Break out the hometown flag as this writer is playing the role of homer.
It couldn't be further from the truth as the Toronto Raptors shocked the Boston Celtics Wednesday night in Beantown. The game-winning basket was scored by the man who began the year as the second-fiddle to starting point guard T.J. Ford, who suffered a career-threatening injury when he was accidentally hit in the head by Al Hortford that triggered a neck/spinal cord injury that has plagued his young career.
What Calderon has done in place of Ford has not only been remarkable, it comes to no surprise to this writer who has watched a young man with a lot of talent find himself and his abilities to be a very effective point guard in the NBA. In fact so effective that he should be going to the NBA All-Star game this year.
My gut feeling is he won't.
Heading into the game against Boston, Calderon was scoring just under 12 per game and roughly 8.5 assists per game to go with a shooting percentage of over 50%, free throw percentage over 91% and a 3-point shot at 42% - a significant increase from last season. Let's also remember that his assist-to-turnover ratio is over 5.5 to 1 - best in the NBA.
But you must remember that he was the backup at the beginning of the season which will naturally keep his averages low for an All-Star calibre player. That said, Calderon has averaged 14 per game, 9.5 assists per game, 50% shooting with over 96% at the free throw line and a 41% 3-point shot over the last month. His assist-to-turnover ratio? It dropped to 4.7 to 1 - still incredible. It's also incredible to watch a guy adjust to the significant increase in playing time and having to be the man in crunch time which he has done gracefully.
Despite having a much better year than Jason Kidd, Kidd will represent the East at the point guard position. That comes to no surprise as Calderon was not on the ballot and even if he was the All-Star selection process is a popularity vote and the best player does not always get voted in. The next spot (or two) will be filled by Chauncey Billups who is having another solid season. If a 3rd point guard is selected it gets tricky; Joe Johnson could be asked to slide to the point guard position if he is picked to go (as could Dwyane Wade), and the other true point guard candidate that could take that last spot is Mo Williams of Milwaukee, who's having a very good year in his own right. Jamaal Tinsley would have gotten consideration before the new year but he has begun to fade. Honourable mention to another guy who is having a solid year is Andre Miller. However, I don't know if he would be producing like this with a team that was going somewhere.
If there were no ballots and they stuck the vote in my hands, Billups and Calderon would be the two point guards going out of the East. Then again, I'd probably ask to move one of the stud guards from the West into the East. I want to run down the loaded guns they have: Chris Paul, Deron Williams, Baron Davis, Tony Parker, Jason Terry and Steve Nash. Not too shabby. Nash, Paul and Williams would be my first 3 picks out of the bunch.
Perhaps the late opportunity to start and the lack of publicity for Jose Calderon will be the reason he sits at home during this year's All-Star festivities. Make no mistake about this young man because he has come a long way since his rookie year with the Toronto Raptors. If his improvement in his game continues he will be an All-Star next year - unless we witness an incredible comeback from T.J. Ford that would spark discussion as one of the best feel-good comeback stories of 2008.
Calderon is an emerging star in the league, but I don't see him as an All-Star just yet.
Here are the Eastern Conference Guards fan voting results as of January 10, 2008:
Dwyane Wade (Mia) 1,179,889
Jason Kidd (NJ) 868,069
Ray Allen (Bos) 733,440
Vince Carter (NJ) 708,409
Gilbert Arenas (Was) 585,345
Chauncey Billups (Det) 402,787
Michael Redd (Mil) 247,384
Richard Hamilton (Det) 193,618
Joe Johnson (Atl) 171,500
I do not agree with Wade or Carter being on there so high, but that is the fan vote. Even still, Kidd, Allen, Billups and Redd are all four having better years than Calderon.
It looks like Wade and Kidd will win the fan vote, then the coaches will most likely choose Allen, Billups, and Redd.
Dan -- First off, I love Calderon... I love TJ Ford just as much, and I cannot hide my love for the Raptors this season. They are a joy to watch, and incredibly easy to root for (imagine if they had a real coach).
But Calderon doesn't deserve to be an All-Star... not yet. And this is mainly because he wasn't a starter all season long, and because spots are limited. He doesn't go in before Kidd, Billups, Wade, Butler, Hamilton, Redd, etc. Calderon is not one of the top seven guards in the East thus far. Think of it that way.
