Former Knick Chandler feels sorry for Carmelo Anthony

Tyson Chandler sure seems better off in Texas.

Traded to the Dallas Mavericks this offseason, the former New York Knicks center is seeing some measure of validation with the Knicks' struggles this season. Upon his departure, Chandler said he felt like he was made to be a scapegoat, but there's no blaming him now.

Chandler's Mavericks are thriving at 18-8, while his former squad is just 5-22. While it'd be hard to fault Chandler for taking a shot at the Knicks or rubbing salt in the wound, he actually finds himself feeling sorry for former teammate Carmelo Anthony, the lone star in the moribund Knicks mess.

"I do," Chandler said Tuesday. "Because he's a competitor. I laced them up and went to battle with him for the last three years and know what kind of competitor he is. I know he wants to win, and I know he's going to take a lot of this heat. And it's unfortunate because he's a hell of a player in our league. It's just unfortunate."

Feeling sorry publicly for a former teammate may actually be the most effective way for Chandler to get a dig in at his old squad, if that were his intention.

The Mavericks topped the Knicks 107-87 on Tuesday, by the way, giving Chandler yet another edge in the battle with the team that passively suggested he was the root of chemistry issues just a few months ago.