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.
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2 months ago
We at thegoodpoint.com got a one-on-one interview with TJ Ford...Check it out.
2 months ago
Do you really think the Raptors have a chance of landing Wade or Bron????
from 2 months ago
That's just the thing.. I actually do think the Raptors were touched with a wand when Colangelo took over here. I feel there is a plan (call it a conspiracy w/e) to make this team a legit force in the NBA... and do it in a way that we appeal to the global game of basketball.. hence all the European imports. How many Europeans did you see play for the Suns when Colangelo was there? 3? We had like 5-6 the first year. Anyways, I feel Toronto is a big market, and also that we have a better shot at getting James than the Cavs do of getting Bosh- in fact, if worst comes to worst and the Nets can't get under the cap (they will and LeBron will 97% sign there) I could see perhaps the Cavs and Raptors swapping stars? Right now.. I think Colangelo has a few of "his guys" on the team. Number 1 is Bargnani, and 2. is Ukic, who he's been trying to get over since the actual HOUR he got this job.. so if you could turn Bosh into Bron I don't think he'd hesitate, and the Cavs might then not have to lose James for nothing. Its a stretch I guess. What about Wade? Toronto is a bigger market than Miami. Perhaps the Raptors will have Bosh signed up, and be in a position to offer Wade a chance to come in here and get max money on a contender.. Colangelo has lined himself up very well for 2010. You can be sure the Raptors are going to be getting something good. However, I would still consider the possibility that he pulls the trigger on O'Neal for a star wing before that offseason and just kills the cap space. I don't know.. perhaps the Raptors can snag a draft pick. It's really hard to tell with so much still yet to be determined.
from 2 months ago
Yeah I think Colangelo has the right idea by trying to build the Raps as an international team. Hey maybe they could get Nash back in CA. Sticking with international or players who dont care about the spotlight is the best bet.
Is Toronto really a bigger NBA media market than Miami? I don't know about that one.
Toronto has a lot of options, i think they are best keeping bosh as the star and building on that.
2 months ago
Good insight and nice read, but I have to disagree.
Ford is definately more talented than Calderon. If the two were to play 1 on 1, I'd expect Ford to win 75% of the time and maybe even higher.
But if you watched Ford play last season, specifically after he returned from his injury, he was a hinderance to the Raptors. Period.
His inability to include his teammates on the second unit and insistence on poor shots brought the Raptors offense to a grinding halt in a lot of games. Any time Ford felt challenged whatsoever by an opposing point guard, he transforms into a completely different player. I like when guys play with a chip on their shoulder, but not at the expense of the team. For every game that Ford would spark the Raps with this act, there was three or four games where he'd shoot the Raps out of a game.
Calderon has a lot of the intangibles that make a good PG - vision, compatability with teammates and game management. Overall, he's become a much more consistent point than Ford, and that's really what the Raptors need right now. They have enough offensive firepower that they don't need to rely on a ton of scoring from that position. If this was 3 or 4 years ago when it was basically Bosh and not much else, then I'd agree that Ford could be more of a help.
Plus, the durability factor should not be brushed aside so easily. Ford can't stay on the court for more than a month or two at a time. His history of spinal injuries puts him in a situation where he's literally one bad fall away from having his career end. I hope this never happens, but imagine the scrutiny that Colangelo would be under in Toronto if he shipped Calderon off this summer only to have Ford spend of the season on the IR, or even worse, retire early.
And while I agree that Ford got the short end of the stick in T-Dot with the media sometimes, he did bring a lot of that on himself. He did sulk when he wasn't starting. Whenever Calderon got crunch time minutes over him, you could usually find Ford near the end of the bench with a sour look on his grill, refusing to cheer with the rest of the team.
