Calderon available?!?

by porterfan30 on May 12, 2008 2:14 PM PDT Comment 23 comments

according to his website: http://www.josemanuelcalderon.com/indexEN.html

"As of today, the Raptors would like me to continue, however until the 1st of July we will not know anything about the possible renewal or other offers from teams interested in me for next season. What is clear is the fact that if I have to choose between a sports offer versus an economic offer, I will opt for the first. I want to be a starter and to be in a team that aspires for everything. Of course I will not be on a team in which I cannot be an important contributor nor if there is not a solid structure or if there are not options to be in the “Playoffs”."

There seems to be a log jam in Toronto. I don't think either Ford and Calderon will be happy in a reserve role. There has been a lot of talk about Jose playing with Rudy and the PTB but what about Ford? According to Sportscity.com, Ford is signed through 2010 (8 mil, 8.5, 8.5). What do you think? If you want to see Jose in a Blazer uniform you gotta like that a "sports offer" is higher on his list than a "economic offer".

Poll

If one of the Raptor pg's came available would you be interested?

Calderon

86 votes

TJ Ford

6 votes

Neither

5 votes

97 votes | Poll has closed

0 recs | Comment 23 comments

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Comments

here

http://www.blazersedge.com/2008/5/6/481521/interesting-calderon-news

If it fills a need, if it fills a rebuilding situation. And my goal is to fill and rebuild and I am not going to be shortsighted.
- Isiah Thomas

by JTDuck22 on May 12, 2008 2:19 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Hey his profile pic IS a turtle.

by SpyderRyder on May 12, 2008 2:20 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

I have said it in the other 3 Calderon articles

I have to follow tradition. No way Jose.

by Sabonis4Ever on May 12, 2008 2:23 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Old news bro.

by bfan on May 12, 2008 2:27 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

I'll say it again too

I think TJ Ford is okay. I think if he gets injured, you just Darius retire him. Not that I want him, I just don’t think his neck would keep me from trading for him. What keeps me from wanting to trade for him, is his salary.

"Reality is for people who can't handle Blazers Edge." - MiledAnimal

by tominhawaii on May 12, 2008 3:09 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

3-way trade

The Toronto Sun had an article on Saturday saying that the Raptors should trade Calderon and keep Ford because they could get more for Calderon.

Wendell Maxey from Hoopsworld thinks that Richard Jefferson might be a possibility because the Nets want to clear salary for a run at LeBron in a couple years.

That would give Toronto a core of Bosh, Jefferson, and Ford. The trouble is the Nets don’t need Calderon, they have Harris. Trailblazers to the rescue. How about this:

Toronto gets – Jefferson

Jersey gets – LaFrentz, Outlaw

Portland gets – Calderon, Trenton Hassel (Jersey), Joey Graham (Toronto)

Hassel and Graham are just to make the salaries work and this is assuming we do a sign and trade for Calderon at about 10 mil for the first year. We could structure the contract like Hinrich’s where it actually goes down after the first year which would help us out in resigning our own players later on. Jersey gets a younger cheaper player in outlaw and ditches some salary next year. The question is do you want to give up Outlaw for Calderon.

by TubbaDubba on May 12, 2008 4:25 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

First article: http://www.torontosun.com/Sports/Basketball/2008/05/10/5526176-sun.html

Second article: http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=8585 Article about the Lazers and point guards

Extra: http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=8658 Brandon got 2 points for All Defensive Team

by Sabonis4Ever on May 12, 2008 6:23 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Sorry

I put the links in my post but for some reason they didn’t show up.

by TubbaDubba on May 12, 2008 7:31 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

if we are doing a trade with NJ

Wouldn’t you rather get D.Harris than Jose?

by usmcr3049 on May 12, 2008 6:42 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

No.

by TubbaDubba on May 12, 2008 7:32 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

It depends on what you want

Defense and driving to the hoop (Harris), or high shooting percentage (including 3’s), great distributor, low turnovers, and runs the pick and roll (Calderon).

To me if we want a defensive guy who can’t shoot it would be cheaper to draft Westbrook.

