Cleveland Cavaliers: Should They Look Into Lakers Guard Jose Calderon?
Sep 26, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Jose Calderon (5) is interviewed by reporters at media day at Toyota Sports Center.. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Fox Sports’ Chris Broussard brought it up and it’s a brilliant idea that deserves more conversation. The Cleveland Cavaliers should make a run at Los Angeles Lakers point guard Jose Calderon.
Fox Sports’ Chris Broussard tweeted earlier about the possibility of the Cleveland Cavaliers signing point guard Jose Calderon if he was waived by the Los Angeles Lakers. Calderon would be a terrific acquisition for the Cavs.
However, I don’t think the Cavs should wait for him to be bought out from his contract or waived.
Jose Calderon is a 35-year-old veteran who came to the NBA at 24-years-old and worked his way into the Toronto Raptors starting lineup by his third year in the NBA. Known for his abilities as a passer, spot-up shooter, European flair and fiery game on the court, Calderon was certainly a known commodity throughout the NBA in his prime.
So, perhaps unsurprisingly, Calderon has been a starter in the league every year since. That is, until this season.
Calderon was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers as the Chicago Bulls dumped salary to sign Dwyane Wade and with D’Angelo Russell, a potential superstar point guard in tow, and Jordan Clarkson and Lou Williams, Calderon was destined to sit on the bench in a role far different from the one he had held for the previous nine seasons.
That’s probably why the Lakers would waive Calderon, or attempt to buy out his contract.
Fun fact: Calderon and his brother are billionaires. He may not care too much about how much he loses to reclaim a prominent position for a contender.
But truth be told, that’s not an ideal scenario for the Cavs as Calderon may end up fielding offers from multiple contenders. Hopefully, Calderon does care about how much money he’d potentially lose and won’t want to be bought out of his contract.
In that situation the Lakers would have to trade him and the Cavs, who need a backup point guard, should and would be trading for a player one year removed from being a starter. If Calderon is the point guard the Cavs want, he’s likely the most available and accessible one on the trade market. He also fits the team’s culture and style of play.
For those reasons, Calderon should be a trade target.
Why Cleveland makes the deal:
Calderon is an experienced veteran who not only can run an offense smoothly but at 35-years-old, can still play a fast-paced game.
The Cavs want to play as fast as possible in order to both keep the defense on their heels as the ball-handler attacks the rim and collapse the interior of the defense so that the ball-handler can kick it out to shooters. So, in short, Calderon is the perfect floor general for them. In just thirteen minutes he averages 2.4 points per for the Los Angeles Lakers because he’s a “pure” point guard who can fling a smart pass to a teammate with either hand.
As a scorer, Calderon, to that point, isn’t a shabby three-point shooter himself. The marksman shoots a cool 41.2 percent from deep. Though he won’t always get to the rim, he’s able to shoot it consistently from any part of the floor. He’s a sneaky good finisher at the rim as well and able to convert a fair number of his layup attempts (65.2 percent for his career).
Defensively, as you’d expect from a 35-year-old point guard who wasn’t the most athletic player to begin with, Calderon has more weaknesses on this end. Nonetheless, Calderon is a smart player and will work well within the Cavs group as a team defender. He typically tries to give the ball-handler space so as not to be blown by, so Iman Shumpert or DeAndre Liggins may have to defend the point guard while he’s on the court. At 6-foot-3 and 200 pounds, Calderon should be able to hold his own against a wing player like Marcus Smart of the Boston Celtics, a team the Cavs may meet in the Eastern Conference playoffs.
Why Los Angeles makes the deal:
With the youth movement, it’s unlikely that Calderon is viewed as an integral piece to the Los Angeles Lakers future. That’s especially true with the depth of the Lakers perimeter unit, a group that has D’Angelo Russell, Jordan Clarkson, Nick Young, Lou William and Brandon Ingram as able ball-handlers. Julius Randle, who starts at power forward for the Lakers, plays in a point-forward role and with 3.8 assists per game, it’s safe to say he’s pretty good at it.
With that being said Calderon only has one year left on his deal and, like Korver, could probably be pried away from the Lakers with a future asset. The Cavs could trade the Lakers the draft rights to Cedi Osman, a player for the Euroleague’s Anadolu Efes who would fit in nicely with the Lakers when he makes the jump to the NBA next season. Osman is a silky athlete with a nice three-point shot (48.8 percent in Euroleague) and plays with energy and aggressiveness on both ends of the court that will provide a nice spark for a young Lakers team.
With Young, Williams and Luol Deng all 30 years old or older it makes sense for the Lakers to add a young sharpshooting wing at virtually no cost. As he acclimates himself to the NBA game, he should be ready to be a steady contributor just as one of the “30 and above” club shows signs of decline.
In Conclusion
In conclusion, this is a trade that makes sense for both teams and has a serious likelihood of happening. While the Cavs like Osman, they’re on a championship run right now.
It’s possible that the Cavs could ask for a second-round pick from the Los Angeles Lakers to try to recoup a young asset. The Lakers could decline but Osman does have value. In any case, it’s not likely to be a matter that the teams get hung up on in a deal. The Cavs seem to have keyed in on Shumpert and Liggins, Kay Felder and Jordan McRae to be the young legs on the perimeter.
While Mario Chalmers, Norris Cole and Jarrett Jack are all returning from injuries, they haven’t played in the NBA all season and expecting them to make important contributions during the most important part of the season may be foolhardy. They most likely won’t be in condition to play with guys who’ve played all-season long and worked themselves into game shape. There’s also the possibility that they can re-aggravate their injuries trying to perform at a championship-level right after rehabbing an injury.
Calderon gives the Cavs the best shot at resting Kyrie Irving and should Irving be out for an extended period of time, Calderon is at least able to do three things Irving does: pass, shoot and push the pace. The Cavs won’t be able to replace Irving’s scoring with Calderon as he averages 11.9 points per 36 minutes, less than half of Irving’s season average of 24.3 points per game. McRae would likely start in place of Irving and having scored 20 points or more in two out of his last three games.
Calderon, like Shumpert, would just be the steady hand in the second unit that the Cavs can rely on in their rotation.
What do you think of Los Angeles Lakers point guard Jose Calderon as the backup point guard for the Cleveland Cavaliers? Let us know in the comments section or Twitter @KJG_NBA.
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