Jose Calderon = Wanted Free Agent

At the end of the season, a lot of money will be thrown Jose Calderon’s way. The Raptor PG plays 2nd fiddle to T.J. Ford, but he is not a backup point guard. He would be starting on a good number of teams in this league.

Calderon has a relationship with teammate Jorge Garbajosa that goes far beyond basketball. Michael Grange notes that they’ve been joined at the hip since Calderon was 13. Garbo has always been a mentor for the younger Spaniard, but it was Jose who helped influence Jorge to make the trip over the Atlantic and join him in Toronto a year ago. Calderon had a shaky year in his rookie campaign of ‘05-’06. It’s a fair question to ask if Garbajosa’s presence helped steady Jose, allowing him to be the player he was in Europe here in Toronto. When Garbo suffered that gruesome leg injury, the pair’s bond was easily evident. Calderon’s eyes opened wide and he appeared ready for a cry fest as he covered his brother’s leg with a towel.

Calderon paid from his own pocket to get out of his contract in Spain and sign up with then GM Rob Babcock and the multicultural city of Toronto. For all these reasons, you’d think Jose would want to stick around when he becomes an unrestricted restricted free agent after the season, but his bond with Jorge might actually be causing him to listen to other offers. The fact that Garbajosa is averaging 7 minutes a game must burn inside Jose. Yes, it’s still early, and Garbo might yet be a prominent member of this team, but would Calderon give Toronto a discount to give up starting minutes and starting dollars elsewhere under current conditions?

GM Bryan Colangelo made it clear when he signed Ford to a long-term deal that he is this team’s future as the floor general. Whether Calderon or Ford fill that role better is debatable, but what can’t be argued is that Garbajosa’s lack of playing time is hurting the Raps chances of keeping Calderon around.

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By Tas Melas at 1:14 pm on 11.05.2007 — Tags: Jose Calderon, Jorge Garbajosa, Raptors

Ode to Jorge Garbajosa

In North America, this is the kinda guy we call ‘hard’ (in Spanish: ‘el es muy caliente’). Nah, forget it. This man is beyond hard. He is hardcore. He is what every single teammate wants beside him.

People say he’s nothing more than a “glue-guy,” but he’s so much more than that. Glue holds tables together; Jorge makes a team go. He’s a momentum-changer and a silent motivator. He inspires.

This is a guy that went from this (don’t play if squeamish) . . .

. . . to this, in just over 3 months.

He was supposed to be out at least 6 months, but is now trying to get the clearance to play in a meaningless EuroBasket tournament in early September. I call it meaningless because it’s a qualifier for the Olympics where Spain has already secured a spot. But it means a lot to Garbo. I’m sure he didn’t think twice about suiting up for his country. This man loves his homeland, his teammates, and the game of basketball. This is the guy that wanted to watch his own surgery. You try and look this guy in the face and tell him you’re too tired to move your feet on defense; try and tell him you can’t do it. With all he’s been through, he’ll see right through your weakness.

After the horrific accident, Al Jefferson wondered why Garbo tried to block his shot when he had a clear lay-in. Jefferson just doesn’t get it. You can’t change Jorge. Hell, if he could do it all over again, Garbajosa would still try and swat that shot.

The word “warrior” gets thrown around a lot in the sporting world, but it has meaning for Hairy Jorge. Considering the Raptors players are what most people acknowledge as “good guys”, you have to believe when they’re on the same court as him, they realize the kind of man they’re playing with.

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By Tas Melas at 4:02 pm on 08.14.2007 — Tags: Jorge Garbajosa, Raptors

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