If you took a poll on this site or among GM’s around the leauge I think you’d find that Calderon>Harris.
He just brings more to the table.

by TubbaDubba on May 12, 2008 7:44 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I don't know about that

Calderon>Harris is questionable.

Harris plays much better defense, is a great fast breaker (not saying better than Calderon at running the break, though he is a much better athlete) and his shooting has consistently improved every year. I think he would be a lot harder to get a hold of than Calderon. Not to mention, Harris is a few years younger than Jose and still improving…

I’d be happy with either but I strongly prefer Harris.

by BlazerD on May 12, 2008 10:29 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I agree

I think that Calderon would be awesome and I’d be thrilled if he ended up in red and black with a hint of silver, but for what we want (and when I say “we”, I mean “I”) in our PG alongside our big three, Harris is perfect. Great perimeter defender, good finisher in the open floor and at the rim, and most importantly, doesn’t need the ball in his hands to be effective on the offensive end.

Unfortunately I think our time to grab him has come and gone. My preferred alternatives in order: 1) Calderon; 2) Westbrook; 3) Blake for another year and look for a solution in 09-10.

by BlazersOrBust on May 13, 2008 8:30 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Don't get me wrong

I love the idea of a defensive point guard but I cringe a little when we talk about Harris or Westbrook because of the fact that they are poor shooters. Having a guy that can defend Paul, Williams, and Parker would be great but if they can sag off and leave him open on the defensive end then you’re only making them work on half of the floor. With Oden and Alderidge drawing a lot of attention down low, and Brandon doing some of the driving and dishing, I think we need a PG who can knock down the open three as much as he can defend. Basically a little better version of Steve Blake.
Calderon has been much maligned on this site for his lack of defense and I’ll admit that I haven’t seen him play enough to be a good judge of that myself, but from what I’ve read about him the experts seem to think he’s actually not bad defensively.
Here’s what Hoopshype says about him:

Plays aggressive and unselfish basketball…Very positive attitude…SOLID DEFENSE…Great legs…Very athletic…Likes to push the ball…Good distributor…Doesn’t turn the ball over…Very good getting layups…Has improved his often inconsistent outside shot…More of a playmaker than a scorer.

The one knock here was that his shot was inconsistent but this year he shot 43% from behind the arc and 52% overall.

I’ll admit he’s not as good of a defender as Harris but in pretty much every other category it’s either a wash or Calderon has a clear advantage.

by TubbaDubba on May 13, 2008 10:13 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Hmmm, I do not agree

Harris isn’t that bad a shooter; 35% from 3 is his average and that’s just fine for a ‘non-shooter’. Calderon is a better shooter, yes, but his defensive liabilities would be just as bad or worse than Blake, and without Blake’s strength against bigger guards like Baron Davis.

Harris is a better fit because he is a good playmaker, good dribbler, SUPER FAST on both ends of the court, can play off the ball like in Dallas or create like he does in New Jersey (and watching the Nets game, he’s a much better passer than even I thought he was), he can penetrate at will (something Calderon doesn’t do as well), and he has the size and speed to guard any PG in the league.

Calderon is a great PG too and I like him; if we got him he would be a good upgrade offensively. But, we would still have all the same problems defensively and we’ll hate Chris Paul every playoff season.

I don’t think most people here are convinced Calderon is better than Harris or a better fit, and I doubt most GMs think so too. I hope that’s the case, because then we can steal Harris away somehow. He’s a smart kid, athletic, can fastbreak, play defense, and is a decent shooter—what’s not to like?

How old is the Hoopshype profile? Amlmart1 says Calderon was considered a quick PG in Spain, and a good defender, but the athletic gap between Eurolandia and the NBA is huge and a quick defender there is a liability here. That profile might be describing his pre-NBA days, especially since it says he’s an inconsistent shooter.

Calderon gets TO/A ratio, and shooting. Harris gets quickness, defense, fastbreak, size, dunking (which is the most important stat for PGs), and playoff experience. I suspect Calderon will cost equal to or a bit less than Harris. After watching the Nets games, I am not sure Calderon is the better passer either. I gotta say Harris is the better fit and anyone who thinks otherwise is worse than Hitler.

