For once, Chandler enjoys his time in Chicago
Tyson Chandler hadn't experienced a sunny day in Chicago since being traded from the Bulls to the Hornets in 2006.
"The first couple times I came back here, I was a little more bitter," he said before playing the Bulls on Saturday. "I couldn't really enjoy the city because I had a bad taste in my mouth. But this time I came back, I forgot how nice a city this was. I walked down Michigan Avenue and enjoyed the scenery a little bit."
Being the easily-recognizable 7-foot-1 figure he is, Chandler said he heard plenty of honking horns as he strolled down the Magnificent Mile in search of a specific piece of jewelry for his newborn son. The store didn't have it.
A few weeks ago, Chandler was dealt to Oklahoma City in a cost-cutting move by New Orleans, but the Thunder found some sort of foot issue during his physical and rescinded the trade. Chandler will finish the season with the Hornets and knows he's a threat to be traded again this summer. There's even an outside chance he could return to Chicago.
Asked about that possibility, Chandler gave essentially the same answer Tim Thomas did when he came back last month: As long as coach Scott Skiles is gone, everything would be OK.
"I left on good terms with Pax," Chandler said, referring to general manager John Paxson. "Not so much the people that I had trouble with, who are no longer here. You never know what can happen."
Rookies on the point: Derrick Rose isn't ready to compare himself to New Orleans all-star point guard Chris Paul, who is in his fourth NBA season. But one thing the two have in common is both were thrown into a lead role as rookies. Like Paul, Rose started from opening day.
Hornets coach Byron Scott felt it was an advantage for Paul to play with veteran forward P.J. Brown, who took on much of the team leadership. It's debatable whether Rose has that kind of help with the Bulls.
"Just handing him the ball and telling him, 'This is your team, run the team' - he was natural for that, so I didn't see that being a problem whatsoever," Scott said. "He handled it extremely well all season long and it wasn't until his second or third year when he really started to take over the leadership role."
Bull horns: Tyrus Thomas' blocked shot streak reached 28 consecutive games, which is the longest in the NBA this season. ... New Orleans went 0-for-11 from 3-point range in Saturday's game. ... Hornets sharpshooter Peja Stojakovic sat out due to back spasms.