Tuesday, July 28th, 2009 at 9:00 am  |  122 responses

Report: Okafor/ Chandler Trade Done

by Marcel Mutoni

According to numerous reports, the Charlotte Bobcats and New Orleans Hornets have agreed in principle to swap big men. Tyson Chandler is headed to Charlotte, and a previously unhappy Chris Paul gets a double-double machine in Emeka Okafor.

What’s shocking to most, is that cash-strapped New Orleans was willing to take on Okafor’s rather large contract (Emeka inked a 6-year, $72 million deal last summer). The Bobcats, meanwhile, will get some cap relief after the 2010-’11 season, when Chandler’s current deal runs out.

Basketball wise, the Hornets are the clear winners in this swap, adding a rock-solid low post presence to a team that won 49 games last season in the brutal West can only improve things for Chris Paul and company.

It certainly won’t bring a championship to New Orleans, but it’s a message to their superstar (and the fans) that the team isn’t sitting on its hands while everyone else loads up; they’re at the very least attempting to remain competitive.

Interestingly, Gerald Wallace is now the only Bobcat left over from the expansion season. I’m sure that makes him feel just wonderful.

UPDATE: The deal is now official.

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  • http://www.hibachi20.blogspot.com BETCATS

    Yeah FREE CHRIS PAUL. Poor CP3 just got a 14 and 10 guy with potential to be a 20 and 11 guy. FREE HIM!!

  • http://www.hibachi20.blogspot.com BETCATS

    Rod Higgins (the actual Bobcats GM) just announced it. It is a 1 for 1 and is official…..

  • iLL wiLL

    Weren’t the Hornets trying to cut back on salary? Because 6 years and 72 mil seems like a lot of money. I don’t know about you…

  • http://adfji.com Jukai

    *waits for amazing Hibachi post*

  • http://hibachi20.blogspot.com DP

    The bobcats sure know how to pick em. play wit it.

  • Jacob

    meh

  • ClydeSays

    So, NO is a halfcourt team now? Thats cool except Peja, CP & Mo Pete don’t play much D. Okafor & Posey will have their hands full defending the opposition.

    As much as I like Okafor, he’s a limited player on the offensive end, seems to be injury prone & has a long term contract.

  • http://www.hibachi20.blogspot.com BETCATS

    i made a photomontage Jukai, i will have some words about it in about 2 hours

  • http://www.slamonline.com wayno

    DP, seriously, why do you say “play wit it” after everything? It’s not cool…anyone who has a “catch phrase” on a message board is at least 300 lbs and lives in thier mother’s basement. Also, spelling class called and wants you back…it’s “with” not “wit”…tool

  • http://www.boogiewilliams.com Boing Dynasty aka Free Lester Hudson

    @Wayno, DP is an instittution ’round here.
    -ASPOV

  • http://www.slamonline.com James the Balla

    BET you got me lol.

  • http://www.slamonline.com James the Balla

    I will go on record to say that DP is not 300 lbs.

  • Josh D

    Should cbe interesting 2 c if the Bobcats can still compete 4 the playoffs now if they sign AI, they have a good chance

  • http://www.slamonline.com James the Balla

    Josh, by the way you type, and the ridiculous statement you just made you are probably 15 … good guess?

  • donovan

    Does this mean no more Chris Paul-to-Tyson Chandler alley-oops? :( ………… :( :(

  • Anony Mous

    Lol that sentence made me feel illiterate for a second…

  • http://www.slamonline.com wayno

    DP plays wit(h) it a little too much in his mom’s basement…

  • http://dgcoursereview.com Bro D

    I’m going on record as saying this is a good trade for the cats if and only if because LB is their coach. This is a man that made Dalembert look productive, Chandler will look like a border-line all-star in comparison. Mek will not improve, it isn’t his nature. 3 years from now when NO is having a fire-sale and CHA is enjoying it’s second trip to the playoffs all will know.

  • http://www.hibachi20.blogspot.com BETCATS

    anyone that hates on DP is hating on me two. Take a shot at one, you deal with all.

