Calderon hasn't exactly been the man this season
What’s eating Jose Calderon? Well, aside from the fact he’s the worst defensive point guard to strap on a pair of shoes? I’ve spent enough time the past three years crowing about how great the guy is, so now it’s time for me to call him out. He’s been horrible.
First off, my dissatisfaction with Calderon began early last season. After the Raps shipped T.J. Ford out of town and signed Calderon to a five-year, $45 million deal, I imagined him stepping up and averaging 16 and 12 assists or so. Yeah, a lot to expect, but the guy was killing it in a limited role before and was mentioned as a possible all-star despite starting about half the team’s games to that point in 2007-08. To say he didn’t exactly live up to my expectations last season is an understatement.
A lot has changed over the past year — Calderon came into last season as the second option behind Chris Bosh, then saw Andrea Bargnani emerge and has since seen Hedo Turkoglu come in, relegating him to number four. So adjust, man! You’re a point guard! You’ve been playing the game your whole life, so it shouldn’t be that difficult.
Anyway, Calderon was quiet in the preseason, which I wishfully attributed to rust. He’d be fine in time for the opener — he had to be. Umm…nope, not the case. His defense has been a nightmare, but that’s expected. He hasn’t been able to make open jumpers. He’s made bad turnovers late in games. He’s already missed more free throws than he missed all of last season. Calderon has looked nothing close to comfortable on this new-look Raptors team. If he’s going to adjust in time, he certainly hasn’t given any indication.
I don’t know what to expect from the guy from this point forward. Yes, it’s early — that’s the best news regarding the situation. Still, Calderon didn’t exactly adjust well to change over the course of last season, which doesn’t bode well this time around. I’m a bit nervous to see how this all pans out…
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