DALLAS - With Chris Paul re-upping in LA and a Bledsoe trade requiring the taking on of ballast, the Mavs' PG attention quickly turned to Jose Calderon. We review his finance, his fit, and most interestingly, we go in-depth to review his injury now that he's coming to Dallas:
FITNESS: Calderon is an eight-year veteran and will be 32 when the 2013-2014 Dallas Mavericks season starts. During his time with Toronto and Detroit, Calderon has been sidelined by injury for 79 total games. He's endured ankle sprains, stitches, and other minor bumps and bruises that are common in the NBA but the biggest cause for concern moving forward is the multiple lower leg injuries that have consistently limited the Spaniard.
While Calderon's avoided severe injuries, these lower extremity issues shouldn't be overlooked.
However the Mavericks have a major ace in the hole moving forward: athletic trainer Casey Smith. Smith is a well-respected AT who holds multiple certifications that allow him to identify and correct biomechanical problems. Smith was at the Dwight pitch table and surely is deeply involved in having given Calderon a passing grade here. His skill set would do wonders for Calderon and help him maximize his court time during his time in Dallas.
FIT: And when he's on the court?
Calderon has long on the Mavericks' wish list due to his Kidd-Lite BBIQ playmaking ability. He's got a career average of nine assists per 36 minutes and a 4.2:1 assist-to-turnover ratio.
Calderon is a shooter (he led the NBA in three-point field-goal percentage last season at 46.1%) rather than a scorer. The 6-foot-3 Spaniard has career averages of 10.1 points and 7.2 assists per game. His defense is not good (having a defensive stud center behind him would help.) But the Mavs' were actually a sound defensive team last year and their top problem was their point guards' collective inability to get the ball to Dirk and others in productive spots.
FINANCE: Two days ago, in reporting Calderon as a Mavs' top target in this space, we educated-guessed that Dallas would like to "put him in the $7-mil range.'' The Mavs have done exactly that with a four-year, $29-mil contract that averages $7.25 million annually.
