If you've been following the mocks and the news as closely as I have, you've surely come across the name Wilson Chandler in connection with the Knicks. Immediately, some questions arise:
- Is this Chandra Wilson post-op?
- Why do so many second-round draft prospects have reversible names? Wilson Chandler and Coleman Collins are not making things easier for us. I'm calling this the "Kennedy Winston Effect". (Or is it Winston Kennedy?)
- And lastly...What's a Wilson Chandler?
- The basics: Wilson Chandler is a 6'7'', 220 lb. swingman out of DePaul. His birthday is unknown (huh?) and he comes from Benton Harbor, MI.
- That NBADraft.net profile compares Chandler to Joey Graham, and lists his "strength and athleticism" as his best asset. He's also a good rebounder and an improving shooter. His weaknesses are the aforementioned jumpshot, which is still developing, a questionable motor, and a tendency to hoist from the outside.
- Chandler was originally projected as a second-round pick, but he has drawn an enormous amount of interest from the Knicks organization. This Alan Hahn blog entry sums up most of the story. Chandler's a DePaul guy, which is intriguing with Mark Aguirre and Quentin Richardson already in the organization. He's also a typical Isiah Thomas guy- 6'8''-ish and prone to leap out of the Garden. So it sounds like the Knicks were all but ready to guarantee the kid a jump up to the 23rd spot. However, Chandler sprained his ankle and had to cancel his workout, and although he has rescheduled his tryouts with other teams, he has yet to rain check for the Knicks. It's all very confusing.
- With that said, I'm not really buying the notion of Wilson Chandler in orange and blue. We have more than our fill of guys with loads of athleticism but insufficient skills. I think this 23rd pick should be used on a specialist role player, be it a shooter like Almond, a swatter like Chong Williams, or a foreign person like Belinelli or Splitter (and yes, I consider "foreign person" a role.)
- To finish things off, here's a grainy video of Wilson Chandler doing his thing. He's number 22 in white.
That stroke does look pretty nice. Anyway, that's it for now. Share your thoughts on Wilson Chandler in the comments. 5 days 'til draft day!