Is Jose Calderon a Better Fit for the Toronto Raptors than TJ Ford?

When the Raptors shipped TJ Ford to Indiana this offseason, they were attempting to resolve more than just one problem.

For starters, they were ridding themselves of a contract which extended beyond their dream offseason, in which they may now be able to target the likes of LeBron James and Dwyane Wade.

Second, they were resolving a conflict which had become the source of much controversy last year—the people versus TJ Ford.

When Ford suffered the scare in Atlanta, he pretty much ended his own stint in Toronto. Jose Calderon simply sealed the deal by ensuring the Raptors didn't miss a beat.  Further compounding the situation was the fact that the Raptors actually regressed when Ford eventually came back.

Today, the Raptors start a new season, and this time they'll be heading into it with a clear starting point guard facing no serious threat to his status. In Indiana, Ford starts a new chapter in his career with the Pacers. So did the Raptors win?

Let's not fool ourselves here. The only serious difference between Calderon and Ford is that Ford says what he does to the Toronto media in English, and Jose saves his interviews for Spain.

The media got a real kick out of the situation, and led by their very human nature, they painted the good and bad—and did a mighty great job might I add. Jose could do no wrong, TJ could do no right.

And the worst part is, I was the first in line to ship Ford out. I swore every time he made a bad pass, and took a shot he shouldn't have. I would feel more comfortable when Calderon entered, knowing that at least we wouldn't beat ourselves with him on the court.

I fell into the trap too. I started thinking less was more, and that safe was better than risky. I started valuing substance over flash, and ultimately, I forgot the role of a point guard.

Sadly, Raptor fans don't see too much analysis outside of Raptor games due to limited US network coverage, and they do seem to become products of the commentary by a few individuals with very biased points of view.

For instance, it was never really mentioned that Calderon was always Ford's backup because Ford destroyed him in practice virtually every day. Yup, that would be bad publicity.

When Colangelo came in, he had absolutely no faith in Calderon as a player going into the future. He made the deal for Ford to give the Raptors their floor general. After a fairly good first year, Calderon's likability just became too much to resist.

There was this egotistical kid from Texas, smirking at the claim that he wanted to be an all-star, and across from him was this guy who barely spoke English, was humble, and called his teammates "friends." After the laughter subsided, you had to have a soft corner in your heart for the selfless Calderon.

So ultimately, we have to determine if the Raptors made the right choice by re-signing Calderon and throwing Ford to Indiana.

Can this Raptors team win with Calderon?

Say there was a situation where Toronto could have signed and traded Calderon for a better player than Jermaine O'Neal, perhaps this wing player everyone seems to be wanting—would the Raptors be better off?

I can't say better or worse, because so much of a point guard's success depends on how his teammates react to him on the court—but they're certainly less talented. With this current roster, Calderon is a better fit. Any situation which bases itself on the principles of shooting, pick-roll offense, and no perimeter defense is a situation where Calderon becomes a superstar. Can such a team ever win?  Not a chance.

Is Ford a Better Basketball Player than Calderon?

I'm going to have to say yes. Outside of shooting and height, Calderon has nothing on Ford from a pure-skills standpoint. Ford is the more creative penetrator, better passer, better athlete, better defender, and overall a more complete NBA player.

That said, there are other factors which come into play which make Calderon a more valuable player for this team or any other. Namely, Calderon is a more durable, mentally-stable point guard. But durability doesn't really come into the equation when we discuss talent.

Would the Raptors have a Better chance at a championship under Ford?

At the end of the day, under Calderon they have no chance. Therefore, any chance is better than none, correct? I'm a believer that eventually, Roko Ukic can give the Raptors what Ford gave them in his better days to some extent, but Ford is ultimately a driven winner.

There are very few players who strive to be NBA greats, and Ford is one of those players who is always driven to be great. If his health holds up, in the right system I have no doubt he'll be a name we'll be talking about for years and years after he leaves the game.

In the short term, they have a better shot with a healthy Ford than a healthy Calderon. Where Ford is basically abused by guards over 6'2", Calderon is abused by basically every guard in the NBA. His inability on defense will have him spinning in the NBDL. He's the very best player in the league at doing what he does—but what he does has been blown out of proportion.

It's assumed that dishing ten assists per contest makes you a good passer.  But this isn't accurate. Vince Carter and LeBron James will never get to that ten-assist-per-contest level, but happen to be among the best passers in the league. Playmaking is about this uncanny ability to see plays before they happen.

It's an ability to manipulate defenses into looking in the wrong direction. Calderon doesn't do it. He doesn't have it. You're going to have to understand that this guy went undrafted in 2004 for a very good reason—he's limited.

Through hard work, he's turned himself into a very good shooter, and he's managed to learn a few very basic plays in Sam Mitchell's playbook—which I'm told is written on scraps of toilet paper.  But he still has some huge holes in his game which make him more of a Derek Fisher-type going forward than a John Stockton.

If the Raptors truly want to be great, and they want to keep the friendly Spaniard around, the one thing they're going to need to do is get the ball out of his hands. Considering the only other option in the starting lineup is Anthony Parker at the moment, this probably is going to have to wait till next season when they can upgrade on the wing a bit.

Ultimately, playing Calderon in a role that is otherwise held by the likes of Chris Paul and Jason Kidd is going to burn the Raptors.

Getting O'Neal is a good move in the long run because he is going to demand the ball in the post, thus limiting this over-dribbling and creating by Calderon. However, the ultimate solution(s) will be to get a better coach, and then to get a creative wing player who's unselfish enough to create on occasion.

Calderon getting ten assists per night may be nice for fantasy owners, but in reality it's actually going to be the biggest flaw in the Raptors game plan this season.

I thought of the ultimate distinction between Ford and Calderon the other day. Where Ford's statistics are a product of his game, Calderon's game is a product of his statistics. Limiting turnovers and getting ten assists may win you points with John Hollinger, but playing this way doesn't really do anything for your odds of winning in the playoffs. 

Jose Calderon is best compared at times to Steve Nash. Perhaps there is more to this comparison than their unselfishness, and their shooting touch. Much like Nash, the biggest obstacle in Calderon's path to playoff success is his inability to contain his man.

I just thank God the Raptors are in the East.  Four meetings per season with Deron, Chris Paul, Tony Parker, Baron Davis, Jason Kidd, and Monta Ellis might just have loyal Raptor fans calling for Calderon's head. Luckily, they'll be treated to Jameer Nelson and Devin Harris instead.

A final thought

Ultimately, the Raptors did make a move which gave them the steadier point guard—but unless this move is combined with another move two years from now, the Raptors are going to be your modern-day Sacramento Kings. This team needs defense on the wings, and it needs a new coach with a new philosophy.

In the midst of all this so-and-so is going after LeBron in 2010 talk, people really haven't stopped to think that the Raptors could be serious players. They have Bosh, Bargnani, an unselfish point guard, shooters, one of the top four markets in North America, Bryan Colangelo, and a ton of money to throw his way. What's more, they also happen to be one of the most popular teams internationally, considering their recent exports.

If not New York, Toronto might be a very attractive location for King James. Considering his arrival, or that of another high-profile wing player may be on Colangelo's mind, and the trade for O'Neal—who has a mammoth maximum deal expiring that offseason—makes much more sense. In the long run, however, the decision comes down to Andrea Bargnani's progress.

In 2010, O'Neal will likely be close to exiting his prime. If Bargnani rounds out nicely, and they don't feel they have a realistic chance at landing a high-profile name on the market, they may swing a trade involving O'Neal.

In any case, having three natural power forwards as three of your four key pieces simply doesn't make sense when the holes elsewhere are so glaring.