Dec 20, 2014; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks guard Jose Calderon (3) shoots for three during the first quarter against the Phoenix Suns at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports
Can Calderon Help Any Teams in the Western Conference Secure a Playoffs Spot?”
The Western Conference is a different story, with so many teams bunched up fighting for the eight Playoffs spots; a few wins here or there, can mean a trip to the Playoffs or a ticket to the NBA Lottery. The contending teams that do not have a need for a backup point guard are Golden State, Phoenix, as well as all three Texas teams. The Warriors have the crafty Shaun Livingston to back up Stephen Curry. The Suns as we all know has a log jam at the guard position with Goran Dragic, Eric Bledsoe, and Isaiah Thomas.
The Rockets mainly run their offense through James Harden, who has the eighth highest usage rate in the League at 31.3%. Secondary ball handling duties fall onto the point guard that best suits the situation for Houston, with an offensive minded point guard in Jason Terry, and a defensive stopper in Patrick Beverley. The Mavericks are well aware of what Calderon brings to the table already, and decided to deal him this summer, and as for the Spurs, the defending Champions have every position shored up.
The Clippers have two players with a top 20 usage rate; shockingly neither is named Chris Paul, who has a 22.6% usage rate. Blake Griffin is 11th in usage rate at 29.5%, and Jamal Crawford off the bench is 16th in the category with a 27.8% usage rate! Essentially Los Angeles only needs someone to catch and shoot, which they already have in J.J Redick. Redick is eighth in made three-point field goals this season with 114. Calderon could possibly take Austin Rivers’ minutes, but seeing as how nepotism got him traded to Los Angeles in the first place, I do not see Calderon taking away minutes from the coach/GM’s son.
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