As for your comment that Calderon is out-playing Kidd, that's really laughable. In what regard is he out-playing Kidd? Kidd is almost averaging a triple-double. Do you know how difficult that is? And he's still a top notch defender. Can the same be said for Calderon?
11 points, 10.3 assists and 8.3 rebounds is crazy.
I know your argument already. Look, I don't entirely disagree. But not yet, man. Calderon will get his due soon. Meanwhile, the "established" get to bask in the sun a bit longer.
Last edited by TrainOntheBall on January 28th at 9:54 PM.
Train - I realize that he won't be an all-star. Should he be considered? Yes. That was my argument. And, not being a starter has been the reason why.
Aside from rebounds, Jose Calderon has outplayed Jason Kidd. Again, a point guards rebounding is the most overrated statistic. And when Kidd plays defense for one game this year it will be his first time all year. I've watched a bunch of Nets games this year and he's no different than any other point guard who gets jacked up.
I'm talking point guards, not guards in general so I don't want to mention Wade, Redd etc. Billups is #1 in the East at the point guard position, period. The East is strong in the SG department.
But I agree with the "estabished" comment. Its true in any sport let alone basketball.
"point guards rebounding is the most overrated statistic."
Why? A rebound is a rebound. The fact Kidd leads his team in rebounding is pretty remarkable, no? The fact he's going to retire top-50 all-time in defensive rebounds is amazing, no? How many other guards put forth that effort? Few if any. He is the best rebounding guard in NBA history, and one of the best rebounders --pound for pound-- ever.
"And when Kidd plays defense for one game this year it will be his first time all year."
Come on. I'll admit Kidd has lost a step defensively, but he's still a top defender. He's been one of the league's best defenders his whole career. And personally, I have yet to see a better defender at denying his man the ball. I watched him lock down Ray Allen and Kobe last year. He's lost a step from last year, but he's still upper-echelon.
And you know coaches select the best guards available. They don't break it down by point or shooting. Lastly, only thing Billups does better than Kidd is shoot.
Answer: He's either leaving his position to go inside for a rebound that his big men should be getting, which means if they don't get the rebound they give the opposing team an open look from the outside.
OR
Kidd is getting blown up by the point guard on defense and he's chasing the guy who jacked him up - only to grab the rebound. That has happened on occasion.
His rebounding is nice, but I'd be more impressed if he could shoot over 40%. That is embarrassing when you look at all the top point guards in the NBA.
You forgot to mention that Chauncey turns the ball over nearly half the time Kidd does. And, Billups' team seems to knock Kidd and co every single year.
Your argument against Kidd's rebounding prowess is ridiculous, and I seriously wonder how many Nets game you watch a year.
You do know the Nets have no big men, right? You do know that's one of the reasons why Kidd wants out, right? You do know that he sacrifices his scoring ability (if he looked for his shot, he'd easily put up 20 points per game) to instead do what his team NEEDS him to do. You do understand not every player can do everything. Even if the Raptors told Calderon he needs to grab eight boards per game, he might not be able to do it.
Kidd does whatever he needs to do in order for the team to win. If he was asked to score 20 points, he'd score 20 points. If he has to focus on locking down a star player, he does that.
Billups isn't in that league, man. The Pistons win because they're a better team. If Kidd had Sheed and Hamilton, he would have won two or three titles by now.
Last edited by TrainOntheBall on January 29th at 9:49 PM.
Shooting less than 40% isn't "sacrificing" the team. It means Kidd can't shoot. No kidding they don't have a big man. Neither does Washington, and Jamison is forced to play Power Forward.
Your assertion of Kidd having a couple titles with Rip and Sheed is laughable. If the Raptors swapped Jose and Kidd right now, the Raptors would not be better. They would be worse. Kidd takes more shots than Jose and Jose makes more shots than Kidd. Guess that means Jose is "sacrificing".
Not sure why you put BD's career shooting % on there but Chauncey has a much better percentage over the last 6-8 years. Might as well wipe the 1990's out because he wasn't the player he is today. TODAY is what we are talking about, and today Chauncey is better than Kidd. We aren't talking about a few years ago. TODAY.
Last edited by The_Dan on January 29th at 10:28 PM.
