Chris Andersen

Andersen appeared in 60 games in his third season with the Heat and posted averages of 5.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 1.0 block over 19 minutes per game. As he enters his 14th season in the NBA, Andersen will be on the final year of his contract with the Heat, and given that he is 37 years old, it could very well be his final year in the league. Nevertheless, Andersen will likely continue to serve as a solid reserve center off the bench, backing up Hassan Whiteside this year. Andersen's most valuable trait may be the energy he brings to the court, but he is a solid rebounder and a fairly reliable shot blocker, even at this point in his career. So long as he gets enough playing time, Andersen is a good bet for a block per game, but given his age, he will definitely have health concerns this coming season, and his overall role will likely remain minimal, especially with the young Whiteside chewing up most of the minutes at the center position with Chris Bosh and Josh McRoberts rotating in as well.

Andersen is entering his thirteenth season in the NBA. After playing in 72 games for the Heat last season, he decided to stay with the team under a new multi-year deal. In 19 minutes per game last season, he averaged 6.6 points, 5.3 rebounds, 0.3 assists, 0.4 steals, and 1.3 blocks. The 36-year-old Andersen and Udonis Haslem will likely provide relief off the bench in the frontcourt for Josh McRoberts and Chris Bosh. Andersen's contributions to the Heat haven't necessarily shown up in the box score, but he's an important player in the rotation, as head coach Erik Spoelstra has expressed over the past couple of seasons. Beyond the intensity that he brings to the court, the former undrafted free agent from Blinn College has been a reliable source of blocks throughout his NBA career. Even in limited time on the hardwood, he always seems to be good for at least one block per game. Despite the praise he's received from Spoelstra during his time in Miami, Andersen is still shaping up to be used only in a minimal role, like he has been in the past.

Andersen, aka Birdman, provided a nice boost of size as an enforcer on defense for the Heat. He has a knack for drawing and dishing out contact in the paint and has a role playing short stints at center. He averaged 11.9 points, 9.9 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per 36 minutes over 42 games with the Heat last season. He mainly brings fantasy value in rebounds and blocks, but probably does not play enough minutes from game to game to warrant much of a look on draft day.

The lockout was positive for Andersen. He needed the extra time to get both his knee and back 100-percent healthy. Andersen has struggled with injuries the last couple of years, but if he can stay away from the infirmary, he's as good a shot-blocker as there is in the league (averaging 1.6 a game for his career) and should see extended minutes this season with Martin playing in China. We fully expect to see him put up numbers comparable to his 2008-09 stats, when he averaged less than 20 minutes a night and posted 6.4 ppg, 6.2 rpg, and 2.5 bpg.

Andersen's blazing pace of blocking shots regressed some last year, but 1.9 bpg while seeing just 22:18 mpg is still quite impressive. He's never going to contribute much scoring, but blocks is a rather scarce category, so he has some value. Denver added Al Harrington in the offseason to a frontcourt that already possessed Kenyon Martin, Nene Hilario and Andersen, so minutes will once again be at a premium. Also, Andersen underwent knee surgery in May and had another surgery to repair a torn ligament in his left ring finger in July, and there's a good chance he won't be ready for the start of the regular season.

Andersen’s NBA comeback came full circle in 2008-09. After being suspended for two seasons for violating the league’s drug policy, Andersen returned to Denver, his first stop in the NBA. Denver placed Andersen in the familiar role of defensive-stopper off the bench. The “Birdman” thrived in the energy role he played for the Nuggets, averaging a career-high with 6.2 boards and scoring 6.4 points in only 20 minutes per game. His biggest statistical leap came on the defensive end. Always a solid shot blocker, Andersen swatted a career-best 2.5 shots per contest and finished eighth in the Defensive Player of the Year voting. His offensive game isn’t nearly as refined. At 6-10, 230, Anderson has a big, athletic frame, but lacks the ability to create his own shot. Instead, Andersen relies on offensive rebounds to get easy tip-ins or put-backs. With Nene and Kenyon Martin in the frontcourt, Andersen is third in line for minutes, but he’s proven to be effective in a reserve role and should be one of the top shot blockers in the league again this season. Andersen was signed to a five-year deal this offseason, solidifying his role on the team for the foreseeable future.

Birdman returns to Denver where he once flew so gracefully before his drug induced downfall. After getting reinstated to the league after a two year absence it still remains to be seen if Anderson can compete again at this level. We think he'll be up to the task, or at least he'll be better than Stephen Hunter, and thus will earn the primary back-up role behind Nenê. While we don't see Anderson getting more than 15 minutes a night on average, he's a guy to keep an eye on considering Nenê's injury history.

Anderson's two-year suspension by the NBA is over in January in 2008. At that point, he can apply to return to the league and possibly help a team in need of an active 4/5, capable of defending hard and blocking shots.

Anderson took advantage of Jamaal Magloire’s fractured finger and the pitiful Hornets lineup to average career highs in points (7.7 ppg), rebounds (6.1 rpg) and blocks (1.5 bpg) in 21.3 minutes last season. And even when Magloire returned, Anderson was getting 24 minutes a night. As a result, the Hornets re-signed the Birdman to a four-year deal in the offseason, though Magloire, who New Orleans tried to trade during the summer, looks like he’ll still be around. At this point, Anderson will be a capable backup to Magloire at center and also to P. J. Brown at power forward. If Magloire is eventually traded, Anderson becomes a nice fantasy commodity.

The Nuggets have refused to offer Anderson a guaranteed contract for 2003-04 and so it's likely he'll be playing elsewhere by the time training camp rolls around. He should provide solid depth wherever he lands.