  • http://www.hibachi20.blogspot.com BETCATS

    *too

  • http://www.hibachi20.blogspot.com BETCATS

    Bro D: Do you honestly think Emeka wont improve?

  • http://dgcoursereview.com Bro D

    Plus, CP3 will probably punch Mek in the jewels for dropping all of his alley oops.

  • http://dgcoursereview.com Bro D

    BET: As probably the only poster who has watched as many Bobcats’ games as you, no, not really. He’ll continue to average a dbl-dbl by default since NO’s bigs are awful (West excluded) but he is what he is, an undersized center who can’t guard perimeter bigs and is paid like an all star. If this was 1994 Mek would be a great center, unfortunately it is 2009.

  • http://www.hibachi20.blogspot.com BETCATS

    ^probably true, but i think he will up is points per game by about 5 and rebounds by 2-3 when he reaches his prime. Do you think we did this just to set the stage for another move (bringing in Iverson) or because it needed to be done (ridding ourselves of Okafor)?

  • http://www.hibachi20.blogspot.com BETCATS

    *up his points

  • http://slamonline Negetivekreep

    Yo Wayno relax man DP’s style is cool don’t hate.

  • http://adfji.com Jukai

    Bro D: it’s insane to say “TYSON CHANDLER WILL IMPROVE UNDER LARRY BROWN” and not concede the possibility that Okafor might THRIVE under CP. I don’t think he’ll be catching that alley-oop anywhere near as often, but CP’s gonna get him easy garbage points, and Okafor is still gonna get his by himself. Chandler looked absolutely lost when CP wasn’t on the floor, he wasn’t able to do anything other than grab rebounds and lift his arms up. Okafor is a fine defender but will SCORE POINTS, something that was severely lacking on last years NO team.
    And the Hornets have always been a half-court team. Has anyone ever watched them before?

  • http://adfji.com Jukai

    and seriously Wayno, chill buddy, DP’s a good dude and has shown way more knowledge of the game than you have thus far.

  • http://dgcoursereview.com Bro D

    BET: Both, probably. The cap relief was a big factor but mostly because we overpaid Mek in the first place. Mek’s prime was his rookie year, there is no breakout season. The man carries a dictionary around, not Slam mags. He’s a solid professional and I’ll miss him but basketball wise the move is not as bad as others have made it. IDK about AI coming in, but I have a feeling someone else will be.

  • http://www.sprint.com/pre dma

    where are all the idiots that said orlando made a huge mistake drafting howard over okafor? i don’t think that charlotte will be going to playoffs. of last year’s 8, philly isn’t returning and washington will be taking one of the spots. the only other iffy team is detroit. this trade feels like a trade for the sake of making a trade.

  • Teddy-the-Bear

    Like I said before, bad trade for both teams.
    Now, I must digress:
    I was watching some youtube clips of the Lakers/Rockets series this year. My goodness, you guys do NOT know how good a team the Rockets had this year… With Yao the Rockets had a GREAT shot at topping the Lakers, and even winning the title. With a healthy T-Mac too, it would have almost been guaranteed. Seriously, Houston had the deepest team by far in the entire NBA. Stupid injuries. Who else dislikes injuries?

  • http://www.hibachi20.blogspot.com BETCATS

    I guess, with hindsight this is a good idea. We needed somebody who wasnt a ‘softee’ and plays with heart. I just think we could have got more then Tyson (who isnt bad, but injured)

  • http://adfji.com Jukai

    Teddy: Rockets suck.

  • Joseph

    Hornets won this trade. Pretty clear.

  • http://slamonline Negetivekreep

    At least with Mek your dealing with some fundamentals, so what if he catches less oops? He’s bringing something different to the table. To me ty-chi is a guy that give’s you length and athleticism but that’a bout it. I think it was J.West that said after three yrs in the NBA a player is who he is. I wouldn’t bet too much on TY’ becoming more or even equivalent to the player he was with CP3 on the court. Larry B’ is good but not “that” good.

