Chandler rejoins team
Suns center Tyson Chandler rejoined his team Sunday in Oakland after being with family in Southern California following the death of his mother Tuesday.
In his absence, Alex Len averaged 9.8 points and 10.0 rebounds per game on 53 percent shooting and avoided foul issues until Sunday, when he had five in 18 minutes.
Chandler no longer qualifies for league leaders with the missed time but his 13.3 rebounds per game would rank third in the NBA. The guards miss Chandler for how he frees them with the fourth-most screens that set up scores in the NBA (5.1 per game).
“Tyson brings a lot of fire,” Suns guard Devin Booker said. “He’s a vocal leader for us. We need that. He’s been there. In those tough games, he knows what to expect."
Rookie Dragan Bender has been a part of the rotation in Chandler’s absence, averaging 5.0 points in 13.3 minutes per game on 8-of-18 shooting and playing with confidence.
http://www.azcentral.com/story/sports/nba/suns/2016/11/14/phoenix-suns-tj-warren-improves-defense-play/93808692/