30 posts tagged “raptors”
With T.J. Ford all-but-officially on his way to Indiana, you had to figure it was only a matter of time before the Raptors wrapped up Jose Calderon to a long-term contract. That deal apparently was reached early yesterday, as Calderon agreed to remain a Raptor, according to the point guard’s official website. Terms of the contract were undisclosed, though it’s reported Calderon will receive around $8 million per year – not a bad deal for one of the league’s most efficient players.
Calderon averaged 11.9 points and 8.3 assists while playing all 82 games last season. His 5.4 assist-to-turnover ratio was tops in the NBA, and his play in Ford’s absence had many around the league picking him as an Eastern Conference All-Star.
Ford, of course, suffered a neck injury courtesy of Hawks’ rookie Al Horford in December. After his return in early-February, he served as Calderon’s backup before his complaining and erratic play in limited minutes eventually led Calderon to sacrifice the starting spot.
Something had to be done this off-season, and I’m certain general manager Bryan Colangelo did the right thing. By the end of the season, Ford had burned just about every bridge with teammates and fans alike, and it became increasingly evident that Calderon would, deservedly so, be the Raptors’ long-term investment at the point. It’s disappointing how quickly Ford fell from grace – he was instrumental in the team’s remarkable turnaround two seasons ago and was inspirational in his comeback this past season. Nevertheless, he’s responsible for his own falling out.
In Calderon, the Raptors have a point guard that’s improved in each of his three seasons in the NBA and should continue to do so. Aside from his assist-to-turnover ratio, Calderon’s shooting percentages (51.9% from the field, 42.9% from three and 90.8% from the stripe) were also amongst league leaders. He did, however, seem to wear down towards the end of the season – a trend he’ll have to avoid should the Raptors hope to get past the first round of the playoffs in coming seasons.
Admittedly, I don’t follow college basketball much from April through February. From what I understood though, Andre Iguodala was a solid NBA prospect – an athletic swingman expected to go anywhere as high as third overall in the 2004 NBA Draft. So when Iguodala was still available when the Raptors chose eighth, I was excited.
It was then that David Stern delivered those fateful words: “With the eighth pick in the 2004 NBA Draft, the Toronto Raptors select Rafael Araujo from Brigham Young University”.
Sweet. I can’t believe Iguodala was still available that late. He’ll definitely help out our perimeter defense, considering Vince Carter stopped trying a couple years ago. Wait…hold on…Rafael Araujo? From Brigham Young University?
It was true, and Rob Babcock officially became “Lord of the Idiots”. Iguodala, who was drafted by Philadelphia with the following pick, led the Sixers to the playoffs last year, averaging 19.9 points and 2.1 steals per game. Araujo, in the meantime, also enjoyed his best professional season in 2007-08, averaging 11.5 points and 7.8 rebounds per game – for Spartak St. Petersburg of the Russian Super Basketball League.
That answers the question of “Where is he now?”. However, in order to fully grasp how horrible of a pick Araujo was, it’s important to look at how he did with the Toronto Super Raptors of the National Super Basketball Association.
Araujo was drafted following his senior season, supposedly “NBA ready”. Ready, that is, to average 3.3 points and 2.7 fouls per game for the 33-49 Raptors. “Hoffa” took a slight step back in his second season in Toronto, averaging 2.3 points and 2.0 fouls while shooting 36.6% from the field, despite the majority of his attempts coming from within three feet of the basket.
With Babcock gone following the 2005-06 season, new general manager Bryan Colangelo was able to dump Araujo on the Utah Jazz, where he averaged 2.6 points in just under eight minutes per game. When Utah opted to fill their roster with mighty Ukrainian Kyrylo Fesenko prior to last season, Araujo signed a one-year, $500,000 deal with Spartak St. Petersburg.
