Any pipe dreams that Toronto Raptors personnel or fans had of continuing the T.J. Ford / Jose Calderon point guard tandem past this season were shattered by a statement Calderon made on his personal site on May 1st:
As of today, the Raptors would like me to continue, however until the 1st of July we will not know anything about the possible renewal or other offers from teams interested in me for next season. What is clear is the fact that if I have to choose between a sports offer versus an economic offer, I will opt for the first. I want to be a starter and to be in a team that aspires for everything. Of course I will not be on a team in which I cannot be an important contributor nor if there is not a solid structure or if there are not options to be in the "Playoffs".
So what many of us had suspected about Jose Calderon and his competitive nature has now been confirmed. For all the talk of how much of a team player he is for his willingness to give up his starting spot when Ford returned from his injury, Calderon knows that he's good enough to start on most NBA teams and he feels he's earned the right to have that starting role. And after his excellent performance in 2007-08 and his continuous improvement over his three NBA seasons, who can blame him?
Continued...