Jose Calderon Injury: Who Steps Up For New York Knicks?
By David Ramil
The New York Knicks are in a transitional state (hasn’t that been the case for a while, now?), but there’s hope for the future. Phil Jackson is in charge of the team, just under the shadow of owner/musician Jim Dolan, and has brought the vaunted Triangle offense along with him.
Jackson is the system’s biggest proponent, having implemented it successfully in Chicago and Los Angeles. While the point guard position isn’t a dominant side of the Triangle, it’s a vital one that requires excellent management skills. It’s no wonder that one of Jackson’s first moves was to make a trade with the Dallas Mavericks to acquire veteran guard Jose Calderon.
As the “Zen Master” explained to ESPN, Calderon is a “lights-out shooter” that “rarely takes a bad shot” and “takes very good care of the ball.” While these comments seem like they’re minimally complimentary, it’s high praise considering some of Jackson’s honest assessments of the rest of the roster. However, with the news that Calderon would miss 2-3 weeks due to a calf injury, the question is whether the Knicks roster has anyone else who can fill his place.
If Thursday night’s matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers is any indication, then the answer is likely split between Shane Larkin and Pablo Prigioni.
Jackson’s assessment of Calderon and Prigioni was a shared one, understandable given their similar skill sets. As he explained:
"“Neither of them will have any trouble figuring out the triangle [offense]…They’re aggressive enough on offense to be a threat, but not nearly as aggressive on the other end of the court. The task for both of them is to be much better on-the-ball defenders.”"
Calderon (a career 41 percent shooter from three-point range) and Prigioni (nearly 43 percent in just two seasons) can score from deep. But Prigioni will likely be used in a reserve role, only starting 45 games in 146 appearances. So far this season, it appears that Larkin will be relied upon more heavily to handle the offense.
Larkin, the second-year guard out of the University of Miami, was rarely used as a member of the Dallas Mavericks. Widely considered to be a salary cap throw in to the Calderon trade, his size (generously listed at 5’11”) and outside shooting are his biggest weaknesses. But as nice as he was about his other point guards, Jackson was downright effusive in his praise of Larkin:
"“I really like Shane Larkin. He’s an energy player with great speed and quickness. He plays the passing lanes well and has a nose for steals. Because he played in the summer league, Shane’s got a pretty good handle on the offense, and that’s where he had the chance to prove that he’s also a clutch shooter. However, at only 5-11 and 175 [pounds], Shane has trouble defending screen-rolls. Our philosophy is for the smalls to get over the screens, which is difficult for even bigger, stronger players because the refs allow the screeners to drop their hands and push the defenders in their backs. So, Shane needs a lot of help from his bigs to solve this problem. The best thing about Shane is that he’s a winner.”"
Jackson has long been considered a master motivator. Usually, the smartest guy in the room, he’s had a knack for saying the right things to maximize a player’s contributions. His sometimes-rough scouting report on his own players was a perfect example of this. His take on Larkin seems like a perfect confidence booster, clearly setting him up to play a bigger role than had been previously expected before Calderon’s injury.
Larkin assumed the starting role against the Bulls on Wednesday and versus the Cavalires on Thursday. He was solid but unspectacular — a combined 15 points on 50 percent shooting, along with eight assists and four rebounds. But his six total steals (including five against Cleveland) were a real eye-opener. You can see some of Jackson’s machinations at work there, as Larkin seems ready to assume the responsibility of the starting job and improve his defensive shortcomings.
Until Calderon comes back, the bulk of the work will still be handled by Carmelo Anthony and Iman Shumpert (scoring 25 and 12, respectively, in the win over Cleveland). But with the Triangle still a work in progress, having Larkin and Prigioni — smart ball managers — will help lighten the load in his absence.