  • http://antwonomous.blogspot.com Antwonomous

    Love this deal for N’awlins. Okafor is a better player. He’ll get 18-10 for them with CP3 getting him easy baskets like he’s never gotten before. The funny thing about Chandler is that he has a reputation as a rebounder/shot-blocker in the Camby mode – only he’s never averaged two blocks per in a season and averaged only a little more than one in each of the last two seasons. This misconception occurs because it seems like, considering his athleticism and rebounding ability, he SHOULD be a great shot-blocker, too – only he’s not.

  • http://www.slamonline.com wayno

    @ BET – Dealing with a mob of fussy 12 year olds is pretty scary and all…but I’ll take my chances. Ok, I’m done instigating for the day…

  • Teddy-the-Bear

    Jukai: That’s a dumb@ss comment. Don’t be a dumb@ss. Especially when the Suns eat your mosquito bite of a d**k.

  • http://nationofmillions.ca ciolkstar

    I think the BETcats clearly come out ahead in this one. Okafor is slightly more polished offensively but he’s way smaller and won’t be able to run that high/low alley-oop. Not to mention that contract is awful. Chandler is younger, bigger, cheaper, and a more athletic defender. I just don’t see a team starting Okafor at Center in the West will ever make it out of the first round.

  • Teddy-the-Bear

    LOL @ the “E-Beefs”.

  • http://www.sprint.com/pre dma

    and New Orleans gets a draft pick??!! WTF?

  • http://drexlerwasabeast.com nbk

    so okc goes from giving chandler away for expiring contracts to taking on 76 million dollars? are you f’ing kidding me? chris paul will end up getting traded as a result of this trade and the eventual overpaying of david west. not saying it will happen soon but a franchise that is already broke should not take on more financial responsibility without moving in a positive direction.

  • Teddy-the-Bear

    I agree, Paul is jetting sooner or later.

  • Teddy-the-Bear

    Okafor is better for Charlotte, Chandler is better for N’Awlins.

  • http://drexlerwasabeast.com nbk

    and antwonomous whether or not you consider chandler a top of the line shotblocker is not what matters its how effective he is on defense compared to okafor….and he is much much more effective. But okafors advanced offensive ability and less injury prone-ness (even though chandler averages more games per season since his rookie year) make the trade a little more even. But okafor really has not improved much since he was a rookie while tyson chandler still has a pretty high ceiling considering he is 27

  • vmcb

    Well, I guess the Hornets are a little better; Okafor is certainly the more gifted offensive player. I don’t see this trade helping either team too much, though. Chandler is a toe stub away from another month in street clothes.

  • http://hibachi20.blogspot.com DP

    What the heck is a wayno? Oh well everybody has their opinion. and while the bobcats are getting rid of Emeka, they need to find a way to solve that point guard problem with D.J. and Felton. They only need one and though Felton did alright at the 2 he is a much better player at the 1. play wit it.

  • http://dgcoursereview.com Bro D.

    I’m going to say this as clearly as I can, Okafor is not a polished offensive player. He has a semi-reliable jumpshot out to 15 feet and a drop step-then-throw up a desperate shot. All of his points are garbage points. Mek and Chandler both have no offense so neither player has better offense. The only difference is that Chandler is cheaper, not under-sized, athletic, and doesn’t get his shot blocked as much. It is not insane to think that Chandler has more potential to improve than Mek. Tyson came out of HS, toiled around obscurity with Curry for a while in Chi, then had a mini renaissance under Byron Scott(!) in NO. Who do you think is a better teacher of basketball, LB or Scott? Hmmm, tough one there. LB got rid of Mek b/c he’s limited and unteachable b/c he has no passion for basketball. My honest opinion, whether insane or not.

  • http://hibachi20.blogspot.com DP

    Question is, Bro D. who is the better point guard, Chris Paul or Raymond felton and dj combined? I still think they don’t equal chris’ level. Not saying that chris made Chandler look good…..hold up that is exactly what i’m saying. I can agree that they are somewhat equal but I still feel the hornets got the better of the deal. Chandler will do one thing in CHA and that is play defense and rack up rebounds. that is all that will be needed from him anyway . play wit it.

  • http://www.slamonline.com wayno

    *with

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