This was the statline for Jose Calderon (2nd-yr, PG) last night against the Washington Wizards (current leaders in the Eastern Conference):
Name, Min, FG, 3Pt, FT, Off, Reb, Ast, TO, Stl, Blk, PF, Pts
J Calderon, 39, 10-13, 0-1, 4-4, 1, 3, 11, 1, 0, 0, 3, 24
TOR vs WAS (Jan 31, 2007)
Since former starter TJ Ford was sidelined with an assortment of lower leg injuries (ankle & calf) on January 20, 2007, this has been Toronto's record with Senor Calderon at the lead PG spot for their team:
Date, Opponent, Result, Top Scorer/Rebounder/Assists (TO)
Jan 22, vs CHA, W 105-84, Bosh 20/Graham 9/Calderon 11 (TO 1)
Jan 24, vs NOK, W 90-88, Bosh 35/Parker 9/Calderon 8 (TO 0)
Jan 26, vs BOS, W 96-90, Bosh 26/Garbajosa 8/Calderon 8 (TO 2)
Jan 27, at IND, L 84-102, Bosh 26/Bosh 12/Calderon 10 (TO 6)
Jan 31, vs WAS, W 119-109, Bosh 34/Bosh 8/Calderon 11 (TO 1)
which has allowed the Raptors to climb into 1st place in the "Titantic" division and, once again, reach the .500 mark on the season.
Even with Ford's return to the line-up last evening, as a reserve, it is becoming increasingly clear that the best PG in Toronto ... isn't the one new GM Bryan Colangelo acquired from the Milwaukee Bucks in return for Charlie Villanueva (PF) during the off-season but the one who led his home country (Spain) to the No. 1 spot overall at the 2006 World Championships.
The reasons for this are numerous:
* Calderon, with his size, is a better defensive match-up against the other quality PG's in the NBA
* Calderon, with his size, is a better passer, able to create and take advantage of different angles to deliver the ball to his teammates creating easy shots for them
* Calderon, because of his patience with the ball, is able to create a slew of easy layups and open jumpers for his teammates, within the flow of the offense, which are never forced, allowing them to shoot a high percentage
* Calderon has a tremendous "change-of-pace" handle which creates a slew of easy layups for himself within the flow of the offense, which are never forced and he is capable of finishing with either hand at the rim (at a high percentage)
* Calderon, because of his mature understanding of how to play the game, at the PG position, is always focused exclusively on taking what the defense is giving him
* Calderon is improving his perimeter shooting dramatically the more he plays this season (his 2nd in the NBA)
* Calderon, as a vocal, enthusiastic, positive body language person, has tremendous leadership qualities about his game
* Calderon, at the helm, allows the Raptors, as a team, to play less erratically for long stretches within any given game ... and to bring TJ Ford off the bench, as a high-octane "change-the-pace-to-a-full-throttle" dynamo, capable of busting open games by himself, in short bursts, when the situation calls for it (in a sense, ala Vinnie "the Microwave" Johnson of yesteryear)
Once the Raptors' braintrust decides to make this move permanent (by biting the bullet on Ford's contract extension, given earlier this season, as a highly paid "back-up" on their team for the foreseeable future), Toronto will then be poised to take a quantum leap up the ladder in the Eastern Conference standings and become perennial title contendas ... with their new Big 3 - Bosh, Bargnani & Calderon - intact for the next decade.
As it stands this season, there is no reason whatsoever, if they use the following line-up:
Main Players:
1 - Jose Calderon (pass first in control PG)
2 - Anthony Parker (shooter, scorer, defender)
3 - Joey Graham (defender, rebounder)
4 - Jorge Garbajosa (Euro version of Charles Oakley)
5 - Chris Bosh (rock solid Centre, 20 & 10)
Key Bench Players:
1 - TJ Ford (explosive passer, scorer)
2/3 - Morris Peterson (defender, 3-pt shooter)
3/4 - Andrea Bargnani (shooter/scorer, passer)
4/5 - Rasho Nesterovic (rebounder, defender)
... Toronto should not be expected to play in the Eastern Conference semi-finals (at least) later this spring.
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2 comments:
With TJ Ford as "lead guard" against those teams:
Nov 26, vs IND, W 92-83
Nov 28, vs NOK, W 94-77
Dec 1, vs BOS, W 106-102
Jan 7, vs WAS, W 116-111
Jan 12, vs BOS, W 95-86
No chance to play eastern conference powerhouse Charlotte yet.
So, record with TJ Ford as "lead guard" vs. all of the teams you listed with Calderon as "lead guard": 5-0. Which had allowed the Raptors to climb into 1st place in the "Titantic" division, before he got hurt.
So, let's hold off on the "increasingly clear" and "biting the bullet" talk for just a little while longer shall we?
Ah, whatever. Just keep posting your picks so I can keep fading you.
It's the how those earlier games were played ... i.e. almost lost then, ultimately, won ... that makes the difference, in comparison to the current stretch of sound play by the Raptors ... plus, the fact, that these recent W's have occurred largely without any contribution from Ford - save the game vs. the Wizards, which is significant in its own right - in sharp contrast to the Ford-led victories over those same teams earlier in the season in which both Ford & Calderon made major contributions.
When the Calderon+Ford combo takes the floor for the Raps, as a team, they perform at a much higher level than they do under the (i) Ford+Calderon or (ii) Calderon+Martin (without Ford entirely) combos.
It's only a matter of time before this shift becomes permanent in Toronto ... at least, if their organization is serious about trying to win a championship in the immediate future.
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