Oh Where Hast Thou Gone, Tyson Chandler?

Coming off a season in which he averaged a career-best 11.8 ppg along with a solid 11.7 rpg, Tyson Chandler looked like he was primed to finally break out and show just why he was worth the second pick in the draft back in 2002.

His troubles with Coach Scott Skiles in Chicago were a distant memory. His Hornets were coming off a successful season, in which they took the defending champion Spurs to seven games in the Western Conference Semi-Finals. He was an alternate on the US Olympic team.

Life was good for Tyson Chandler. The sky was the limit. Here we sit though, roughly 40 percent of the season complete, and Tyson Chandler has yet to make an appearance on the court.

Sure, we see a guy who looks like him, wearing his familiar No. 6 jersey suiting up for New Orleans. Occasionally, we'll check the box score and see a familiar Chandleresque stat line of double-figure rebounds and points with a block or two thrown in,

But when we watch the game, the man in the middle for the Hornets is not the same player we have grown accustomed to seeing out there.

The fire seems to be gone. The passion and the energy that made him a fan favorite in The Big Easy is lost, and people are starting to take notice.

Chandler's name has been tossed around recently in trade rumors, something that would have seemed absurd at this time last year.

Once considered one of the league's premiere rebounders, Chandler is averaging a rather pedestrian eight boards a game this season.

The question this begs is why? How could a guy who was one of the best at what he does, all of the sudden look so mediocre? The answer seems to be a mystery.

Fans on various blogs and message boards all have their various theories, ranging from nagging injuries, to a simple lack of trying. I don't think there is a simple answer.

I would, however, like to offer what I think is the reason behind Tyson Chandler's sudden drop off in production. It all starts with Tyson himself.

If you have followed Chandler's career for as long as I have you would know that Tyson as a person is a very emotional guy. He wears his heart on his sleeve.

When things are going well in his life, that emotion translates to him being a beast on the court. When life get a little tough, well, down goes his production.

This was first really noticeable in the 05/06 season. His final year playing in Chicago. Things had deteriorated so badly between Chandler and then-Bulls coach Scott Skiles that he had lost all confidence in his game, and appeared unfocused on the court.

This would often result in Chandler finding himself in either foul trouble, or on the Bulls bench, in Skiles' doghouse.

His play was so bad that season that the Bulls shipped him off to New Orleans for practically nothing, and wasted $15 million a year on the aging Ben Wallace.

For Chandler though, it was just what the doctor ordered. A change in scenery and a coach who believed in him quickly pulled Chandler from his depressed state, and he ended up as the defensive center piece for the young and talented Hornet team.

His production continued to increase, and his team emerged as a championship contender in a loaded Western Conference. Fast forward to today, and the question still remains: What changed?

Chandler's life changed this season as he and his wife, Kimberly, welcomed Tyson Chandler II into their household. While on the surface, this would seem like something would would only bring joy and better play to Tyson, but here is why it hasn't.

While his wife was pregnant, she was staying with family back in California, not in the Chandler family's New Orleans home.

It is very possible that Chandler, being the emotional guy he is, has had trouble adjusting to day-to-day life by himself in New Orleans, and not getting to see his wife, daughter, and now newborn son.

This in turn has led to an unfocused Chandler fouling at a much higher rate than either of his two previous seasons in New Orleans, resulting in increased foul trouble, and decreased minutes.

Chandler is only playing 31.3 mpg this season down from 35.2mpg he played last year. The drop off in minutes isn't the only problem though. Chandler just isn't as aggressive as he once was. Some of that comes from him spending time on the court while in foul trouble, trying to avoid picking up another foul while battling for an rebound.

I do believe that the root of the problem is all in his head though. Missing his family causes him to play unfocused, playing unfocused leads to foul trouble and not being in proper rebounding position. These lead to a decrease in overall production.

Tyson's emotional state isn't the only reason his numbers are down though. Teams are starting to game plan him more. In years past, defenders would leave Chandler to help out on Chris Paul, which in turn would lead to alley-oop dunks, or allow for him to get good position for an offensive rebound.

More often these days, opposing bigs are staying home, essentially taking Chandler out of the play. 

This reduced number of offensive touches, seems to carry over to the other end of the court as well. Simply put, the more Chandler is involved on the offensive end, the better he plays on the defensive side of the game.

So now we've diagnosed the problem, it's time to offer a solution. Unfortunately, there is no simple solution.

Chandler's wife and kids are still in California, however, now that she has had the baby, it may not be long before she is back in their home in New Orleans.

I think just having her back around will provide a big boost to Tyson's confidence, and lead to increased results on the court.

The other thing that needs to happen is that the Hornets need to evolve a bit on the offensive end to get Chandler more easy looks. In years past most of the alley-oops came off the pick and roll.

Since teams are defending this play better, the Hornets should look for other ways to free up Chandler near the hoop, increased off the ball motion, along with backdoor cuts, or baseline screens designed to open up the paint could do the trick.

As Chandler's point total rises, so will his rebounding, and his fouls should decrease.

It's not too late for Tyson and the Hornets. They are still winning games, and there is a lot of season left to be played.

With the Western Conference being so competitive again this season, and so many teams bunched into the 2-9 slots in the standings, New Orleans is going to need Chandler at his absolute best if they want to secure a top 3 seed out West again this season.

If Chandler cannot find a way to break out of his season-long slump, it may very well spell disaster for these young Hornets come playoff time.