Nuggets fans have taken to Twitter about a Tweet sent out by Nuggets forward Wilson Chandler in which he apparently tweeted out the phrase, 11 days.
The NBA trade deadline is on Feb. 21st. Coincidence?
Beau on Twitter under the handle: @720beauCBS wrote Chandler directly and had the following exchange that can be seen here: Click here.
It would appear that Beau recommended that Chandler request a trade and it would appear that Chandler responded that he has done that. One can never know for sure what is exactly meant by some Tweets, but this seems pretty cut-and-dry. I hope I am wrong.
It’s well documented that Wilson has been battling injuries since coming to the Nuggets in that big trade with the Knicks. Chandler did sign a new contract with the Nuggets on March 18, 2012 for five-years and roughly $31.7 million. And it wasn’t long after he signed that deal that the Nuggets were rumored to be interested in trading the newly signed forward to the Golden State Warriors on June 27, 2012 for a chance to land in the draft lottery.
One would think that winning cures all. The Nuggets are winners of nine in a row, are 33-18 and climbing in the Western standings, and have a game in a few hours against the Celtics. A game where Chandler might not play as it’s a back-to-back and he’s dealing with a groin injury.
Could the Nuggets be shopping Chandler as the deadline nears? Has he really demanded a trade from the Nuggets?
Chandler turns 26 years old in May and he's signed to a reasonable contract. He has proven to be a valuable defender, rebounder, and scorer. The Nuggets don't really have a lot of motive to deal Chandler and at the same time, they might not be able to get great value for him as he has been recovering from various injuries over the past few seasons.
There is no question that I like Chandler's game and think he's a key member of what the Nuggets are trying to do and have been doing recently, especially. But believe it or not, I can also sympathize with Chandler's situation. He's young, he may want to start and show he's better than a role player off the bench, and it's a difficult spot to be in with a deep Nuggets team.
There are not a lot of teams in the league that can boast four capable players off their bench. The Nuggets have Andre Miller, Corey Brewer, Chandler, and JaVale McGee all showing they could probably start for various teams in the league. Three of those four guys have signed recent contracts with the Nuggets with the exception being Brewer – who will be a free agent after the season.
Believe it or not, I can also sympathize with Chandler perhaps being in a location where he isn't completely happy. I don't know if it's true or not, but I know where he might be coming from. March of 2010 through March of 2011 I was living in Casper, WY. I was away from all my friends and family as I left Colorado for a job opportunity. I knew what I was getting myself into, the pay was good, and I wanted to see what it would be like.
I wound up incredibly unhappy and figured out a way to get back to Colorado. I was successful in Wyoming from an outsider's perspective, but I was miserable. The situation wasn't bad, but it just wasn't for me. I know we want the players we root for to want to be on the team we love, but sometimes things just don't work that way.
You hear, "it's a business" all the time, but life isn't a business. No matter how much money you make and no matter how happy you should be to people looking in on your situation – only you can make you happy.
I don’t know the situation – like all of you, I just know what I’m seeing on the Twitterverse. We’ll see what happens next with Chandler and the Nuggets. He has been playing well and he hasn’t let whatever may be going on affect his play. I’ve seen Chandler working after practice with Andre Iguodala and the coaching staff on shooting drills. I’ve talked with him on a few occasions and he has been great to deal with.
I don't know what will happen, but I hope for the best for all parties involved.
