"I looked at the roster, and I felt like this was a great opportunity for me."
That's what center Tyson Chandler said on Thursday when he was officially presented as a member of the Phoenix Suns.
Chandler, who most recently played for the Dallas Mavericks and New York Knicks, decided to sign with the young Suns instead of finishing his career with a veteran-laden team.
He said family is important to him, and the Suns family environment was a huge selling point.
"That's what I really strive, and thrive in, is a real family environment. Getting close to players and getting out there and playing like brothers," said Chandler.
The Suns are a young team that has lacked veteran leadership the past few years. Head Coach Jeff Hornacek believes Chandler will be able to fill that void.
"I think the guys on our team are all good guys who, I think, want somebody to lead them. They're all young. They're really focused on themselves, you know it's the first time they really played big minutes and I think the real focus was how can I survive this season? How can I get through this next game and what do I have to do? And they didn't want that extra burden of leadership. Where Tyson (Chandler) is just going to fall right into it," said Hornacek.
Chandler averaged 10.3 points and 11.5 rebounds per game a year ago in Dallas.
