Toronto Raptors point guard Jose Calderon (R) returns to the lineup on Wednesday, but Jarrett Jack's performance in his absence has raised questions about the Spaniard's future.
TORONTO -- The problem with the Toronto Raptors' recent ascension to respectability, analytically speaking, is it is hard to know what is real and what is not because of the team's cushy schedule.
The quality of the Raptors' opponents always tempers the search for a cause to the effect -- namely six wins in their last seven games. Has the Raptors' defence become respectable because it has intrinsically improved, or did playing offensively inept teams such as New Jersey and Detroit exaggerate that? Is Sonny Weems really deserving of extra minutes, or has weak competition made him look more effective than he actually is?
And then, of course, there is the biggest question of all, at least in the short term: Are the Raptors really a better team with Jarrett Jack starting at point guard instead of Jose Calderon?
The question will likely become relevant Wednesday night, with Jose Calderon a good bet to return from a hip injury that had him in a suit for 12 of the last 13 games, and the better part of that other one, too. The odds are, with Calderon trying to find his game form, Jack will keep his starting role, at least for the three games this week.
However, if Calderon returns to peak health, there will be a debate as to which point guard should start for the remainder of the season, or at least for the next month or so. It will be T.J. Ford versus Calderon Redux, except none of the guards will have huge insecurity issues about coming off of the bench.
While Calderon makes the Raptors a more complex offensive team, Jack should be given the chance to steer the starting unit for the foreseeable future.
The facts are these: Calderon started the first 22 games of the year, and the Raptors went 9-13, playing historically bad defensive basketball. Jack has started the last 13 games and the Raptors have gone 8-5 in those contests, approaching acceptable defence, if not excellence, in the process. During Jack's tenure as starter, six of Toronto's opponents have shot 41% from the field or worse -- unheard of for the early-season Raptors -- while seven opponents have scored 95 points or less.
Yes, that period overlaps with the Raptors moving to a more aggressive defensive scheme, but Jack, a more capable one-on-one defender than Calderon, is no small reason for the progress.
Additionally, Jack does not need the ball in his hands to be effective, which has given Hedo Turkoglu more opportunity to distribute. Accordingly, at least before he hurt his knee and got a cold, Turkoglu was playing his most effective basketball of the season. Jack has also proven to be able to get into the paint on occasion, giving the starting unit a second player aside from Chris Bosh with an ability to get to the free-throw line.
Calderon, too, could benefit. There might be such a thing as having too many offensive weapons on the floor (especially when it comes at the expense of defence), and Calderon is an elite shooter. He has shot 52% from the floor this year and 40% from three-point territory, which is actually low for him. He could thrive as a player whose first task is to provide instant offence off of the bench instead of getting each of his teammates involved. Judging by the season's first 20-plus games, the former was not working exceedingly well.
Eventually, the Jack-Calderon issue could very well become a long-term debate, with trading one or the other a necessity. Calderon is under contract for three years after this one, owed more than US$29-million over that span. That is a lot of money to be tied up to a reserve, considering Jack is tied up for the same length at less than 60% of the price.
That is an integral bookkeeping question, but one for another day. For now, Jack has fit in with the starting group well, and there is no reason to upset that.
Posts
