Yes, you were paying attention

At 7-foot-1, 235 pounds, Hornets center Tyson Chandler is hard to miss.

And given the way he’s played this season, it was hard to miss our poll question of the week: “Who is the Hornets’ MVP this season?”

Last season, there was no doubt rookie point guard Chris Paul was the team MVP.

Though Paul remains a valuable commodity, this season there is equally no doubt Chandler is the Hornets’ top man.

Acquired last July in a trade that shipped veteran center PJ Brown and gifted guard J.R. Smith to Chicago, Chandler immediately made his presence known.

Though only 24 years old, this already is his sixth season in the league.

Chandler leads the league in field-goal percentage (.625), is second in rebounding (12.4) and is on the cusp of averaging a double-double (9.4 ppg).

As impressive as those numbers are, what’s more impressive about Chandler is his attitude. He has untapped potential that he wants to tap. He is an open-minded sponge, a coach’s dream.

Sadly, many NBA players can become a coach’s nightmare.

The Hornets have made it clear they’ll do everything they can to hang on to Paul for as long as they can. It’s safe to say they now feel the same way about Chandler.

Congrats to those who voted in our on-line poll. Chandler won handily with 58 percent of the vote, followed by Desmond Mason with 23 percent, Paul with 11 percent, David West with 6 percent and Devin Brown with 2 percent.

John Rohde