Is It Time for the Los Angeles Lakers to Trade for Jose Calderon?

With Steve Nash out another two weeks, the Los Angeles Lakers are evaluating their point guard options. It's a long NBA season, but if they continue to flounder into January, they'll have a grueling playoff push ahead of them.

Why not give the Toronto Raptors a call? Jose Calderon would be a great addition.

Calderon has many the subject of many Raptors-to-Lakers deals in the past, but as is commonplace in sports today, those rumors have always been rebuffed by general managers with an air of we-were-never-even-thinking-of-doing-that-you-silly-peasants.

The only peasants here would be the Lakers for not at least considering the 31-year-old Spaniard.

In his seven-year career, Calderon averages 7.1 assists and 28.4 minutes per game. If you give him starter minutes (at least 35), which Los Angeles would obviously do until Nash's return, history indicates he could average as many as nine assists per game.

Or maybe he'd perform even better having influenced the flow of the game from the tip-off instead of coming off the bench. The numbers beat that out, too.

In six starts this year during Kyle Lowry's injury, Calderon racked up 11.9 assists and 38.5 minutes per game. He also dropped an impressive 2.5 threes per game during that stretch as well as one steal.

What's the hold up here?

Obviously, Calderon will cool off during longer stretches as a starter, but the Lakers don't need a point guard for the rest of the season, just the rest of 2012.

Furthermore, the Raptors' 4-18 start make them likely sellers, and the $10 million contract of Calderon means the Lakers could almost take him off of Toronto's hands as a favor.

Why shouldn't the Lakers look into an inexpensive player whose facilitating style mimics that of the typical starter? Los Angeles is on a two-year championship schedule with Nash, Kobe Bryant and Dwight Howard (if they can re-sign him).

Call on Jose Calderon.