Chandler's return could be sooner

New Charlotte Bobcats center Tyson Chandler might not be out so long after all.

He is recovering from off-season ankle and toe surgery and was limited to minimal activity during last week's training camp. Monday he practiced for the first time in custom-made orthotic supports, and felt so good he was allowed to participate in some 5-on-5 drills and scrimmage briefly.

Based on that, coach Larry Brown said it's possible Chandler won't be held out of all four of the Bobcats' exhibitions over the next week. The team was working under the assumption Chandler couldn't be ready to play before a two-game preseason tournament, hosted by the Los Angeles Lakers Oct.17 and 18.

"He probably got a little excited today,'' Chandler said of Brown. "He saw me get up and down (the court) and get a little contact. That's same as I felt.''

So did the orthotics make a difference?

"They help a lot. Now I'll be able to actually strengthen my ankle'' by playing on it, Chandler said. "Before the orthotics, just getting up and down (the court) I'd get sore quickly. So now I can make the progress.''

The Bobcats open the preseason tonight in Cleveland, then play in Greensboro (Thursday vs. the New Orleans Hornets), North Charleston (Saturday versus the Cavaliers) and Atlanta (Monday).

Neither Chandler nor Emeka Okafor, who were exchanged for each other in a mid-summer trade, figure to play in Greensboro. Okafor is out with a sprained toe.

Finally, an opponent

Typically at this point in the preseason, players can't wait to play an opponent, rather than keep practicing against each other.

That's partially because when you're scrimmaging against teammates, there are no secrets to what you're doing.

"It looks kind of messed up because everybody knows everybody's plays. Everybody is cheating,'' forward Gerald Wallace said Monday.

"They know where you're going to be, they know where the ball is going, they know exactly what coaches want. If you don't do it right, you know the coaches are going to stop it right there and run it again.

"If you can execute and get some successful shots in practice, it should be easy in game time.''

Brown said that familiarity is a good mental test of players' creativity. Brown gauges when players have the foresight to see a play breaking down and improvise to create a decent shot before the 24-second clock expires.

Here and there

Two of the first three exhibitions will be televised locally. The Greensboro exhibition will be on FSN Carolinas and the North Charleston rematch with the Cavs on Fox SportSouth. Both games tip off at 7:30 p.m.

•The Bobcats' pregame notes list Vlade Radmanovic as the probable starter at power forward, not Alexis Ajinca. Having to help guard new Cav Shaquille O'Neal would likely get Ajinca in quick foul trouble, and the Bobcats are trying to raise his confidence. That same lineup has Nazr Mohammed starting at center.

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