Tyson Chandler to Knicks: Big Apple Boasts NBA's Best Frontcourt
The Tyson Chandler signing makes the New York Knicks the toughest team to beat in the Eastern Conference due to the fact they have the best frontcourt in the NBA.
Now the Knicks have a top-three small forward in Carmelo Anthony, a top-three power forward in Amar'e Stoudemire and a top defensive center in Chandler.
That's incredibly impressive; no team has a frontcourt even close to that.
What the Chandler signing really does is make the interior defense of the Knicks very strong, and opponents will find it difficult to drive the lane and finish at the rim.
For years the Knicks have been a run-and-gun team that does not play much defense. The common denominator of all championship teams is defense, and after watching Chandler play extremely well against the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals last season, they made a smart decision to make signing him a top priority.
Chandler was third in Defensive Player of the Year voting and gives the Knicks a real shot-blocking presence they have not had since Patrick Ewing.
Anthony, Stoudemire and Chandler are the best frontcourt in basketball because they fit each other's styles so well.
Chandler does not need the ball to score, and is able to score off of offensive rebounds and from the free-throw line.
Scoring is not his strength and it never will be. He cleans up the mess around the basket and is very efficient with his offense, as his 65 percent field-goal percentage would indicate.
You cannot leave him alone on defense either. When Anthony drives the lane, defenders cannot help over the lane and leave Chandler with an outlet to the basket. Anthony will find him and Chandler will have an easy basket.
When Anthony shoots from the outside, opposing teams now have to block out two elite rebounders. Very few teams can cause this problem, including no one in the Eastern Conference.
Chandler averaged 9.4 rebounds last season and with Stoudemire in the middle causing problems for teams, Chandler could average even more rebounds this season.
Check out this video of Chandler in the NBA Finals last season. This is championship defense, the effort you must give to win on the biggest stage.
One of the reasons the Knicks lost to the Celtics in a first-round sweep last year in the playoffs was because their rebounding was not good enough.
Stoudemire had no help in the middle from players like Ronny Turiaf, and when Amar'e injured his back midway through the series the Knicks were destined to lose the battle in the paint.
With Chandler and Jared Jeffries, the Knicks have defense in the frontcourt, and with Anthony and Stoudemire they have two 25-point-per-game scorers as well. This balance will make the Knicks quite tough to beat and gives them incredible depth in the frontcourt.
Championships in the NBA are won in the dirty areas underneath the basket, where defense and rebounding wear teams down and win games.
The Knicks now have a frontcourt that can play against any style of play from opponents and be successful. With Tyson Chandler, the Knicks will win the Atlantic division and progress deep into the playoffs.
