Empty the Bench

The long, flowing locks of sandy-blond hair from the early days of his NBA career have been replaced by a shorter, spiked up ‘doo, one which gives him somewhat of a resemblance to British Joe Soccer Fan (albeit significantly taller and not quite as doughy and pasty).

His tattoos, including the red-and-black bird wings that don his inner biceps, are of course still there though–along with a number of new additions to file under “he must have been drunk when he got that” department.

Kicked out of the NBA back in ’06 for violating the league’s drug policies, Chris “Birdman” Andersen, who was once called “the most disgraced NBA player since the drug-induced haze of the 1980s,” is back. He’s been back, actually, since the end of last season, when following his reinstatement he resigned with the New Orleans Hornets and made five “token” appearances.

It was a feel-good story of a player who’d cleaned up and worked his way back into the league, but few thought him capable of swooping back after a two-year absence and making any noise. The Hornets let him walk as a free agent, and in a low-risk move by the Denver Nuggets, he was signed to a one-year contract for just under $1 million.

I’d say that’s one low-risk move that’s panned out for the Nuggs, wouldn’t you?

With Marcus Camby no longer manning the middle, the onus fell on Andersen and Nene Hilario to fill the void, a huge gamble by a team harboring playoff ambitions. It’s remarkable, really, just how well that’s worked out so far: Nene is in midst of the best season of his career and at this point it’s safe to say that The Birdman is too. By far.

With a little over a month left to go until the playoffs, Andersen is currently tied with Camby for second in the NBA in blocked shots at 2.3 per, just 0.6 behind Dwight Howard. That average has been buoyed by a remarkable tear in which he recently averaged 3.6 over 10 outings, including 7 against the Lakers on February 27. In addition to the blocks, Andersen is averaging 6.1 points, 5.7 boards, and 0.5 steals in 19:30 minutes per (the second-most of his seven-year career).

He’s always been somewhat of a freak athletic talent (though he was the main culprit in one of the shittiest dunk contests in NBA history), but the impact Andersen’s had thus far in his second NBA stint has been astounding. He’ll turn 31 in July, but that two-year break means his legs should be fresher than a lot of guys his age. Expect his efforts to be rewarded this summer with a nice payday in the form of a 2+ year deal, likely with the Nuggets.

And think of The Birdman’s NBA redemption tour as much more than just a feel-good story–consider it a bona fide block party.

Chris “Birdman” Andersen Photo Credit: Icon SMI

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