Chandler finds footing

CHARLOTTE -- First, Tyson Chandler's foot doctor convinced him his body was OK.

Then, Charlotte Bobcats coach Larry Brown went to work on Chandler's head.

It's been a trying, emotional season for Chandler ever since the Bobcats acquired him from the New Orleans Hornets over the summer. There have been waves of anxiety over whether his foot and ankle would heal, interspersed with pangs of guilt that he wasn't helping his new team.

Maybe the worst is over. He had a season-high 15 points Wednesday against the Philadelphia 76ers and is more active as a rebounder and shot-blocker. No one would call him dominant, but that's OK, Brown told him.

That message - give me what you have, whatever it is - got Chandler back on track.

This reclamation began in late February when Chandler left a road trip to confer with the specialist who had performed various surgeries on his left ankle and big toe.

Chandler was so skittish about his physical condition that there was frequent speculation he might shut himself down for the season.

He didn't play much - three games from Dec. 22 to March 5 - and when he did play, he didn't do much. So he flew to New York to ask his doctor a simple question: Am I OK?

"Better than OK," came the response.

The doctor pulled out magnetic resonance imagings, X-rays and bone scans, each one illustrating Chandler's foot was in proper alignment and healing. The doctor assured him he wasn't in particular danger of further injury.

Then Chandler met with Brown about expectations. Known to be relentless in pursuing a player's best, Brown did something Chandler didn't anticipate:

He lowered Chandler's bar, at least for now.

"I didn't want him to feel the pressure of being the Tyson Chandler we all expected. I told him we're all sensitive to the fact that he's coming off an injury," Brown described at practice Thursday. "My only expectation was for him to give us whatever he could, as long as he wasn't jeopardizing himself in terms of injury."

All that time Chandler wasn't playing, he stewed - fixated on the perception he was letting down his team.

"When you're not capable of doing the things you used to do, it's more and more frustrating," Chandler said. "I'm a very passionate person...It bothered me every time I'd drive home from a game he watched in street clothes.

Brown's words freed him from all-or-nothing expectations. Now Chandler logs starter's minutes, but off the bench behind 14-season veteran Theo Ratliff.

"I learned a different side of him," Chandler said of Brown. "I always respected him, but I left with a lot more respect."

And what did Chandler learn?

"He's human."