Tyson Chandler talks Rockets small ball, retirement and winning another ring

Houston Rockets center Tyson Chandler says of retirement plans: “I’ll try not to get ahead of myself and I’ll wait for that moment to come.”

At the end of last season, Houston Rockets big man Tyson Chandler left his plans to either return to basketball or retire, open-ended.

On Tuesday, speaking to media while inside the Orlando bubble for the NBA restart, Chandler said things are still the same.

“I did so much thinking even coming back now to be quite honest. I think everyone did,” Chandler said. “This is just different circumstances. I had to weigh so much in this situation and I decided to come back.

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“I didn’t want it to end this way,” the 37-year-old Chandler said of his 19th NBA season. “I guess it all depends upon how my body feels after this run and how successful we are (in the restart) and then see where things lie.

Chandler said it’s hard to make a decision now “because I thought last year, at the end of the year that ‘oh, this is probably it. Then the end of the summer rolls around and you start getting that itch. So I’ll do myself some justice and not try to get ahead of myself and just wait for that moment to come.”

Chandler was the second overall pick of the 2001 NBA draft by the LA Clippers, then was immediately traded to the Chicago Bulls. He has also played for the New Orleans Hornets, Charlotte Bobcats, Dallas Mavericks, New York Knicks (where he became the first player in franchise history to win Defensive Player of the Year), Phoenix Suns and Los Angeles Lakers. As the starting center for Dallas, he played a key role in the franchise’s first NBA championship in 2011.

The 7’1″ Chandler signed with the Rockets last July and played a few games before eventually falling out of Houston’s rotation. He didn’t play in any games in nearly two months leading up to the NBA’s coronavirus-induced hiatus as the Rockets switched to a small-ball configuration with few players over 6’7″ on the court.

But Chandler remained ready and in shape, and said he’s ready to contribute whenever head coach Mike D’Antoni calls his number. In the meantime, he is making his presence known in other ways.

“I’m keeping myself ready and talking to guys,” he said. “My presence, especially with this team  is a lot in the locker room; a lot of the day-to-day things, a lot in practice.

“But I always tell Coach, when you want to switch it up, I’m right here and I’m ready.”

After the Rocket’s Sunday practice, D’Antoni spoke with the media and called Chandler the “ultimate professional.”

“He’ll be in shape. If we need him, there’s a lot of talent and experience. He’s the only guy, I think, that’s out there who has won a ring,” D’Antoni said. “We rely on him to talk us through things.”

Since arriving in the Bubble, the Rockets have held four practices as it gears up for the seeding games, which for them begin on July 31st against the Dallas Mavericks. But they’ve also had to deal with a few distractions as stars James Harden and Russell Westbrook did not travel with the team to Orlando.

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After no initial explanation from the team on his absence, Westbrook announced on social media on Monday that he had tested positive for COVID-19. Harden arrived at the bubble on Tuesday evening, five days after his team. No explanation has been given for his late arrival. Also missing from the team is Luc Mbah a Moute. The Rockets signed him on July 7th to replace Thabo Sefolosha who opted out of the NBA restart.

Chandler believes the team is on the right track as it prepares for the restart, and will have no problem integrating the missing teammates once they arrive.

“I like where we’re at right now. I like the energy.  Honestly, we’re a lot better than I thought we would be,” Chandler said. “It was as a long long layoff. I didn’t know the type of shape the guys would come in.

“I know it was difficult for myself to try to maintain, not even just staying in shape but any kind of motivation to actually work out,  so I was surprised guys came back and it seems like everyone is in decent shape,” Chandler continued. “The movement is good and now it’s kind of about timing. We’ve picked up kind of scrimmaging and a couple of practices under our belt.

“I think it’s good and gives us a chance to get rolling, then those guys come in – they’re working out right now – and I expect things to pick up and be even better.”

It’s been nine years since Chandler won his only NBA championship, and he still has hopes of winning a second.

“I think we (Rockets) got a great shot. I really do. I like our chances,” Chandler said. “I think the style of basketball that we’re playing right now, I think teams have a tough time adjusting to it. We switched it up before everything came to a stop.

“I  think if we get hot and our shooters are knocking down shots, it makes it very  difficult to beat  us.”

The first scrimmage of the Disney bubble for the Rockets will be against the defending champion Toronto Raptors on Friday, July 24th.

The Houston Rockets entered the NBA’s coronavirus-induced hiatus with a 40-24 record and sat sixth in the Western Conference standings. They’re a notch ahead of their opening night opponent, the Dallas Mavericks, who sit seventh in the conference with a 40-27 record.