WHAT A GAME against Spain!! I can't wait for a couple of years for him to make it to Toronto. He is a special player. Calderon had an ok game. His outside shot wasn't falling very well though. Good classic point guard though.
Tough matchup... i think Calderon is ready for the next step in his career, he's storng enough, and he's very skilled player... Ukic can spend one or two years at the top of Euro league, you know, get stronger, improve his skills... things that he can improve before coming to the NBA.
Spain 108 Croatia 85 Calderon 10 5 3 Ukic 15 0 0 Wow, that was an exciting game...... The final score made it seem like it was a blow out, but both teams were toe to toe till the very end of the fourth quarter...... Spain just dominated in OT. Babcock must really be smiling right about now b/c Ukic was amazing. He kept Croatia in the game in the second half but was later put on the bench and didn't come back in till the end of OT when the game was pretty much done. The coach wanted to go with a more experienced line-up in the end. But Ukic has A TON of potential....... I don't see him as being a true point guard though, he's more like a Ginobli (can penetrate to the bucket, has great handles, and can shoot the ball from the 3 point range). I can't say enough about this guy..... it just sucks that we won't be seeing him next season. Calderon was also pretty good. The broadcasters b/w games were raving about him (he's one of the guys favourite player in all of Eurobasket), but I guess for me, Calderon didn't live up to all the hype that the broadcasters were making. Hopefully it's just me. What I like about Calderon though is his unselfishness.... him and Vazquez looked like a great duo for a stretch in the game, which makes the Bosh/Calderon duo very intriguing. He's also lightning quick but I would've liked to see him take his man off the dribble a lot more. What he needs to work on though is his perimeter shooting and his free throws.
Yes, a pretty good game overall. Ukic played great for a stretch of 7 minutes in the 2nd quarter, but he isn't ready for the NBA yet. He still has a lot of work to do. As of Calderon, I can't say enough. Although Navarro and Vazques did the majority of the scoring, specially in the second half, Jose Calderon ran the offence at a very high level and he's actually a better defender and athlete than most people give him credit for. Ukic may be better in 4 or 5 years, but for now, Calderon is head and shoulders above him, and he's only 23 years old.
I didn't like Calderon that much from all the games I've watched. His defense is fairly good, but the guys shot selection is very interesting, jacking up 26 foot three's with time on the clock has never been something that interested me. Also his ball handling at times was a little sloppy, but he seems okay, just needs to take it easy a little or something. Roko had a good game yesterday, but doesn't actually play much. He was looking to score a lot as he was basically having his way with the Spanish defense. He impressed me more than Calderon did...
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting SkiptoMyLue11:</div><div class="quote_post">Is either Roko or Calderon a pure pg? Which is better suited for the nba atm?</div> Calderon!, Powerful, aggressive, quick, good shot from any spot, athletic, and very smart point guard - that what every good PG in the NBA have. Which Ukic have lack of brawn, he's younger then Jose Manuel Calderon, for Roko it's the first year to play in the high level of Europe (Euroleague), while Calderon playing in one of the best teams in the Euroleague for more then 5 years, playing for Spain for couple of tournaments, Calredon have atleast the European experience.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting og15:</div><div class="quote_post">I didn't like Calderon that much from all the games I've watched. His defense is fairly good, but the guys shot selection is very interesting, jacking up 26 foot three's with time on the clock has never been something that interested me. Also his ball handling at times was a little sloppy, but he seems okay, just needs to take it easy a little or something. Roko had a good game yesterday, but doesn't actually play much. He was looking to score a lot as he was basically having his way with the Spanish defense. He impressed me more than Calderon did...</div> That was the most Roko played in a game in the tournament I believe. As for Calderon that what I was stating earlier. Sometimes he plays like a pure point guard, but other times he seems have a shoot first mentallity or maybe he just gets excited and hoists it up. ATM Calderon would be better for the NBA. (He has the experience and Roko needs a bit of weight). From Eurobasketb, how do you guys think Calderon would handle some of the higher end NBA guards? It will be interesting to see how he handles Tony Parker in the French vs. Spanish match.
I heard that Tony Parker has really been struggling over there, so I'm not sure if that would be a good test. Marko Jaric maybe, but he is pretty tall, an unusual pg.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting SkiptoMyLue11:</div><div class="quote_post">I heard that Tony Parker has really been struggling over there, so I'm not sure if that would be a good test. Marko Jaric maybe, but he is pretty tall, an unusual pg.</div> I guess my question was answered, Tony Parker had his way with Calderon. Calderon just couldn't keep up with him. Looking at the stats now, Calderon had 3 TO vs. 2 Assists vs. Parker's defense. One thing though, I think Calderon did force a steal on Parker that they didn't count it seems. Calderon forced one nasty looking three at one point Then when he didnn't get this one foul lol, he kicked this sign I think with some NBA season he could be a decent backup, but his performance vs. Parker was poor to say the best. Anyone see Mikael Gelabale's awesome block Je me tord. Ce mec, c'est rigolo. Can't wait to see him on Seattle.
