Hooped Up

Another van glorious season of NBA basketball is about to begin and Hooped Up does a quick and dirty preview of all 30 clubs.

Head coach Larry Brown is known for making a non contender a playoff bound team, and that’s exactly what he’ll try to do again in his second year in Charlotte. The Bobcats made a big move this summer trading Emeka Okafor for the more athletic Tyson Chandler, but will that be enough for the Bobcats to finally make it into the playoffs for the first time? Probably not. Read More »

The New Orleans Hornets say center Tyson Chandler and forward James Posey both had successful surgeries for their injuries.

Team spokesman Dennis Rogers said late Tuesday that Chandler had a procedure on his left ankle to relieve inflammation and another on his left toe. Posey’s surgery was on his right knee. Chandler, who averaged 8.8 points, missed 29 games in the regular season and the last playoff game because of the ankle injury. His trade to Oklahoma City this year was rescinded because of concerns over the toe.

Posey, who averaged almost nine points as a reserve, hurt his knee in Game 3 of the first round of the playoffs against Denver but played through it.

Both are expected at training camp in October.

ESPN

Hornets center Tyson Chandler will miss the next seven to 14 days because he will have his inflamed right ankle immobilized. Chandler will miss his fifth consecutive games tonight when the Hornets play the New York Knicks.

He did not travel with the team on the trip. The Hornets announced Friday morning that Chandler will immediately began rehabilitation after the seven- to 14- day period and the team will be giving updates on a needed basis. Chandler is expected to return before the Hornets end the regular season on April 15 against San Antonio.

Earlier this year, Chandler missed 16 games with a sprained left ankle. After his trade was rescinded with the Oklahoma City Thunder because of a previous toe injury that required surgery in April 2006, Chandler played in 12 games before he sat out his first game on March 18 with an inflamed left ankle.

New Orleans Times-Picayune

A great story from Alan Hahn of The Knicks Fix, about a few NBA players getting together to save a small girls life.

Chris Wilcox has a new friend named Jasmina. She just turned 6 years old today (same age as my son, Zach) and aside from being adorable, she has leukemia. She has a rare and agressive form of it, which was diagnosed on Jan. 20. Her doctors say she needs a bone marrow transplant now or Jasmina will die.

Chris met Jasmina last week, when he visited her in the hospital with a Build-A-Bear. She has her own website, oneforjasmina.com, which I encourage you all to visit.

“I have a sister who suffers from Lupus so, unfortunately, she is in and out of the hospital and has undergone chemotherapy,” he said. “I just can’t bear to see a six year old who literally could die if we don’t find her a match soon.”

What Jasmina desperately needs is a bone marrow donor. The issue is, Jasmina was adopted so she does not have any full siblings, which would provide the needed perfect match. Dr. William L. Carroll, Jasmina’s doctor at NYU Medical Center, said the situation is even more of a challenge because, “African-Americans are under-represented in the donor base thus finding the perfect match even harder.”

“It’s not an organ that she needs, it is blood cells,” Wilcox said. “It could be any one of us that could save her life.”

Literally. Read More »

Chris Wilcox is on the road again and this time it’s to the New York Knicks in exchange for Malik Rose and cash.

Don’t hold your breath though. This is the second time this week the OKC Thunder have dealt Chris Wilcox and the first time, it didn’t work out because Tyson Chandler couldn’t pass his physical.

This means that 100% of the OKC Thunder trades involving Chris Wilcox have failed so far and since the economy is so bad, Cash might not pass the physical to rescind this trade too.

Via ESPN

The debate for who gets Tyson Chandler’s old locker in New Orleans is over because as it turns out, he’ll be needing it — again.

Trades being rescinded are as rare as a third nipple, but you can go ahead and hit Crtl + Z / Apple + Z on the deal that had blogger Tyson Chandler in exchange for Chris Wilcox, Joe Smith and the draft rights to Devon Hardin, the 50th overall pick in the 2008 draft. Read More »

The New Orleans Hornets have decided to part ways with center / blogger Tyson Chandler in exchange for Chris Wilcox, Joe Smith and the draft rights to Devon Hardin, the 50th overall pick in the 2008 draft.

Chandler is averaging 8.8 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.4 blocks in 32 games, down from last year’s averages of 11.8 points and 11.7 rebounds.

Chris Wilcox was averaging 8.4 points and 5.3 rebounds in 37 games for the Thunder and Joe  Smith averaging 6.6 points and 4.5 boards in 36 games this season.

Via Thunder Rumblings

Does Yao Ming getting dunked on count as news anymore???  Any who. With help from Chris Paul, Tyson Chandler throws down the alley-oop with authority on the world of Yao Ming.

Yes I’m channeling Bill Walton on this one and yes this dunk was so worth the technical!

Tyson Chandler was the defensive anchor and a terror on the board last year. Hopefully, this injury won’t stop the upstart New Orleans Hornets from picking up where they left off. 

“Hornets starting center Tyson Chandler has been working out at the New Orleans Arena for the past week, but when training camp opens on Saturday he won’t be at 100 percent. Chandler said he is still experiencing some minor soreness in his big toe that kept him from participating as an alternate on the U.S. Olympic basketball team this summer.”

New Orleans Times-Picayune