Ric Bucher: Tyson Chandler makes sense off the court, odd fit on it

For a lot of people, the Phoenix Suns’ free agent agreement with Tyson Chandler came out of left field.

For Ric Bucher of Bleacher Report, it was surprising for more reasons than just that no one saw it coming.

“Here’s the struggle,” Bucher explained Wednesday on Bickley and Marotta on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM Wednesday. “As teams have become more adept at really exploiting zones and taking away the paint, it’s become far more of a jump-shooting league. The Warriors have demonstrated that by winning the championship without really having a post presence.

“Chandler is not capable of [being a constant offensive threat]. In one respect, Phoenix is really defying the trend right now, which they seemed to be following, which is don’t worry about size but put five guys as position-less as possible but all of whom can create space and knock down a shot from at least mid-range. This is really going to change the way they operate offensively and I’ll be interested, as much as anything, to see how this plays with what happens with Bledsoe.”

While he may not be a great fit for the Suns’ style, the veteran center who averaged 10.3 points and 11.5 rebounds last season, brings a reputation of leadership and deep playoff experience to a young team that has recently struggled with chemistry.

“He can be tremendous in that regard and you’ve seen that impact in most places,” Bucher said. “That being said, you have to able to play and you have to be able to make an impact. While I believe Tyson is capable of that, you have to have a willing group who is willing to listen.”