Cleveland Cavaliers: Jose Calderon went from starter back to Mr. Irrelevant

After a good couple weeks with the starting unit, Jose Calderon has gone back to Mr. Irrelevant for the Cleveland Cavaliers.

After injuries to both Iman Shumpert and Derrick Rose, Jose Calderon, the Cleveland Cavaliers’ third/fourth string point guard was called upon. Although Rose and Shumpert are still injured, the return of star point guard Isaiah Thomas has rendered Jose Calderon as irrelevant.

Calderon’s signing early in the offseason was highly criticized, and his role was projected to be that of a consistent bench warmer. However, the Cavaliers first 40 games had something different in store. Throughout the Cavs first 39 games, the 36-year-old Spaniard saw time in 29 of them and started 23 of them.

Calderon has averaged 18 minutes per game this season and committed just 0.8 turnovers in that time. Calderon does have the team’s lowest usage rate, but that’s by design. He isn’t as quick or capable of some of the more dynamic point guards in the East.

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Watching Calderon play was a joy. He picked his battle with extreme wisdom, which is one reason the aging guard managed to make 47.8% of his shots. Surprisingly, that percentage is higher than Michael Jordan’s in either of his seasons with the Washington Wizards. To add to that, over 80% of Calderon’s shots came when he was either “open” or “wide open”, according to NBA.com.

Calderon, who isn’t the scoring threat that Rose or Thomas is, played excellently off LeBron. A role he knew well.  The 13-year veteran was able to learn how to defer early on in his career. Throughout Calderon’s first five seasons in the NBA, he played alongside then-superstar Chris Bosh in Toronto. Bosh averaged over 20 points per game in every season in which Calderon was his starting point guard.

Coincidence? Jose Calderon, throughout his entire career, has been able to acclimate his game to his role and on-court responsibilities.

Even though Calderon saw a “DNP-coach’s decision” in the Cavaliers last game, his ability to be a useful point guard could eventually come back to help Cleveland. Derrick Rose will return, Iman Shumpert will return, Dwyane Wade will take over the second unit, and Isaiah Thomas will start to consistently get 30+ minutes per night; however, those facts don’t discard how Calderon stepped up when the Cavs needed him.

This Cleveland Cavaliers team is still as injury-prone as ever. Although injuries are never positive, it’s comforting knowing Calderon has the ability to mold his game to fit the Cavs needs.

Many hated on Jose’s signing, but he has successfully shown his worth. Calderon’s play might have also kept him on the roster instead of a player like the recently-waived Andrew Bogut.

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While Calderon is, for now, back to warming the bench, his excellent play as a starter shouldn’t be forgotten for a long time.