can beat the magic with Sean Marks/ Hilton Armstrong playing against Dwight Howard. Get better by the playoffs Tyson. I got us until then."
Hornets fans- "as long as Chris Paul is here we are fine..."
Durant- "2 more years.... just 2 more years and I can play for a real NBA team...."
Thunder Owner- "damn I lost all my money in the market. Do you think I can move the team back to Seattle? It really was a much better market... What in god's name was I thinking moving the team from there???"
#28
Dariusz Ejkiewicz
02/19/09 03:14 AM
Hipocracy comes high, first most of the people go crazy about the traded and now all of a sudden wilcox and smith were great players to have... I am happy, although if this is a really serious injury we might be in big trouble... If I was in the Arena I would get a "welcome back Tyson" sign for sure ;-) The guy is more than just stats for this team.
Oh and now he knows how much David West values him for the team ;-)
www.ejkiewicz.com #29
LSUhornet
02/19/09 03:19 AM
The arena is really gonna go nuts whenever Tyson gets back on the court at home, and he definitely deserves it after having to deal with all this. I hope it motivates him to play even harder. He should definitely have a chip on his shoulder when he returns.
#30
Brian
02/19/09 08:52 AM
I dunno - don't the Thunder only have like 10 people working for them or something? They maybe just took Tyson down to the local Med Center for a check-up with the $10/hr doctor.
www.madpropstobakedpotatoes.com #31