Tyson Chandler, who played a major role in the Dallas Mavericks 2011 NBA Championship last season, says he is not surprised that his former club is off to a slow start this season, according to the New York Post.  Read more after the jump.
“Honestly, I kind of saw it coming because when you put a team in a situation where you say, ‘You’re the defending champions, but we’re not necessarily trying to repeat,’ and when I say that, I’m not saying that they don’t have the pieces there, I obviously think very highly of those guys, but I say that because they offered everybody one-year deals,†Chandler told the post.
“So they knew nobody was going to necessarily accept that. … And when you have veteran guys in the locker room, the type of guys they got, in this time of their career, it’s tough to face that.
“I think they’re just going through a little lull right now. But I’m hoping for those guys that it turns around because there’s truly good guys in that locker room.â€
The Mavericks have began the 2011-12 season 0-2, with blowlout losses to the Miami Heat and the Denver Nuggets.
Last season Chandler averaged 10.1 points and 9.4 rebounds per game for the Mavericks. The 29-year-old center signed a four-year, $56 million contract with the Knicks this offseason.
