The Raptors Jose Calderon's 2009 Season
Almost everyone would agree that Jose Calderon’s 2009 season was a disappointment. Early concerns about a groin injury incurred while playing for Spain, as well as a lingering early season hamstring injury that eventually cost him 17 games and months of limited mobility were all factors in a subpar season.
This was the first year of Calderon’s new 5 year, $45million contract. The first season he wouldn’t have to fight for minutes with former starter, TJ Ford (now with Indiana). The sky was the limit, expectations were soaring.
At the end of the 2007-08 season, ESPN’s John Hollinger wrote “Calderon was the league's most underrated player last season... getting hosed out of a spot on the All-Star team due to his lack of name recognition.”
So how did Jose perform in 2009?
Well he followed up that 30 minute, 11.2 point, 8.3 assist, 2.9 rebound performance in 2008 with a 34 minute, 12.8 point, 8.9 assist, 2.8 rebound effort – and most would agree he did that in a great deal of pain for the greater part of the season.
And while Hollinger’s stats, which you should check out on the ESPN site under Players, show that Jose’s overall PER rating did drop from a jaw dropping 20.77 in 2008, it was still respectable at 18.80.
However, the angst expressed this past season revolved around Jose’s inability to effectively guard his own position, which came at no surprise.
Chasing after the fastest players on the floor with a sore hamstring isn’t likely to be pretty. Of course, Jose’s defensive weaknesses were well documented in past seasons as well.
Did opposing point guards really abuse the Raptors last season? Fortunately, the NBA supplies such information for us.
Opposing Point Guard Scoring vs Toronto Raptors
Opponent Reb Ast Pts Total (Stat)
- Harris 4.3 6.3 22.3 32.9
- Rose 3.5 8.5 20.0 32.0
- Bibby 3.8 7.5 19.8 31.1
- Nelson 5.3 6.0 18.3 29.6
- Mo Williams 2.3 7.3 15.3 24.9
- Stuckey 2.7 5.3 16.0 24.0
- Miller 4.5 5.3 12.5 22.3
- Rondo 4.5 6.5 10.5 21.5
- Duhon 2.3 5.5 13.3 21.1
- Sessions 1.0 7.5 12.3 20.8
- Felton 2.3 7.0 10.8 20.1
- Ford 2.0 5.5 11.3 18.8
- Chalmers 2.0 4.0 7.3 13.3
Average 3.1 6.3 14.6 24.0
Above, Toronto vs the East, ignoring Washington, their point guards were beyond bad. Total "Stat" = RPG + APG + PRG. This number is provided on NBA.com under the "STATS" tab, 2008-09 Leaders, sort by pts/rebs/asts and G (guards).
Sure some guards did “torch” Jose, like Bibby +5 ppg or Rose +4 ppg over their season averages. But most were at or near their average numbers and Jose held some guards like Miller -4 ppg and TJ Ford -3.6 ppg.
In the end, starting point guards in the Eastern Conference averaged 14.6 points, 6.3 assists, and 3.1 boards against Toronto. Hardly the overwhelming statistics one might expect if Calderon was as inept at guarding his own position as has been frequently reported.
Calderon’s own efforts easily offset any statistical advantage attributable to the point guard position. Calderon's own total season stat of 24.6 compares favorably to his Eastern Conference opponents 24.0 vs Toronto.
Okay, but Jose just signed that huge 5 year deal. We have a right to expect a lot more out of him than just playing opposing guards even over the course of the season. Don’t we?
Where do comparable starting point guards stand in terms of production and salary?
The average starting salary for the top 20 veteran point guards in the NBA for the upcoming season is around $8,800,000. Calderon will earn about $8,200,000 this year.
The average total "stat" for the top 25 point guards was 25.1 and the veterans are being paid approximately $329,000 per stat. Calderon came in 24.6 and $334,000.
The best value per stat is Steve Blake at $216,000, followed closely by Jarrett Jack at $242,000. But most would agree the real deal in point guards is Andre Miller's, 6th highest stat ranking of 27.3 for only $246,000 per stat or Devin Harris' 4th best stat ranking of 31.5 for only $266,000. (ignoring those players on rookie deals)
The most expensive per stat point guards are Steve Nash at $462,000 per stat, followed closely by Baron Davis' $460,000, and Chancey Billups' $444,000.
Chris Paul, the league stat leader for point guards by over 6 is at 39.4 and is fairly compensated earning $13,520,000 this season for a cost of only $343,000 per stat.
Last year Calderon compared most closely to Mo Williams, $8,860,000 with a stat of 25.3 and Jason Kidd, who signed for $8,100,000 and had a stat of 23.9.
Remarkably, the top 25 point guards in the NBA averaged 15 points, 6.6 assists, and 3.5 rebounds. Whereas, Calderon was considered “torched” for 14.6 points, 6.3 assists, and 3.1 boards by the opposing point guards in his conference.
There is no doubt Jose Calderon underperformed expectations in 2009. And a 33 win season leaves many of us looking for an excuse as to what could have possibly gone wrong. But, in fairness, more than one player failed to meet expectations on last year’s Raptors squad. In fairness, the team may have lacked enough “players”.
Despite his defensive deficiencies and his lack of lateral quickness for most of last season, by the end of the year Calderon was holding his own in terms of production against most other point guards in the league. Calderon did perform to the level he was being paid, he just didn’t meet the level we had hoped to see.
In the 2009-10 season, the best description of Jose's performance would be that it was a remarkably average performance for a NBA point guard!
Just as it would be unfair to expect someone who was playing through injury for most of the season to have performed at the all-star level many had projected for him. It is equally unreasonable to now lose sight of the fact that Jose should legitimately vie for that all-star spot this season.
By taking the summer off from playing for his national team in Spain, for the first time in many years, Calderon has given his body a chance to recover from a long and disappointing season.
Expectations are once again very high for Jose Calderon.
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