Okafor for Chandler???

The recent NBA trade that sees these 2 big men trade places certainly has significant Fantasy implications...

Let's start with Okafor. Here's a guy who averaged 13 and 10 with 135 blocks last season in Charlotte. Now, he's going to be receiving alley-oops from Chris Paul. Mr. Razzle Dazzle. If Okafor can average those numbers with Raymond Felton - what can he average with Mr. Paul?? I know he's likely to be 3rd or 4th fiddle in New Orleans - but he has huge upside for the 09/10 season. So, how much does his value go up? He already went for $47 dollars in last seasons JBL draft...does he crack the $50 dollar plateau? It all depends when he's brought up for auction. I think he will be a trendy pick because of the PG he will be playing with. Now, as much as his PPG totals can improve - I still don't believe he's in the upper echelon of guys at his position. Tim Duncan went for $53 dollars in the JBL draft last season (just $6 bucks more than Okafor!) but is clearly a better option.

I really like what Okafor brings to your Fantasy team - as long as you don't have to overpay for his services.

Chandler will be plying his trade in the golf capital of the USA. He now has to take passes from Raymond Felton (maybe, if he re-signs). But if Felton isn't back, the reigns will be handed over to DJ Augustin. You know, the PG the Bobcats drafted instead of Brook Lopez but I digress. Yes, Augustin averaged 3.5 assists last season in his rookie campaign. Those aren't eye-popping numbers by any means. Throw in the fact that Chandler has been plagued by injuries over the last season and Chandler's 09/10 season is not destined for greatness. Can he stay healthy? Will Larry Brown like him? Can he create his own offense since he no longer will be receiving lob passes for easy layups and dunks? If he can stay healthy - he should be able to reach double digit rebounds. But where else can he help your Fantasy team? He blocked 55 shots in 45 games last season - so can he get back to over 100 blocks for a season? If he can do that - then the rebounds and blocks make him quite valuable...but without that 2nd category - he could be a bust.

So how much is Chandler worth on draft night? I guess it depends on how much of a risk you want to take and how many other good big men you already have on your roster when Tyson comes up for auction. Someone will take a chance on him - and will either win big or lose big. I think he goes in the $20 dollar range. We'll see what kind of year he produces soon enough. The biggest question mark will be his health. I don't see him averaging double digit scoring, but I do think that he gets 10+ rebounds and back to 1.0+ blocks per game. Buy accordingly...