02/19/2009 - 15:05
It's Destiny, and That's Why I'm Back
by Tyson Chandler

I had been hearing trade rumors, but it was all about me going to Miami. I hadn't really heard anything else. But when I was in Cabo [over the All-Star Break] I saw that Jermaine O'Neal went to Miami. So I figured it was pretty much dead. I talked to my agent over the weekend and he told me that my name was still out there and he was getting all the info.

Coming out of the All-Star Break, we're playing against Oklahoma City and practicing there. After Monday's practice one of their reporters is like, "How would you feel about coming back to Oklahoma City, there's trade rumors involving you. People in the community loved you. They really want you back."

I responded: "I had a great time in Oklahoma City and my family really enjoyed the city. The city was nothing but nice to us. But I'm a Hornet and I enjoy playing for the Hornets and that's that."

So that was the interview. And then their equipment manager walked by me and was joking and I was like, "I'll see you in a couple days," and he started laughing and was like, "Yeah, that's the word around here."

But I was just joking. I honestly didn't think there was any way that I was going to Oklahoma City. It wasn't even a thought in my head. So I just went back to my room and finished the day.

TRADE DAY
The following day I went to shootaround as usual to rehab my ankle, trying to get back on the court.

After shootaround I came back to the hotel and I talked to my agent a couple times and right when I was about to take a nap he called again and said I was being traded to Oklahoma City.

So I'm sitting in the hotel room and all of a sudden I get a phone call from their general manager, and they said, "Since you're in town, if you want to, go get the physicals and everything and that way we can get it done."

So their GM came and picked me up, and he was all excited. I go do my physicals and then I fly back to New Orleans.

HORNETS IN MY BLOOD
I planned to pack my stuff in New Orleans and then go back to Oklahoma City the following day.

So I'm watching the game and it's funny because I'm still like cheering for the Hornets because, you know, I've still got Hornets in my blood. Those are still my guys.

I spent the night packing my stuff for Oklahoma City, watching the ending of the game and the highlights.

DON'T GET ON THE PLANE
The next day I was getting everything straight with my family and packing up stuff. The kids were going to go back to California with our parents and I was going to head out to Oklahoma City and start looking for a house for the following year. Until then I was going to be in a hotel.

On my way to the airport I get a call from my agent again and he says "Don't get on the plane." And I'm like "What?" He repeats, "Don't get on the plane. There's some problems with the trade, I don't know if it's going to go through."

So I go back home and he calls me back to say the deal is not going through. Meanwhile, I'm like "WHAT?"

Next thing you know, I'm getting calls from a couple of the Hornets people, and they're saying, "We're looking forward" and this and that.

All my teammates are calling me back and they're all hyped. I got a call from Chris and one from D-West. Everybody was excited, saying: "We're so glad to have you back." Everybody was upset about the trade and now I'm coming back and we're all hyped up. So I'm telling them: "It's meant to be. It wasn't meant for us to be broken up. Now let's make this championship run."

YA'LL COULDN'T GET RID OF ME
The next day was just comical. I walk into the locker room and say, "Ya'll couldn't get rid of me!"

And everybody starts busting up laughing. I did the skit from Training Day when Denzel Washington was like, "King Kong ain't got nothing on ME!" Everybody was laughing and having a good time.

With my teammates it's all love. They welcomed me back like a brother.

With management, it's always going to be a little funny because these guys just tried to trade me away and I got bounced back to them. I'm sure that will be pretty awkward.

But for me, it doesn't matter because I play for my teammates, myself my family and the fans. That's all that really matters to me and that's all that will ever matter.

It's funny more than anything else because of everything that has gone down. But I think this will be a spark for my teammates and for myself, because we have to get this done. We have to win a championship. We have people doubting, even people doubting us from the top.

So let's show them what we're made of.

THE ANKLE
I'm feeling better. My ankle is still not quite 100% so that's why I've been rehabbing. I have to continue to rehab it to get on the court. I'm around 80% or so. I want to get closer to 90% and give it a shot.

The guys have done an excellent job of holding down the fort while I'm gone. As long as we stay in the playoff hunt by the time I get back healthy, we'll be fine. We'll have all our pieces and we'll be ready to take a shot at it.

WE HAVE A CHANCE TO WIN
Most of the feedback I got was that it was a mistake for them trade me and we've got great chemistry with the team. I heard that it was just unbelievable that they would make that trade. Everything I got back was positive.

Along with the positive things, you're always going to have some negative thoughts and people are always going to have something to say. But that part doesn't matter to me. The part that matters to me is the guys in the locker room and the coaching staff and all they had to say was good things.

All they had to say was how much they didn't want for this to happen, how much that they would miss me and how much I brought to the team. That's what really matters. The only way you can measure what a person does for his team is by talking to his coaches and his teammates. You can't put a stat on that.

This has to be about winning championships and nothing else. The thing is, you can't get down on players when players go take contracts somewhere else that are bigger than what their team is offering them when management gets rid of players for money. This is like the opposite end.

We come together and we make sacrifices to win. A lot of guys on our team make sacrifices to win, including myself. I sacrifice myself every night to win, and I don't care about anything except for winning.

And that's the thought from every player in our locker room. Every player plays with heart and that's very unusual to have in this league. It's a beautiful thing we have. And when you go mess that up because of different financial things, that's when players start having problems. I know I have a problem with it.

If you trade me away and it's about the team getting better, it's about winning and you feel like you have a shot to contend, I'm all for it. But you can't trade me away for future cap space. I can understand if we didn't have a chance to win, but if we've got a chance to win, you can't break that up.

It's destiny, and that's why I'm back.