A lot has been made about the rumors swirling around Wilson Chandler and his play on the court, but an under-sighted aspect of the whole ordeal is that Chandler really wants to remain in New York.

I question that trade rumors surrounding a player can actually hinder their play, but Mike D’Antoni thinks so, and Raymond Felton said recently he doesn’t like the rumors. Similarly, Chandler has gone on record as well saying he doesn’t want to go to Denver.

Last night’s game was an example of Chandler proving his potential. He took touches away from Gallinari, but it didn’t matter because he put up 21 points.

But the point remains: is Chandler holding on to New York?

I mean, in reality, there’s only so much he can do to help his case. Play poorly, he’s probably going to get traded. Play well, he increases his value. Chandler, who’s maybe the quietest on the Knick bench, speaks wonders with his Twitter background…

It’s an aerial view of New York City, where the lights shine brighter than most places. And that’s what’s so intriguing about Chandler. Even though it seems like he doesn’t want the attention or the spotlight, it seems clear that he doesn’t want to end up in Denver.

The loss of Wilson Chandler has been unfortunate for the Knicks. They’ve gone 1-2 against two quality teams and barely etched out a win against the Pistons in the fourth quarter on Sunday night. On Friday, New York will take on the 76ers in Philadelphia; on Sunday, they will play the same team at the Garden.

According to the Post, Chandler will apparently be back for both games against the 76ers. Why is this such an important match-up?

Well, quietly, Philadelphia has won five of its last six games to creep back near the Knicks. They’re only three games behind New York. I’m confident the ‘Bockers will make the playoffs, but if they drop two here, the six seed we once cherished will be close to gone. The Knicks will need Chandler to win. It’s one more option the Philly has to worry about guarding. As much as he shoots to take away from the squad, he also scores incredibly well, and defends well enough to make the team miss his absence.

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On a separate note, it’s worth noting that Chandler is considering Happy Walters as his agent, according to the Daily News. That’s news because Walters is the agent for Stoudemire and Shawne Williams.

“Wilson’s a restricted free agent and I’m going to sign him… Everything’s improved on Wilson… His shooting technique has improved, his choice of shots has improved and the new players on the team have a lot to do with it because he gets better chances. The biggest change is when he gets to the goal in one dribble, he’s such a great athlete and leaves his feet, he’s up over anybody, and that separates him from a lot of players.”

~Donnie Walsh, on resigning Wilson Chandler

Just a day after we won’t stop yapping about Wilson Chandler, apparently Donnie Walsh agrees. I think this is exactly what the fans want to hear after his 31 point night (plus the win), but I also believe Walsh really means that he wants to resign Chandler. I mean really, who doesn’t want a Wilson Chandler on their team? I know the Spurs would have loved to have the guy on Tuesday night.

I don’t mean to toot Wilson Chandler‘s horn too much because, well, all he’s gotten from me is praise, but I think there are a couple of clips from Wil’s 31 points that you guys should take a peep.

The first is this follow up where Chandler attacked the rim after a missed shot. You know where your shot is going to go better than anyone else on the court. Wil saw this opportunity after he created his own shot. He missed, but an interesting bounce went off the rim. He picked up his own shot after the ball hit the floor once. Take a look:

The following video happens ironically the following Knicks possession. Chandler sees he is guarded by six-foot Tony Parker and takes advantage by posting him up. Just a simple recognition of who’s guarding him helped Wilson to another bucket:

Chandler’s really been one of the biggest Knick surprises this season (other than Landry Fields) and a true overachiever. Have to give credit where credit is due to Anthony Donahue who’s been giving shouting about this guy since before this blog started back in June.

(Apologies for the video quality – took them on a pretty basic Flip video camera.)

I know many of you already believe that the Knicks should keep Wilson Chandler, but for those who need convincing look no further. A few days ago I was streaming through the Twitterverse and came across a cool piece of information:

For players that have played more than 10 games, Wilson Chandler leads the NBA in shooting percentage at the rim.

Think about that. That means whenever he gets to the paint, one of threes things have the tendency to happen:

1. Chandler puts the ball in the basket. Obviously the most hoped for result; when this happens, 80.8% of the time at the rim, the Knicks should feel extremely grateful. 
2. Chandler gets fouled. Attempting almost three foul shots a game, Wilson gets to the line and makes his shots (81% shooter). This helps the Knicks in terms of possessions, and is one way the Knicks can attack the opposing bigs. The more players drive in the paint, the shorter amount of time that opposing bigs have to stay in the game. Chandler executes this strategy to perfection.
3. Chandler misses. On the off chance that this actually occurs (less than 20% of the time), the Knicks will face an defensive possession from the opponent, but then again, Wilson rarely misses from as close as the rim.

Remember when it was cool to criticize this man earlier in the season for his tendency to chuck up the three ball? Back then, his 3PA hung around 6, now, he’s all the way down to a much improved 4.8 now.

The strives in his game are enormous, and they seem to continue. He’s posted up big men, he’s versatile, and it makes no sense to deal him. Most fans will, at this point, agree that Wilson’s at least increased his value in a tremendous way.

In his rookie season, he rarely played, but tonight he looks himself in the mirror and can call himself the number three option on offense for the New York Knicks.

Another idea worth noting about Chandler is something that doesn’t necessarily come out in the box score: his defense.

Carmelo Anthony will not bring the type of defense that Wilson brings to the table. That’s fact. Melo is a better scorer, a better offensive player in all aspects, but is not the type of presence that Chandler is.

It’s mind-boggling that this small town Michigan boy even made something for himself in this big city, but it’s true, Wilson Chandler has paid his dues and now is on top of the Knick lineup.