02/03/2009 - 20:14
Rehab, Super Troy, Tay, and More Fishin'
by Tyson Chandler

My ankle is getting a lot better. It's getting much stronger. Today I started to do some conditioning. I was able to run some line drills and do some post moves as well as take some jump shots.

I've started to move laterally, but that's the thing that's tough for me right now is moving side-to-side, in kind of a defensive stance. It still isn't 100% strong. Even just trying to jump on one leg or get some lift, it's still a little weak. That's going to be the toughest thing fighting back from the injury is trying to get that strength back.

It's tougher being injured then it is when you're playing. I come in and get rehab every day. We work the ankle and my foot trying to strengthen it. Then I go out on the court and try to do some basketball stuff, drills and taking shots, things I would do in the game. Then after that it's straight conditioning, more line drills and agility stuff. It makes it tougher because it's almost like going through training camp.

KEEPING TABS ON BABY SLIM
He's just growing up so fast. I'll go away one day and then come back and he looks different and he's doing something different. It's just amazing how quickly he changes.

TRAINING WITH A SUPER BOWL CHAMP
I worked out at the same training facility as Troy Polamalu this summer. It's interesting to watch the Super Bowl now, and have watched a player's regimen throughout the summer and how hard he works and all the work he put in.

Just watching him, he's so dedicated to football, himself and his body in training. It was just amazing to see some of the stuff he was doing in the water, fast twitch stuff. He can move faster under water than a lot of people can move out of water. It's crazy.

I remember the first day I came into the gym, I didn't know he was in there. So I'm sitting there training and this soft-spoken dude is like, “Hey Tyson,” and I kind of did a double take. I casually said, “What's up,” and I turned around. But then I turned back around was like, “Oh, what's up Troy,” and said to myself, that's Troy Polamalu.

I was kind of shocked, not that he was in there, but that I didn't know he was in there because he's so quiet. At least, until he gets on a machine, then his actions speak louder than his words. I would describe him as explosive. It's like something I've never seen before. He's like a bottled up explosion.

To watch the Super Bowl game and see him win, I felt a close connection to the situation.

I couldn't help but find myself cheering for him. I kind of got the inside scoop on how it all started, how early he would show up and how late he would leave. He works so hard and yet he's so humble. He's one of my favorite players.

NEW ADDITIONS TO THE SITE
We're getting ready to launch some new videos for the website from my high school days at Dominguez in Compton, California.

Not many people realize that I actually went to school with Tayshaun Prince of the Detroit Pistons.

When we were teammates, at first, I was really in awe of him. He's like Troy Polamalu in the sense that he's very quiet, very humble. I would just sit there in practice watching him and the things that he did. Still to this day it's hard to believe that we were teammates.

He was always so smart on the floor, even back then. He had the exact same game he has now back in high school, he just understood the game so well. Being able to play with a guy like that, in high school, it just really helped my game out. Other teams really didn't stand a chance. At your average high school, the biggest guy is probably 6-2, 6-3. Tayshaun is 6-9, and he's like the 2 or 3, and I was seven feet in high school. That makes it real tough for the other team.

We still talk all the time. I always tease him. The last time we played them, they started off with a smaller lineup, so he started off guarding me and the coaches were just laughing and saying, “OK, you're pretty much going to have to punish him every time because he probably knows every one of your moves. He knows you better than anybody else in the league.”

It's always funny to play against each other. Because if we ever play them and I see him get hurt, normally you're like “Oh it's the other team,” you're always a little concerned, you never want to see anybody get hurt, but there's that little extra concern. When we're not playing them I'm always cheering them on, hoping his team wins. I think we just kind of follow each other more.

THE NBA'S #1 FISHERMAN?
Fishing has been going great. I'm really getting the hang of it. Every time we go out there now I catch a fish. I was 0-fer for months. Then I finally figured out where they were and the technique to get them.

Now I'm just killing them out there. Most recently I caught a big bass. I practice in my backyard but I go everywhere. Out here they have marshes that I go out on. In the summertime I fish in the ocean a lot. When I was a kid it was all lakes and rivers.

I haven't really run into anyone who fishes like I do in the league. I'll hear about guys, but not really any of my teammates.

When I retire from the league I definitely would attempt to become a fisherman. I definitely think I could too. I was thinking about it the other day, maybe opening up a charter business once I was done because I love going out so much. The only thing I'm not a fan of is going way out into the ocean, to the point where I can't see land. I'm scared of the water out that far. As much as I go out there I'm still like scared of the water. Even though I did catch a shark this summer.

MUCH NEEDED BREAK
The All-Star Break couldn't come at a better time for us with everybody going down. It'll be a good time to rest.

It's always tough to fight through injuries and when you have key players in the starting lineup go out, that makes it really tough. It's especially tough for us because a lot of our offense is created from what Chris, David and I do together. A lot of our offense is keyed on the three of us playing a three-man game and then our shooters spotting up.

I think Chris is the reason why, last night, we lost the lead. We were already bitten by the injury bug. I'm already out, David has been playing with a sore lower back, and then you have Chris go down and the offense gets stagnant.

Right now we just have to find wins any way we can. Things are going to be tough but we have to pretty much gut it out and however we can get a win we have to get it right now.

I definitely think this adversity can help us out in the long run. We have guys step up and those guys gain confidence. So when the starters come back, those guys are playing with the same level of confidence as they were when they were starting.

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