2 months ago
While I do agree very much with what you're saying, my point really is that Calderon himself is limited. I remember 2 years ago I said to Jack Armstrong that this team has a hole at the PG and he laughed.... well in the long run, you have 1 point guard who lacks aggression, and skill, and is one of the worst defenders in the world.. and the other is 5'11, has spinal problems, can't shoot, and is for some reason has maturity issues (although I think he's a FANTASTIC leader).. and my solution was to ship out the guy who would get you the wing player you wanted, and then bring in Ukic and groom him to be the future starter. I actually don't mean to hype the guy but I am not a band wagoner. In fact, I've been saying this guy is going to be GREAT for 4 years now.. just because when I saw him in Split, and he tore my team apart, I said it felt like we were playing against an NBA player.. and that was when he was like 17 or 16. He has CRAZY skill...if he gets a shot, expect Calderon out within a couple of years. I can't imagine going up against the Pistons and the entire team having to double and tripple chauncey.. and what would be worse would be facing a QUICK guard, like Ford, or Paul/Parker... I'm not saying Ukic is a special defender yet but long arms and good lateral quickness is a very good start.
2 months ago
I've always liked T.J, i was amazed at his comeback after the horrifying injury in Milwaukee, but he is no way better than Jose Calderon. Just no way. Also, Sam Mitchell is a great coach, not perfect, but exactly what Bosh needs. The Raptors need pieces but if Toronto had gone the other way and choose T.J, yeah they might have had a few more highlights, but would have a worse record
2 months ago
well.. I might argue that the Raptors won 47 games with TJ as the guy playing 30 mins a night.. and in the playoffs nearly beat the NETS. Last year, even Colangelo said we were "more talented" and yet we won 41 and didn't even compete with Orlando. I mean.. sure the Celtics were better blah blah... but its not a sure-thing that this team wins more games because of Calderon. In fact, Calderon nearly cost the Raptors the lead last night. Louis Williams went by him like 3 times in a row... Ukic came in when they were down 3 and left when they were up 8. This season should be VERY interesting.
2 months ago
from pick and poison offense to swagger defense, nba bball will be fine north of the 49th. dino-nation's got a legit "international" type superstar with fire lit under his belly; marginal play will not make it on this year's team and get weeded out. I dare say get ready for some exquisite bball 'cause there's now a perfect storm and the glaring mental and athletic weaknesses of this team have met their nemesis in CB4, and is making 2010 happen right now.
2 months ago
Wow this article was just so.... wrong. The raptors have no chance to win a championship under Ford? Dude, I don't know if you've ever actually seen the Raptors play, but Calderon is a pass-first guy who is clearly a better fit for the as the rest of the team is stocked with good shooters. He also has an astoundingly low ast:to ratio. Further, the Toronto media did not create the public perception of TJ Ford, that was entirely on Mr. Ford himself. In fact, if you read Doug Smith's blog at the Toronto Star website, you'd know that he ceaselessly promoted Ford for basically the entire season and tried to convince the fans of his worth. You should not quit your day job, buddy, because this is one of the worst analyses I have ever wasted my time reading.
from 2 months ago
I'm sorry you wasted your time. I'm going to waste some of mine now.
You say Jose is a pass-first point guard. I'm quite pleased with you for saying that. Pass first.
TJ is a shoot-first point guard?
These terms mean jack shit. Tell me the last time a pass-first point guard won a championship. When you watch Parker/Rondo/Billups/... who do you think more of.. Ford or Calderon?
Defense wins championships, and Ford is a better defender. He can keep a guy in front of him, and he can actually make teams pay in transition. Just for the sake of clarification... Assist to turnover is the dumbest statistic of all time. Hollinger, the king of all statistical analysis (or queen?) said it himself that high turnovers in young players is a good sign of things to come. Players who play passively, or low-risk actually hurt their teams in the long run. And just ... for the sake of humor, the Raptors were eliminated in 6 games against New Jersey as Kidd ran circles around Calderon, posted up Ford... but.. the play that ended it? A Calderon turnover.
about 1 month ago
This article basically wrapped up everything I felt about the T.J- Calderon trade. TJ is a much better PG and thats a fact. Toronto media has done a great job to make Calderon the golden boy but I guess time will tell if hes a better fit... Wouldnt it be funny if Indiana made playoffs and Raps didnt??? No it wouldnt.
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