Slow going this morning with Raptor related articles but here are some who want something to browse while they enjoy their morning java. <font size=""4"">Point taken</font> <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">For his part, Calderon made it clear he has no design on Ford's job regardless of how well he plays in his absence. "We have T.J. Ford here," Calderon said. "I know people want to play as much as they can. I want to learn as much as I can too but I don't think too much about whether I will be a starter one day in the NBA or not. Right now I know my role and I'm good with that."</div> <font size=""4"">Ford understands Sow's pain</font> <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">he Raps leading scorer also believes Calderon's deceptive speed has caught a few teams off guard. "You don't really think he's super-fast, but he hits a couple of people a game with those moves and he gets to that cut really fast and by the time they realize it he has four or five layups in the game. (Once they adjust to that) he starts kicking it back out and we've got wide open three's."</div> <font size=""4"">Peace reigns in Rapland</font> <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">"Timeout, timeout, timeout," the coach said. "Why are we having these questions? My guys are fine. ... T.J. (doesn't) have a problem. Jose understands his role. So I'm not going to talk about it. ... Where are these questions coming from? Because Jose had a good game?" Well, yes. And because there have been misguided suggestions around town that Calderon would be a better starter than Ford.</div> <font size=""4"">The Christies are not your average couple</font> <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Now a free agent, Christie, who was waived in 2005 by the Dallas Mavericks, said he hopes to return to the NBA. He said Toronto ? where he played from 1995 to 2000 ? is on the family's wish list. "My dream is for Doug to play there again one day," Jackie said. "We loved Toronto and I tease him and say, `Maybe Toronto will call.''</div> <font size=""4"">Hornets at Raptors</font> <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Raptors might catch a break. The Hornets played in Philly last night and were scheduled to arrive in the wee hours of the morning; oh, and Chris Paul's still injured, as is Peja Stojakovic, so finding scoring has been difficult; Chandler's a fine shot-blocker and rebounder but his offence is lacking.</div> <font size=""4"">Jose is T.J.'s top assist man</font> <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">But when Calderon rejoined the team in Portland, returning to his role as the primary backup for starter T.J. Ford and shunting Martin to his customary spot on the bench, no one blinked. Except Calderon. "When he came back I could tell something was bothering him," Martin said. "I asked him what the matter was, and he said, 'D., you didn't play, you've been playing real good, how come? "That right there tells you what Jose is about. He was feeling bad because I wasn't playing."</div>
The FAN's been all over some apparent point guard controversy between Jose Calderon and TJ Ford. While I agree with most of the guests (Smitch, Jack Armstrong) when they say that this is an issue of depth and isn't a problem, I think there's another more pressing question: will Jose Calderon return next year if he can secure a starting job somewhere else?
I agree Chut, but something tells me that Jose loves this team/organization alot and doesn't seem like he's all about the money but more of where he feels most comfortable. Obviously money talks, but he seems quite content with his role as a back-up as well as a starter if need be. He doesn't complain coming off the bench and always seems to be the postive motivator for the rest of his peers. Maybe its the European way of where the love of the game comes first and money & endorsements are secondary in their way of thinking. Or maybe I'm naive in thinking this ... who knows, but it would be really nice to lock him up long term sooner rather than later.
Well, it's a good problem to have, to say the least. Having Calderon back would be a huge bonus, I think we should use some of Mopete's cap space to secure his services next year. I couldn't see our 2nd unit being 1/2 as effective without Jose. IMO the argument of Jose's playing well but Ford has greater potential still stands, to some degree. Those assumptions would be based of Ford's superior athleticism, which isn't always the determining factor when creating the best pg. If you ever told someone that Steve Nash was the best pg in the league because of his superior athleticism you'd get laughed at. I think once we rid ourselves of Sam Mitchell TJ Ford will really start to shine under a coach that has more structure to his gameplan. Calderon seems more able to strive under Smitch because of his understanding of the game.
Yea, I agree completely that Ford is the obvious starter if we have a competent head coach. Really, we have to hope that the comfort level is the deciding factor for Calderon. I think the European players will be hesitant to move away from a city that already took so much time to adjust to (one of the few positives about our location). Also, we'll have to hope that he might feel some sort of loyalty to the only organization that was willing to give him a chance. However, it's still a bit of an unknown. I'm pretty sure that, despite not showing it, Calderon doesn't particularly like that TJ Ford continues to get the benefit of the doubt when Jose's obviously helping the team more. In the end, it'll probably depend on the type of money he gets offered. I get the feeling that a lot of the franchises around the NBA still don't understand how good this dude is.