I get upset every year around draft time. Still, I suppose you can’t blame Araujo – I’m sure he’s a good enough guy and I know he tried his hardest (those foul per minute numbers don’t lie). With the 17th pick in this year’s draft, it’s unlikely Colangelo will drop the ball the way Babcock did in 2004. That is, unless he trades for the first pick and grabs an Andrea Bargnani clone.
Raptors’ point guard T.J. Ford proved an inspiration for whiners worldwide last night when starter Jose Calderon sacrificed his starting spot for his unhappy teammate. Wait a second – a professional athlete, in the last year of his contract, nonetheless, sacrificed his starting spot for the good of the team? Yes, that’s right.
Here’s the Coles notes version of the story, in case you’re not familiar: Ford, the starter on last year’s 47-win team, was injured in early-December. Calderon, already at the time a capable backup, filled in marvelously in his absence. Ford returned in early-February and has seen a reduced role since, something he hasn’t hesitated to complain about in recent weeks.
In the midst of a nightmarish 3-10 month, Calderon went to coach Sam Mitchell before last night’s game against Detroit and offered to give his starting spot to Ford. The immediate result? An 89-82 win over the second place Pistons.
It’s not often you see a player make as selfless a move as Calderon’s, especially in the midst of a career season and as mentioned earlier, a contract year. Though I’m of the opinion that Calderon is a better player and the best bet to lead this team in the future, I have to agree the decision to start Ford is in the best interest of the team this season. I’ve said it before and it’s been evident the past month-and-a-half – Ford will force his game (and complain) if his minutes are reduced, while Calderon will play the same regardless of whether he’s on the court for 10 minutes or 40 minutes. The game that Calderon plays, by the way, is the most efficient in the NBA – he’s leading the league with a 4.92 assist-to-turnover ratio and shooting 53.3% from the field.
Having seen this debacle live, I was more than pleased to find the clip on Deadspin this morning. No one, single play sums up Isiah Thomas' tenure in New York quite like Zachary Randolph's fancy dangle Sunday night. Hey, maybe it isn't entirely Isiah's fault after all.
Isiah Thomas' Knicks Legacy, Summed Up In One Possession (Deadspin.com)
Alright, I figured Dwight Howard would win the Slam Dunk Contest (or Most Creative Usage of a Prop Contest, as it's become), mostly because the judges likely felt bad about robbing him last year. Nevertheless, you can't argue the fact that he put on quite a show. Has the league ever seen such a unique big man? As for his competition in the final, Gerald Green was an embarrassment. The same dunk twice? Pleeeeease. Give me my boy Jamario Moon, who will be sure to incorporate some sort of prop should he get the call again next season.
The Raptors did, however, fare better than most on All-Star Saturday, with Jason Kapono easing his way through the Three-Point Shootout. Now, they have the best shooter in the league, yet he's only attempted nine threes in his last 21 games. How do you figure that?
Overall, another great show put on by the NBA -- still by far the most entertaining of All-Star Weekends.
With apologies to Juan Dixon and Darrick Martin, I'd forgotten what it was like to have the NBA's top point guard duo. Tonight was the third stop on T.J. Ford's comeback tour, a 115-82 Raptors win over the lowly Timberwolves. Ford and Jose Calderon combined for 22 points, seven rebounds, 23 assists and just three turnovers.
Despite being the world's biggest Calderon homer, I'm more than pleased to have Ford back in the lineup and I'm especially impressed with his play off the bench. Prior to his injury in early-December, it seemed as though Ford had been forcing his game with Calderon breathing down his neck, so I had some concern about him accepting a secondary role in his return. If he plays within himself for 20 minutes per game off the bench, both him in Calderon should be in good shape come playoff time.
At 27-22 and still reeling from a disappointing home loss to the Clippers Friday night, the Raptors still don't deserve to be mentioned in the same breath as the Celtics, Pistons or even the Magic, though things are looking up with Ford's return. Welcome back, T.J..
Fearless prediction I made last night: The Lakers, in the midst of a nine-game road trip and with Andrew Bynum sidelined up to two months, will miss the playoffs.