Mortimer

by Mortimer on May 13, 2008 10:33 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Don't agree on all counts

First of all Calderon has 25-40 lbs on Blake or Harris so he’s not giving away any size.

I agree that the Hoopshype is a little old which is the only reason it said that Calderon was an inconsistent shooter at times. Can’t say that now.

I do like Harris but can’t justify having a PG that cant shoot the 3, especially when we’re gonna get so many open looks in the future when the double team comes down low and the ball is kicked back out. Gotta be able to hit that shot more than a third of the time.

I personally believe that I’ve read a lot more support on this site for Calderon than Harris but that is certainly up for debate.

What is not up for debate is that Calderon is a much better shooter (43% to 33% from 3, 55% to 50% from 2, 52% to 48% overall), and a much better passer (8.3A to 5.3A both in about 30mpg).

I think I’ll start a post to see definitively who people on this site prefer overall.

by TubbaDubba on May 13, 2008 11:45 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

"The question is do you want to give up Outlaw for Calderon."

This might be the easiest question I’ve ever been asked. Yes. A thousand times yes.

by leeroyjenkins on May 13, 2008 8:42 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I would do this in a heart beat

I love that Outlaw plays the SF and PF which gives us nice versatility, but Rudy or roy could also play some SF and then you have Frye at PF. It upgrades our point guard issue, although I think waiting two years for the Finland kid will also solve this issue. Not this year, but next year, I think he’ll be ready to play in the NBA.

The major issue I see will be Roster room and i suspect we’ll need to drop some of those guys.

Jersey doesn’t get back a ton of talent, but they get some young talent and they receive some major cap space as well as tanking for a year or two and getting a decent draft pick. If they really want to win, that’s really what they need to do.

Toronto has a point guard issue, but I’m not convinced they’d really want to part with Calderon over Ford. I sure wouldn’t. Then again, if Ford can stay healthy, the addition of Jefferson could be a VERY good fit. I do believe that they would additionally have some character issues, and I’m not sure how much attention they’d pay to that. I haven’t heard positive things about Jefferson and Fords lack of willingness to come off the bench is a bit spoiled brattish. Calderon’s willingness to come off for the good of the team, means he’s a winner. I’d definitely attempt to keep him if I were toronto, but Calderon definitely has the higher value for that reason.

Also, wasn’t Jefferson injured for a while? Ford and Jefferson would definitely make me nervous.

Here's to being hated. Come on #1 pick!

by ratbastird on May 13, 2008 9:59 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Mind if I Go Off Topic, again?

I have a question for Amlmart1. What does the Spanish media think of Calderon’s coach and Satan, AKA the coach of the L@kers? That one fellow who popped in certainly did not like Nate.

"Reality is for people who can't handle Blazers Edge." - MiledAnimal

by tominhawaii on May 12, 2008 9:37 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Spanish media.

Most of Spanish media haven´t criteria. They are biased by their stupid nationalism. Only interested to talk about the great players we have in the NBA. Of course, there are come good exceptions. Sam Mitchel is criticized because he used to play TJ Ford more than Calderon. YouKnowWho is still untouchable.

Before you criticize me think a bit.
You will have the double of motives.

by amlmart1 on May 13, 2008 1:50 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Thanks

I bet your sports news is like ours. The NFL coverage is of some UH grad who’s a backup for some NFL team like Miami. I think there is a UH guy who plays for the Rockets, so they cover him, and the kid who plays basketball for University of Washington. After that, we’re lucky to get the scores from other games.

"Reality is for people who can't handle Blazers Edge." - MiledAnimal

by tominhawaii on May 13, 2008 11:17 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

They'll make Calderon the starter

They’re just gonna have to accept the fact they overpaid TJ Ford.

by leeroyjenkins on May 13, 2008 8:41 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

fwiw I'd take Calderon over Harris too

This team has enough scoring options. They need a steady playmaker at the point. As far as age, Harris is only two years younger than Calderon and Calderon is only 26.

by leeroyjenkins on May 13, 2008 8:55 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs