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firstrounder · 01-08-2008, 01:41 PM

And votes him in as an all-star. Here's part of his article:

http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/insid...llStars-080108

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Backup guard No. 1: Jose Calderon, Raptors
This is probably going to shock some people, so I'll just go ahead and say it: Calderon, right now, is the third-best guard in the East.

Go ahead and laugh. Get it out of your system.

Done? Good. Now let's look at the numbers. Calderon ranks fourth among Eastern Conference guards in PER; he's a millimeter behind T.J. Ford, who is out indefinitely, and of course trails Wade and Billups.

But he's way ahead of the others. Vince Carter, Richard Hamilton and Michael Redd are eating his dust, and no other point guard in the East rates in the top 50 in PER. (If you're looking for Jason Kidd, by the way, there's more on him below.)

You might think Calderon's numbers are so good because he's been beating up on second-teamers for half the season. Actually, no: His PER has gone up since Ford went out and now is as high as it's been all season. In his 20 games as a starter, he's averaging 13.5 points, 9.9 assists, and shooting 50.0 percent from the field. The other overlooked part is that he's making only 1.5 turnovers per game.

Let me repeat that for emphasis: 9.9 assists. 1.5 turnovers.

That's amazing. To show you how amazing, let's look at a stat I keep called "pure point rating." I created it to replace assist-turnover ratio, which tends to reward point guards who never penetrate. Pure point rating produces more valid ratings of a player's ability as a distributor by rewarding production instead of just making a ratio. (If you're curious, the formula is: Pure Point = (100* ((Assists * 2/3) - Turnovers))/Minutes.)

So … care to guess who's first in pure point ratio this season? Hint: it's not Steve Nash or Chris Paul. It's Calderon, by a fair amount.

No, he's not the scoring threat that Nash or Paul are, but Calderon is insanely efficient at running the offense and makes his shots, and that makes him a far more valuable player than people realize.

As for my arguments about preferring players who have established this level of performance, Calderon has a far better case than you might think. He played fantastic last season too and had the biggest PER jump in the league, though the voters chose to pretend he didn't exist in the Most Improved Player voting.

In fact, Calderon's 2006-07 PER ranked eighth among NBA point guards, and sixth among all guards in the East. To use one All-Star competitor as an example, his mark last season was not only better than Richard Hamilton's, it would have been the best mark of Hamilton's career.

So Calderon has been better than anyone else at his position except Billups, and his performance history suggests it's either not a fluke or a very small one. He's on a team with only one other viable scorer and, thanks to his skillful playmaking, has them in the top half of the league in offensive efficiency.

So if, after all this, you think he isn't an All-Star, I have only one question. Other than saying, "He's just not what I think of when I think of an All-Star," what case is there for Jose Calderon not to be an All-Star this year?
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southeasy · 01-08-2008, 01:55 PM

i think it would do amazing for a Calderon all-star bid if he scored more... he is capable.

jose calderon has all-star talent, not sure if he should even be considered an all-star this season, but he's playing like an all-star PG.

i'd rate Kidd ahead of him, who is the other PG in the east better then Jose?

nice to see some respect for the spaniard.

seifer0406 · 01-08-2008, 03:41 PM

Well, I don't think that's an insane thing to say. Arenas is out so you don't include him. So the rankings of PG in the East goes sort of like this

Kidd
Billups
Calderon
Tinsley
Andre Miller
Raymond Felton
Others

I don't think he's an allstar though. There are only like 5 guard spots on the allstar team and I can't justify putting Calderon in over guys like Ray Allen, Rip Hamilton, and even...Vince. It is especially hard now considering the Raptors isn't a good team, so you can't make the "He's on a winning team" argument.

So basically, 3rd PG is okay, but he isn't the 3rd best guard imo.

southeasy · 01-08-2008, 04:56 PM

oh i forgot about chauncey.

i agree with seifer here.

firstrounder · 01-08-2008, 06:46 PM

Kidd has been crap this season though, in terms of true point guard abilities. His shooting percentage is 36.5%, and his turnover rate is terrible.