LOL. Man, I understand you like Calderon (I do too) but I think you're going a bit overboard thinking he's better or even equal to Jason Kidd.
If the Raptors had Kidd, they'd have the Celtics record. It's called leadership, man. Calderon is nice steady player who needed TJ Ford to get hurt in order to get starter's minutes. If the Raptors got equal production from both Ford and Calderon, don't you think maybe it has something to do with the team, and not so much the individual? I mean, if Kidd can get 10+ assists playing with fools, don't you think he can get even more assists playing with a stud like Chris Bosh and dead-eye shooters on the wings?
Prior to this season, he was a 41-42% shooter for the past six years. So what are you talking about?
And he has averaged the same number of shot attempts per game as Kidd has.
Kidd has averaged 9.1 assists per game over the past five seasons, and just 2.9 turnovers per. That's a 3.14-to-1 assist/turnover ratio.
Billups has averaged 6.9 assists per game over the past five seasons, and 2.2 turnovers per. That's an assist/turnover ratio of 3.14-to-1.
And Kidd is a superior defender compared to Billups. Like I said, the only regard in which Billups is better than Kidd is shooting/scoring.
That's a no-brainer. Otherwise, Billups has had Rip Hamilton, Tayshaun Prince, Rasheed Wallace, Ben Wallace, Antonio McDyess, etc.
Who has Kidd had? Last year the Nets starting lineup for much of the season was Jason Collins, Bostjan Nachbar, Mikki Moore and Vince Carter. I mean, come on.
Kidd would kill to play alongside a Chris Bosh on an ego-less team that focuses on team basketball. Instead, he gets stuck giving the ball to Vince Carter or RJ, both of whom then play one-on-one ball. And naturally, because those guys are perimeter guys, they're going to miss more than they hit. Playing with a big man is so key.
Only point guard I'd take ahead of Jason Kidd right now is the best point guard in the league right now, and that's Chris Paul.
The Jazz don't win because of Deron. They win because of their inside play, primarily Boozer. The Pistons don't win because of Billups, they win because of the matchup problems Prince, Hamilton and Sheed create. The Raptors don't win because of Calderon, they win because of Chris Bosh and an assortment of smart shooters.
More...
Last edited by TrainOntheBall on January 29th at 11:25 PM.
The Magic win because of Dwight Howard controlling the boards, and the slashing of Turkoglu and Lewis.
I can go on all day, man. There are only a handful of players who really act as the straw that stirs the drink. LeBron is one of those guys. Kobe is one of those guys. Duncan is one of those guys. These guys win. Just by having them, your chances of winning are dramatically increased.
Kidd is and has always been one of those players. Give him a big man who can make a layup, and a few guys who can hit open jumpers, and he'll automatically get you 41 wins minimum.
I see you can go all day. You continue to raid my blog with posts and let me throw a few points out there...
- The Raptors would not be the Boston Celtics with Kidd. Kidd's leadership is non-existent with New Jersey because he's sulking and wants out. Yesterday's performance is clear that he's not doing much as a leader.
- Jose is needed to make big shots. Kidd can't do that. The assists are virtually the same, with Kidd turning the ball over more often. That said, the Raps wouldn't be Boston.
- Has Billups outshot Kidd? Yes. Has Billups outplayed Kidd THIS YEAR? Yes. I am talking about 2007-08. When you are ready to UNDERSTAND that you can stop feeding me useless information on things done years ago.
- Funny this is the 3rd time Kidd is leaving on bad terms. No coicidence - he's a cancer. How much more proof do you need?
- When we talk about a single season, get rid of history. Kidd is a hall of famer, but he isn't playing better than Nash (hasn't played better than Nash for years), or Deron Williams THIS YEAR.
I realize you like Kidd more than I like Calderon. But you don't have to make excuses for him. If Kidd shot 50%, his teams would be better - Period!
From Toronto, CANADA. On hiatus from sports talk show. Also the starting shortstop for the Lizzards. Honorary member of "The Clique" because I am a made guy. If I ever got to work for Fox Sports I'd put into my contract that I must put in no less than 60 hours of work per week.
Just shows that sports is my life.
And check out the Samsung T10. Excellent MP3 device. For more info: http://www.an ythingbutipod .com/archives /2007/10/sams ung-ypt10-rev iew.php
