Tyson Chandler was one of the Big Three — Carmelo Anthony, Amar’e Stoudemire and himself — when he was with the Knicks from 2011-2014. Now, he plays with the Big One — LeBron James — as a member of the Lakers. Life is good.
“It’s been incredible coming to the Lakers,” Chandler said before his Lakers lost to the Nets 115-110 Tuesday night at Barclays Center. “It’s an A-1 organization and it doesn’t hurt to have LeBron on your team.”
It doesn’t hurt all. Sure, there are annoying aspects like a pregame locker room stuffed with media waiting to hear if James was going to offer any comments before he took floor. Instead, he expressed his aggravation with the crowd of media.
James seemed a bit ornery, turning up the boom box to drown out Chandler’s session with reporters before telling everyone not in sneakers to “get out of my locker room.” This wasn’t the media-friendly James, whose signing with the Lakers during the offseason instantly turned the storied franchise into must-see TV again.
Think about it. When the Lakers played out East a year ago, it was all about the Big Baller Brand and what kind of T-shirts and sneakers LaVar Ball would be wearing at courtside and how his three sons were going to take over basketball.
The Big Baller Brand shoes aren’t that hot anymore, but the Lakers are now that Showtime and playoff aspirations have returned to Hollywood thanks to James’ decision to leave the Cavaliers and sign with Los Angeles.
Chandler, 36, likes being in the middle of it, but also thinks something similar could happen to the Knicks sometime soon. Since leaving before the 2014 season, Chandler has kept tabs on the team he played on for four years and where he won the Defensive Player of the Year award in 2012. He likes what he sees.
“It’s hard to judge because their best player [Kristaps Porzingis] is out,” said Chandler, who had five points and four rebounds in 17 minutes. “But I like the direction they’re going. I like [head coach David] Fizdale. I honestly think it’s just a matter of time.”
He also likes the Knicks’ chances of landing a big-time free agent, and suggested the impact could be as immediate as James coming to the Lakers. With Fizdale, the Knicks have a coach players will at least listen to, which is something that hasn’t happened in recent in years. It’s hard to attract a superstar when you can’t get his attention.
“You’ve got a good coach with a good personality and a good demeanor,” Chandler said of Fizdale, “and you have a superstar player in Porzingis that a lot of players would love to play with. Before he got hurt, he was having an MVP-type season. But you’ve really got to go after one of those free agents and if you land one, it honestly can be just a matter of time.”
Chandler said the image of the Knicks has improved around the league to where playing there is more desirable. There’s no more talk of the triangle offense.
“They’ve got some good guys over there,” he said. “That always helps. The Knicks went through a tough time during the Phil Jackson era and before that was tough. When me, Melo and Amar’e were there it was fun.”
Among the free agents currently available is Anthony, who was released by the Rockets just 10 games into the season. Anthony was spotted having dinner with James and their wives Monday night in Manhattan, fueling speculation Anthony could be joining the Lakers.
“I just hate for him to end his career this way,” Chandler said of Anthony. “I’m pretty sure this isn’t on his terms. For a guy like that and what he has done for this game, you hope he gets the opportunity to finish in the right way.”
The Knicks hope to finish the right way by finding gold in free agency just like the Lakers did.