Tyson Chandler of the New Orleans Hornets has been traded to the Charlotte Bobcats for Emeka Okafor. Not much going on here but change of scenery. There is no mystery as to what either of these guys brings to the table. Chandler brings rebounds, a little defense, very little offense and an injury risk while Okafor brings rebounds, decent blocks, very little offense and a laziness risk.


This really isn’t much of a big deal unless you own a Chandler or Okafor jersey and you are angry now that they have been traded. Sure the Hornets get rid of an injury risk and the Bobcats get rid of a long contract. But, is there really more to this? There could be.


I don’t care who you are, if you are on the court with Chris Paul, you instantly become a better player. Okafor should benefit the most from this trade. He’ll have a star in Paul to take the spotlight and will have an opportunity to play for a winning team. Larry Brown has questioned Okafor’s desire in the past and believe me, there is no kind of motivation quite like winning. It’s hard for some people to give it their all day in and day out when the only thing it amounts to is a loss at the end of the day.


Chandler’s motivation will have to come from within. He’ll need to prove that he is healthy and can still log a lot of minutes. His numbers should stay around what he averaged last year. But, he’ll have to bump those up if wants to be fantasy relevant.


Okafor will definitely see a boost in his numbers and should be targeted in your fantasy draft. Expect his offensive and defensive numbers to go up. He won’t be a first rounder but he will be a solid option at Center.