A look at the point guard situation for the other 29 teams tells us that Jose Calderon will be a hard sell.
Atlanta: At this point in their careers, Mike Bibby and Jose Calderon are a wash. Jeff Teague is the official backup. The Hawks are at $68M and would only entertain Calderon if they can shed salary; the only “big name” player they might want to part with is Marvin Williams who fails to impress. It’s a long-shot.
Boston: Rajan Rondo and Nate Robinson. That got them to the finals so there’s no need to change. Defensive-minded Doc Rivers can’t like Jose as a point.
Charlotte: Unless they’re comfortable with D.J. Augustin starting, they will have to make a move for a PG. They have Shaun Livingston and undrafted rookie Sherron Collins signed for depth at PG but both are a distance away from being as good as Calderon. They’ll still dangle Boris Diaw but for the Raptors, that ship has sailed.
Chicago: Derrick Rose. They recently acquired C.J Watson from Golden State as the backup in a sign-and-trade deal. The Bulls could benefit from having a conservative backup point guard since Calderon would provide an entirely different style of ball than Rose or Watson, but if it was to happen it would’ve happened already.
Cleveland: Daniel Gibson, Mo Williams and Ramon Sessions. Calderon is better than all of them but what really is the motivation for Cleveland to make a deal?
Dallas: Jason Kidd plays the bulk of minutes and Jose Barea is a nice backup. The PG isn’t Dallas’s problem.
Denver: Chauncey Billups, Ty Lawson and Anthony Carter. Calderon could be considered an upgrade over Carter, but the Nuggets would have to smash the tax to complete any such move. With Billups and Martin expiring next summer, the Nuggets would be wise to wait out the lockout situation and review their options then. No need to acquire big salary now.
Detroit: A $63M payroll and Rodney Stuckey and Will Bynum as points. The Pistons will not add Calderon’s contract unless they can shed someone like Rip Hamilton, of whom we have no interest in.
Golden State: Their off-season goal was to get better defensively. Besides, Stephen Curry and Monta Ellis don’t really give anybody else a chance to play point.
Houston: Aaron Brooks is a pretty good player, but not a pure point. No worries though, Morey’s got one of the most underrated players in the league in Kyle Lowry backing him up. Adelman’s motion doesn’t hold you to your position so both players are good fits.
Indiana: Just got Darren Collison. TJ Ford refuses to accept a buyout.
LA Clippers: Already had Eric Gordon and just drafted Eric Bledsoe. There’s also Baron Davis.
LA Lakers: Derek Fisher’s back and they signed Steve Blake to replace Jordan Farmar. Calderon could have been a nice fit with Gasol, but the trade talk for Bynum never came to anything.
Memphis: Mike Conley Jr. hasn’t exactly panned out and there’s a Spanish connection with Marc Gasol who happens to be a free-agent. Getting Calderon in there could serve as a great reason for Gasol to re-sign, and Memphis will get an upgrade at PG in the process.
Miami: Calderon would be an upgrade over Arroyo and Chalmers, and his defense would be well-hidden in Miami. The Heat did show some interest in Calderon at the height of the Ford/Calderon wars, but the question is what would we get from Miami? Joel Anthony? Even he’s not eligible to be traded right now and signed his deal fully intending to stay.
Milwaukee: Brandon Jennings starts and they signed Keyon Dooling to back him up.
Minnesota: Sebastian Telfair, Jonny Flynn, Luke Ridnour, Ricky Rubio.
New Jersey: Devin Harris is better than Jose Calderon and makes less money; also signed Jordan Farmar. Pokhorov is thinking long-term (three years down the road) when the team is in Brooklyn.
New Orleans: If you just traded Darren Collison, why would you acquire Jose Calderon?
New York: Freshly signed Raymond Felton is their only point-guard with Roger Mason Jr. moonlighting as a backup. Adding Calderon would be a contrast in styles and pace, but is Calderon a D’Antoni guy? Calderon’s two-man game using the pick ‘n roll could mix well with Stoudemire.
OKC: Russell Westbrook, Eric Maynor and Royal Ivey. They like players who play defense.
Orlando: Jameer Nelson starts and they signed Chris Duhon to a $15M/4yr deal.
Philadelphia: Lou Williams and Jrue Holiday. Williams is a better scorer than Calderon and Holiday is being compared to Rondo early in his career. Williams averages $5.9M through 2012-13.
Phoenix: Very high on Goran Dragic.
Portland: They signed Andre Miller when they couldn’t get Hedo Turkoglu which could be the best move never made. Jerryd Bayless is the backup with a rookie-scale contract, he’s a tweener who can’t shoot so it is conceivable that they’d look for more stability at the backup point, but as is the general theme when discussing Jose as a backup, the cost just might be too high.
Sacramento: Beno Udrih does a good enough job backing up Tyreke Evans.
San Antonio: Tony Parker is the man now, George Hill is the man of the future.
Utah: Deron Williams we all know about, but after that there’s a significant drop at the point. After his D-League promotion, Sundiata Gaines had a nice impact and they also have Ronnie Price who doesn’t impress but doesn’t screw up either. In a purely basketball sense, this could be a destination for Calderon as Jerry Sloan’s offense could use a backup point-guard who follows directions to the tee. The Jazz are very close to the tax and will be reluctant to take on more salary until Andrei Kirilenko’s $17.8M come off the books next year.
Washington: John Wall. Gilbert Arenas is available but Colangelo would rather take a chance on a Phuket hooker. Without a cap. Calderon could provide some veteran leadership for the Wiz, but unless Gil is involved, the ROI is too low for the Wizards to be interested.
