Jose Calderon Is Upgrade for NY Knicks, but Is He Long-Term Point Guard?
The New York Knicks had arguably the worst starting point guard in the NBA last season in the form of Raymond Felton, but the arrival of Jose Calderon should help solidify the position for 2014-15.
In a league now dominated by point guards, it was essential that New York found a way to upgrade the position, and they certainly did with Calderon, who even at age 32 is a worthy starter in the NBA.
What's more, Calderon is also a perfect fit for the triangle offense that Derek Fisher and Phil Jackson will establish this season, due to his pass-first mentality and ability to hit the three (he's a career 41 percent shooter from beyond the arc).
Any way you look at it, Calderon is a short-term upgrade over Felton. The only major red flag is his defense, but even in that area it will be difficult for him to be worse for Felton, who had been routinely lit up by opposing 1's since returning to the Knicks.
Still, Calderon is under contract until 2017, and while he's definitely a good fit for now, you have to wonder whether he's really the long-term point guard for the Knicks.
On the one hand, Calderon managed to play a career-high 81 games last season and his per game production has been almost identical for the past three seasons. Despite his age, he doesn't seem to be declining and his slow style of play certainly lends itself to that.
For a player like Calderon, whose game is built around vision and shooting rather than athleticism, it's definitely possible for him to still be a starting-quality point guard for another two or three years.
At the same time, though, the league continues to flood with talented point guards, and it's not ideal to be left with a defensive liability who doesn't meet the league's high standards for athleticism at the position.
This is why we should see the Knicks focus a lot of attention on developing Shane Larkin over the coming years. He's one of the faster players in the NBA, and if developed properly, could be the player New York needs in order to keep up with this influx of point guards.
Surrounded by Fisher, Calderon and Pablo Prigioni, he isn't exactly short of mentors and should learn a lot over the next couple of years if he's willing.
Larkin is undersized at 5'11", but Fisher wasn't much taller at 6'1" and still managed to put together an 18-year career, earning five titles as a starter.
if the Knicks want to look elsewhere for a potential long-term starter, their best opportunity will come in free agency next year, where they have the contracts of Amar'e Stoudemire and Andrea Bargnani coming off the books.
Rajon Rondo, Goran Dragic and Jeremy Lin—all of whom are younger than Calderon and more polished than Larkin—should be available, although they will take a significant chunk out of the Knicks' cap space.
Ideally, given that the triangle offense doesn't necessarily require a star point guard, the Knicks will look to spend their money elsewhere.
These players may be upgrades over Calderon and Larkin, but overall the team may be better off holding onto them and instead making a run for the likes of Marc Gasol and Paul Millsap, who could be game-changing additions to the frontcourt.
It's possible that Calderon, as a fellow Spaniard, may be able to convince Gasol to come to New York, which is potentially just as valuable as anything he can provide on the court.
Defense is the biggest issue for the Knicks, and it may make sense to look to pick up a defensive specialist on the cheap to cover for Calderon and Larkin against All-Star opponents. In fact, they may even have that already in the form of Prigioni and Iman Shumpert.
For the time being, the Knicks have every reason to be happy with their point guard situation. Calderon is a great short-term option and could still be playing at the same level in a few years' time, while Larkin has the potential to grow into the starting role if and when Calderon declines.
An upgrade would be welcome, but if New York makes the right moves elsewhere on the court, they should be able to succeed with Calderon until his contract expires and he nears the end of his career.
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