Sure he's a very good rebounder for his position, but he's been brutal at 2 of the most important things - protecting the ball, and shooting the ball.

Kidd isnt in my top 3.

seifer0406 · 01-08-2008, 07:07 PM

Then I suggest you watch some Nets games and not just read the box score. The Nets this season have been an up and down team, but Kidd has been playing great this year. He isn't shooting well, but the rest of the things he does on the court more than makes up for it.

firstrounder · 01-08-2008, 07:55 PM

Hey man no worries we can agree to disagree about Kidd. The guy is hall of fame player (and a hall of fame dick) but I don't feel he is of all-star calibre at this point in his career.

southeasy · 01-08-2008, 09:37 PM

9 triple doubles this season already.. 13 last year.. can't disagree with that, he's getting it done for a new jersey team that is struggling like us.. & i really don't like new jersey or jason kidd much for that matter.

East:
Kidd
Billups
Calderon
Tinsley
Andre Miller
Felton
Hinrich
Mo Williams
Rajon Rondo

*no Gilbert: inj; would be top 2*
*no TJ Ford: inj; would be top 5-6*

rocketeer · 01-08-2008, 09:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by southeasy

9 triple doubles this season already.. 13 last year.. can't disagree with that, he's getting it done for a new jersey team that is struggling like us.. & i really don't like new jersey or jason kidd much for that matter.

so he's had 9 games where three stats were in double figures? that's absolutely meaningless. that's a terrible stat to point at and pretend it means something.

he averages 3.8 turnovers per game. that is 2nd worst in the league. and his 36.5% shooting doesn't really help.

**bigbabyjesus** · 01-08-2008, 10:27 PM

I'll agree with that..

I'd love to see him make the team, I'd be VERY surprised if he makes it though.

billfindlay10 · 01-09-2008, 03:14 AM

It would be great to see him make the allstar team, although I highly doubt it happens.

If Jose does become an allstar how much would he get paid this summer......4 40 million?

firstrounder · 01-09-2008, 07:18 AM

Well if he can be a consistent 15/10 guy with a 50%+ shooting %, and lead the league in assist/turnover ratio, (like he has been thus far as a starter) that would be one of the best PG in the league, and a max player or close to it.

We have got to get him locked up. Is there any doubt that he is our starting PG from here on out for good now, regardless of if TJ returns at 100%?

**ballocks** · 01-09-2008, 10:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by firstrounder

We have got to get him locked up. Is there any doubt that he is our starting PG from here on out for good now, regardless of if TJ returns at 100%?

i really hope not. tj as a starter, imo, puts this team in a sensitive position- they begin to rely on him. with tj ford, the only thing you can rely on is 10-15 missed games / year (or more). if he's coming off the bench and playing 20 mpg like calderon was doing behind him, perhaps it could work- the bonus being that when he gets hurt again, the team won't have as much of a perceived hole to fill.

i don't know if jose's in the all-star discussion because he's worthy or by default (i.e. no one else) but it bears mentioning that we didn't hear a peep about tj's all-star possibilities before he got hurt. what does that tell you? (pro-joses will say: jose's better! pro-tjs will say: tj didn't get the same minutes!)

i'm not anti-tj, per se, but i'd be lying if i didn't admit that it feels good to hear the silence from tj's supporters who were waiting for jose to struggle in his newfound role. i even include sam mitchell in that group. hopefully his play (and this asg talk) will give them a new perspective- even with the team struggling badly.

peace

southeasy · 01-09-2008, 01:16 PM

when tj comes back... IMO

he would look pretty damn good as our 6th man spark off the bench with delfino, kapono & humphries...

i think Jose earned the starters spot until he faulters.. which i don't see happening.

also, American media seems to think Calderon is a FA this year, and not a RFA

he will get paid, he Will get paid by Toronto.

Kamla last night said if he does not get 10mil per its crazy.

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