I said yesterday that it was worst thing that could happen to the Raptors in Beijing. That is of course the injury to Jose Calderon. A strained groin is not something that Jose Calderon can not recover from in time for the season. However if he plays through this injury the chance of it getting worse is a real concern. Bryan Colangelo has seen this movie before with Jorge Garbajosa and does not want any kind of a repeat of what happened there. Calderon recently was rewarded with a brand new contract and a brand new role on the Raptors. Everyone talks about Jose and his dedication to the team. Well here is a test of that as Jose Calderon and the choice he makes will speak to his loyalty to the Raptors.
I am sure there will be a lot of pressure on Jose Calderon to play for his country. But the reality is that Jose must do the right thing for his career and his team and if he is truly not 100% he needs to sit out. Calderon made a comment on his injury on his website. Here is what he had to say
Jose (From Website)- “With respect to myself, my only concern is the small pull that I felt in the groin almost at the end of the game. I feel a little soreness in the affected area, but until tomorrow I will not know the extent of the possible injury. We will have to wait a few hours to see how is the injury evolving, and depending on the results, we will know if I can play or not. In any case, with Ricky and Raul, the PG position is well covered and the team is prepared for any absence.”
Ironically the next game Calderon does play would be his 100th game with the Spanish National Team. Raptor fans hope that game does not happen until next summer or at least they should. I can not stress enough how important it will be for Raptors to start the season with a healthy Jose. Despite what you may have read or think of Roko Ukic, there is no one that feels Roko is ready to play starting minutes in the NBA at this point. An injury to Jose Calderon is even more important than an injury to Bosh or O’Neal would be in my view. The Raptors will be counting on Jose Calderon more than they ever have before in this upcoming season. It is essential that Calderon has a healthy and productive season if the Raptors have any hope of success in this upcoming season.
It is also going to have an impact for training camp as the Raptors are adding some big roster changes and likely a much different style of play as a result. Calderon needs to be a part of that process. The fact of how much he would play in the preseason is not an issue. But the time on the practice floor is a huge issue. He needs to develop chemistry with this new first unit he will be leading on the floor. It is vital and will be very important for the Raptors. When you look at the Raptor schedule the first 2 months of it are very challenging. It will take everyone being on the same page to be successful. That goal becomes harder to accomplish if Calderon is not able to work at a 100% level in camp.
There is and should be a lot of concern about this on part of the Raptors. The O’Neal trade left the Raptors with a weaker overall point guard position. T.J Ford is far better than Roko Ukic and Will Solomon and the fact he is not here would loom very large without a healthy Jose Calderon. The hope is that the injury is minor. Which I do think at this point it is. The real concern is not having Jose play and turn something that is minor into something major.
Chris Bosh last summer sat on the sidelines and risked his Olympic Dream by not taking part in the Vegas Qualifier last summer. He did what was right for the Toronto Raptors. Jose Calderon is expected to be a leader on this Raptor Roster this season. Well that leadership starts now as he must make the right choice for his team as Chris Bosh did last summer. Jose Calderon is in a tough spot as he must choose between country and team. But I think it is required that he put his team’s interest above that of his country. Honestly after the beating that Spain suffered at the hands of the United States earlier in this tournament can Jose Calderon really change the result in a Gold Medal re-match with the United States? No offense to Jose and his ability but I would deem that as highly unlikely.
Tags: Bryan Colangelo, Chris Bosh, Jorge Garbajosa, Jose Calderon, Spain Basketball
August 21, 2008 at 5:12 pm |
let jose decide ur being another annoying raps fan thats being greedy
the olympics is a great experience it happens every 4 years so let him do whats best. The olympics is better THAN THE NBA
August 21, 2008 at 6:00 pm |
With all do respect. I don’t think you can tell me what I am anymore than I can say what you are Omar. The Olympics are a great experience and were orginally intended for non professionals. The NBA has turned this into a marketing chance for the league. I am cool with that. I am cool with guys going and playing. I am not cool with them risking injury to do so. Jose Calderon is an employee of the Toronto Raptors and as such as reponsibilites if you or anyone was given the chance to do something by your employer to do something in your off time from work and it had an impact on your job performance should you not be held accountable?
Ultimately what I care about is the Raptors winning and that is all. If players can have great experiences from the olympics fantastic but I am not willing to allow that to impact on the Raptor’s season and I would think anyone connected to this organization should feel the same from Fan right up to Bryan Colangelo and the MLSE Board.
August 21, 2008 at 7:35 pm |
ye originally. not anymore borbath. raps fans need patience, its not like theyre gonna do much this season. every season we are dissapointed. so let jose do as he wishes. besides, there is nothing u can do about it.
August 21, 2008 at 7:44 pm |
What the Raptors do be it good or bad is not the issue here. It is the issue that Jose Calderon as 12 other guys is a contracted employee of the Toronto Raptors and as such he owes it to this Organization and everyone in it including those 12 other players to be at is best to play hard and be healthy. It is as simple as that.
You run a risk when you allow players to as you put do what they want. You are right in the sense I can not do anything about what Jose decides but it will be a message to Myself the Fans and this Organization on what matters to Jose Calderon.
I totally disagree that an NBA Championship is not as important as an Olympic Gold Medal. NBA players are judged by Championships and not Gold Medals. Vince Carter is a gold medal winner but I don’t think he will be viewed better based on that fact. Winning Championships is what it is all about.
August 21, 2008 at 8:31 pm |
You’ve hit the nail on the head. Calderon needs to remember that the Raptors gave him the go ahead to play in the Olympics and traded Ford so that he would have a chance to run the show – so he’s had his opportunity. Plus, he got his new contract. He needs to return the favour by doing the right thing by the Raptors now – forget about trying to beat the Dream Team and stick to competing against the titans in the Atlantic division.