New York Knicks center Tyson Chandler once again finished the regular season with the highest true shooting percentage in the league, and the veteran remains one of the most efficient players in the NBA and one of the better interior defensive players in the NBA. Chandler has the 17th-most win shares in the league, as well as one of the top ten rebounding rates. However, Knicks head coach Mike Woodson wants more from Chandler, and Knicks beat writer Jonah Ballow tweeted out that Woodson wants Chandler to “bulk up” and develop a “low post game” during the offseason.
It isn’t easy for an old dog to learn new tricks, but Chandler would be an even bigger asset to the Knicks if he could do these two things. I think it is more feasible for Woodson and the Knicks to expect Chandler to bulk up, and that’s the best scenario for both sides. Chandler has recently drawn the ire of some Knicks fans after an awful series against the Indiana Pacers, in which Roy Hibbert essentially ate him up for dinner. Hibbert is a great defender, but he did have it easier against Chandler, as Chandler was not fully healthy (he finally admitted that fact yesterday) due to reported wrist and lingering neck issues, as well as a spell with the strep throat.
On the Knicks injury front, star small forward Carmelo Anthony is slated to have an MRI on his shoulder today, according to Newsday’s Al Iannazzone. Let’s hope that ‘Melo’s shoulder contains no structural damage, and this is one MRI result to watch for closely. I doubt that anything is wrong here based on ‘Melo’s earlier comment and the fact that this seems to be a precautionary measure, but you never know with these things until the official results come in.