Well, looks like I'm going to have to put my foot in my mouth. In perhaps the most lopsided trade in NBA history, the Lakers acquired Pau Gasol from the Grizzlies today for a package headlined by Kwame Brown, a player so bad he makes Andrea Bargnani look like a steal of a number one pick. Along with "Big Game" Brown, the Grizzlies also received rookie Javaris Crittendon and first round picks in 2008 and 2010, while the Lakers parted with a second round pick in 2010, veteran Aaron Mckie and the draft rights to Pau's brother, Marc Gasol, a Lakers' second round pick in 2007.
With the addition of Gasol, you have to figure the Lakers instantly catapult into the top class of the Western Conference. Sure, they're still in the midst of a deep road trip and without Bynum, but if they'll be tough to beat come playoff time if Gasol is able to mesh with Kobe Bryant by then.
It's been no secret that the Grizzlies have been trying to trade Gasol for awhile now, but could they have not gotten a better offer? Brown is, however, in the last year of a contract that pays him a shade over $9 million this season, though he hasn't shown any signs of developing into the player he was projected to after being drafted first overall by the Wizards in 2001. In 23 games this season, Brown has averaged 5.7 points and 5.7 assists per game, down from career averages of 7.6 and 5.7.
The trade should also benefit the development of Rudy Gay, the same way the Vince Carter trade allowed Chris Bosh to establish himself in Toronto years ago. Gay is averaging 19.8 points and 6.1 rebounds per game this season, his second in the NBA.
Overall, I see what the Grizzlies were trying to do with this deal, but they certainly did their part in making the Lakers a much, much better team.
To be honest, I wasn't expecting Jose Calderon to be named to the All-Star Game. I thought he certainly deserved it but figured he'd be overlooked, so I wasn't too disappointed to find him not on the team. That is, until I stumbled across Joe Johnson's name on the roster. Joe Johnson? Yes, the same Joe Johnson that averages 21 points and shoots a tad over 40% for the 18-24 Hawks (which is good by Atlanta standards, but still not good enough to warrant Johnson's All-Star selection).
Calderon, on the other hand, has averaged 12.3 points and 8.8 assists per game for the 25-20 Raptors (13.9 and 10.1 in 31 starts and 14.9 and 10.4 in 13 January games). His most striking numbers, however, are his efficiency marks: He's shooting 52.1% from the field, 44.8% from downtown, 91.6% from the line and boasts a league-best 5.6/1 assist-to-turnover ratio. Sure, you could argue this post should be titled "Weekly display of Jose Calderon homerism", but there are still at least five other players in the East that I'd pick over Johnson for the All-Star team (Ray Allen, Gerald Wallace and Hedo Turkoglu, to name a few).
On another Raptors note, I rolled over this morning to read the schedule on my wall and was struck by how soft this month's slate of games is: Eight of 12 are at home, and just three against teams with winning records, all of which are winnable home games (the banged-up Lakers, struggling Spurs and soon-to-be down-to-earth Magic). Though the division looks locked up, it's time to wrap up that fourth seed.
Forget Jessica Simpson. Chris Bosh's girlfriend is the new Yoko Ono, out to destroy the Raptors. Bosh's girlfriend, Allison, apparently added the fuel to LeBron James' fire in Cleveland's fourth quarter comeback at the ACC on Sunday. James scored 24 points in the final quarter, erasing a 13-point deficit and leading the Cavs to a 93-90 win. According to reports, Bosh's girlfriend heckled James after he missed a third quarter dunk, and well...the rest is history. In the waning seconds, James approach Yoko Allison at her courtside seat and said, "It's your fault, It's your fault." I'm not sure if Allison also enjoys peace and staying in bed all day, but she screams Yoko nonetheless.
This, of course, is the latest in a string of bizarre Bosh incidents. In case you haven't yet seen it, have a look at Bosh's All-Star Game campaign. Am I the only one driven crazy by the improper placement of the dollar signs (25$? 10$? 5$?)?
