03/03/2009 - 22:42
Britney Spears, My Man D-West, and Chasing the Big Twitter
by Tyson Chandler

My wife bought Britney Spears tickets for her concert at New Orleans Arena tonight, and she bought two because I guess she planned on talking me into going. So the whole time I had been saying no. I wasn’t going to go. But then at the last minute I thought, what the heck, I’m not doing anything today so I might as well go. I’m about to be the biggest Britney Spears fan. I don’t know how this is going to go.

And not only did she buy Britney Spears tickets, she bought tickets to the Britney Spears VIP experience because those were the only tickets left. So we had to be there four hours early. The concert doesn’t start until 8:15. We have to be there at 4:45 for the VIP experience. What that is, I have no clue. Then we have to sit around until 8:15 when the concert starts. It’s about to be pretty intense.

I haven’t been to that many concerts in my life, but this is my first pop concert. The only other female I saw was Beyonce and she was performing with some other people and that concert I went to with my wife as well.

If the VIP experience includes a picture it will definitely be posted on the blog. Between Barack Obama and Britney Spears I’ll have the world conquered with those two pictures.

Since returning, Ty and the Hornets have been doing this to the competition (Getty Images).

THE WINNING STREAK
I’m really excited with the way we’ve been playing and the way my teammates have reacted since I’ve come back with our winning streak. It’s great to be on a five game-winning streak.

I really feel like we’re closing the gap on the some of the teams in front of us and creating space between the teams behind us. I feel like we can make a run to the third or second spot in the Western Conference before it’s all over.

I think it’s one of those situations where you don’t realize what you’ve got ‘til it’s gone.

For that moment that I was traded, I realized that, most likely, I would never have a chance to play with this group of guys again. That being said, when the trade came back, I said to myself, every game I’m out there for the rest of my career, I’m never going to take a game for granted. So now I play every game like it’s my last one out there.

THE TIP-IN
That’s definitely the first game that I can remember where I won it for my team with a tip-in shot. It felt great out there to hit the game-winning shot.

At that point in the game I was thinking in my head, we’re not losing this game and I’m going to do whatever it takes for us to win this game.

The play wasn’t drawn up for me, obviously. It was drawn up for D-West. But I was thinking to myself if he doesn’t make this shot, I’m going to get it. There’s nobody on this court that can box me out, so wherever that ball goes. I’m getting it and I’m going to win the game for us. And I got my opportunity.

"For our younger generation, D-West is the best of all the power forwards." (Getty Images).

SPEAKING OF D-WEST, LET’S GIVE MY MAN SOME CREDIT
David has been playing incredible. I think right now he’s the best young power forward in the game. I feel like KG and Tim Duncan took on an era and right now, for our younger generation, D-West is the best of all the power forwards.

He doesn’t get a lot of recognition because he’s a quiet guy and keeps to himself. I don’t know how many interviews he does. He kind of stays out of the public eye. But I feel like he’s definitely one of the best. You would definitely have to put him in your top four power forwards in the league right now.

What makes David so good is that he has an unbelievable jump shot. I think outside of maybe Dirk that David has the best jump shot, from the college three-point line and in, at the power forward position. Nobody shoots as good as him, he’s just money.

He’s such a threat that when guys run at him, it’s easy picking. He handles the ball well and he’s so strong that once he gets that jump shot going there’s no stopping him. Most big guys don’t want to come out there anyway and when a guy shoots the ball like a guard, you can forget about it.

I feel like he’s the most underrated player in the game. I hear people talk about Brandon Roy and no disrespect to Brandon, he’s a great player, but I hear a lot of people talk about guys who are under the radar so much and you don’t hear about David. But to me, hands down, David West is the most underrated player in the game. You never hear anything about David West but he takes care of his business on the floor.

MYTH: YOU CAN’T PLAY SPORTS WITH ASTHMA
As many of my fans know, I have exercise-induced asthma. Right now I’m working on this program with the NBA where we’re doing a skills challenge to raise awareness for kids with asthma. The skills challenge itself is for kids with and without asthma, but it helps the kids with asthma and it helps teach their parents about asthma.

I think it’s a very important because a lot of kids nowadays think they can’t play sports or play basketball or get involved with any type of athletic games because they feel that their asthma will get in the way. So I’m just trying to help announce it with the NBA that they can and educate kids and their parents about playing sports with asthma so their parents aren’t afraid.

SACHA KEEPS GETTING IN SLIM’S FACE
It’s amazing, my son and my daughter have totally opposite personalities. My daughter is wired, all over the place. She’s like a little princess. She wants all the attention. She has to have the spotlight.

My son, on the other hand is like me. Very chill, very mellow and he just kind of sits back. The funny thing is, since my daughter is like that, if people are paying to attention him or I’m in there playing with my boy, she wants the attention. So her way of getting the attention is to play with my son. So people are like “Oh how cute, you’re playing with your little brother.”

But she gets literally three centimeters from his face. She gets so close to his face that I’m annoyed and I say, “Oh, Sacha, you want to back up?” She gets so close to him and he just has this look. It looks like he’s trying to back up, but he can’t move. Imagine someone trying to back up with their eyes.

I feel so bad for him, but you can already see their relationship developing even at this age. I can already see she’s going to be the dramatic one, all over the place and he’s going to be like, “Come on, Sacha, let it go.” He’s definitely going to be the calm one.

TIME TO CATCH SHAQ! SIGN UP FOR MY TWITTER
Last thing before I catch this Britney Spears show, I want every single person that comes here to my website to sign up for my Twitter feed (http://twitter.com/tysonchandler). I’m only 149,500 people away from Shaq!

I was thinking about dissing Shaq on his Twitter. Something to make him come back to mine. That’s how it happens on the street. I feel like when rappers start a beef that their album sales go up. So I’m going to start a beef with Shaq and maybe I’ll get more Twitter hits.

I hope he doesn’t take it personal though. Rappers just talk. I actually have to see Shaq in a couple weeks.

LAST BUT NOT LEAST BY A STRETCH
Happy birthday to Grandma Alice!

• Add new comment