One 13-game stretch at the beginning of an 82-game marathon does not always illustrate how an entire season will go for a team. But sitting at a woeful 3-10, the New York Knicks are desperately trying to flip the narrative on their lost season. Inner growth within the roster is needed, but any reinforcements are welcome.
Their offseason Spanish import — otherwise referred to as Jose Calderon — is expected to make his season debut on Saturday against the Philadelphia 76ers. Calderon was the summer headliner for the Phil Jackson administration as he was a part of the deal that sent Tyson Chandler to the Dallas Mavericks.
He is considered by many as a key cog to make the triangle offense resemble an actual offensive game plan, rather than a bunch of players awkwardly roaming the court in random directions. Without him, the Knicks triangle is looking more scalene.
Phil Jackson explained the potential impact a player of Calderon’s caliber could have the Knicks in Marc Berman’s New York Post piece:
"“We’re missing a lead guard of the quality of Jose who has the composure and ability to settle a team down. Give them organization of the offense with some savvy.’’"
Sure, Calderon will bring a great deal of composure and savvy on the offensive side of the ball, but a much bigger concern for New York will be how to fix their struggling defense. A defense that just surrendered 115 points to the lowly Minnesota Timberwolves, 37 of which remarkably went to the remains of Kevin Martin.
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Calderon will not provide much help on that front, as he is notoriously known to be a defender worth hiding against other point guards. Iman Shumpert will most likely be asked to take the assignment of guarding explosive ball handlers, as he is equipped with the length and foot speed to somewhat contain the likes of a Rajon Rondo or Derrick Rose.
Calderon is no spring chicken (he turned 33 in September) and should be considered as more of a stop gap point guard instead of a viable long term solution. However, he did have some nice moment for the Mavericks last season as a excellent ball facilitator and three point shooter, an area that he shot a robust 45 percent from.
Now, the presence of Calderon should prove to be an improvement over the young Shane Larkin, but the cries of a Big Apple resurgence must be tamed until we are able to see how he fits within the offense.
With Calderon returning and Andrea Barganani hopefully following suit, it will finally give fans the opportunity to evaluate the team at near full strength.
Playing against the sorry Sixers will help any team escape an early season funk, and New York will be looking to do just that on Saturday night with Jose Calderon hopefully being a big contributor.