New York Knicks: Why Tyson Chandler Deserves to Be Defensive Player of the Year

The New York Knicks were given their first real defensive presence in a long time when they signed Tyson Chandler and that was verified when it was announced that the Knicks' center has won the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year award, according to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports.

So, just how much did Tyson Chandler deserve it?

First off, you have to take a look at Chandler's individual numbers. While they aren't exactly gaudy, Chandler did nearly average a double-double and missed that distinction by just a fraction of a rebound.

His 9.9 rebounds per game were good enough to put Chandler amongst the top-10 in the league.

Not to mention, with the numerous injuries to the Knicks' roster this season, Chandler played in 62 of the 66 regular-season games. He was clearly the only stable piece New York had all season.

What might be more valuable about Chandler is how he completely changed the culture of the Knicks' approach to basketball. He was the defensive-minded player the team needed to take that next step towards being competitive.

And while the Knicks are unlikely to make a run to the NBA Finals this year, they did enjoy a great defensive year with Chandler protecting the paint. New York got even better when a defensive-minded coach, Mike Woodson, took the reins and got his team motivated to play.

New York finished 11th in the NBA in points allowed, giving up a shade under 95 points per game for the season. That's a pretty impressive improvement for a team who has been a perennially poor defensive team over the past decade or so.

In the second half of the season with Woodson running the show, the Knicks were one of the best defensive teams in the entire league.

Chandler's overall impact on the Knicks this season was too much to ignore. That impact is evident by the vast improvement in this team's defense coinciding with the arrival of Chandler to New York.