Tyson Chandler says he didn’t try hard to recruit Carmelo Anthony

Tyson Chandler was traded to the Dallas Mavericks this summer, but when Carmelo Anthony visited, his recruiting efforts weren’t heavy.

Dallas Mavericks center Tyson Chandler used to play alongside Carmelo Anthony but he doesn’t seem all that interested in playing with him again. That’s not a slight against Melo or to suggest he and Chandler didn’t get along, rather Chandler just didn’t recruit Melo all that hard.

Chandler told Michael Lee of The Washington Post that when former teammate Carmelo Anthony visited Dallas this summer, he didn’t try very hard to recruit him.

"“It wasn’t strong,” Chandler said. “I didn’t ever think he was coming. I didn’t think Carmelo was ever leaving New York. I talked to him because it wouldn’t be right if I didn’t. But I never thought he was going anywhere. I thought if anywhere he was going it was to the Lakers. But when the Lakers didn’t have a strong enough roster to tempt him.”"

It wasn’t looking like Melo wanted to come to Dallas anyways and it’s very possible that Chandler had the inside track on what Melo wanted to do. If Melo and Chandler really were on the same page, then the lack of recruiting can be interpreted as Chandler knowing that Melo wanted to go back to New York over all other destinations.

And he also didn’t say there weren’t ever any recruiting efforts, Chandler was just noting that he wasn’t about to bend over backwards for a guy he likely knew wanted to return to New York.