Am I the only one who doesn't like this move? Calderon is TERRIBLE defensively. We already have 3 pretty terrible defenders at the guard spot with Clarkson, Russell and Lou....we are literally going to trot out the worst defensive guard rotation in the league. I like this deal because we got TWO future second round picks from the Bulls....and my money is on the Bulls sucking at some point so those future 2nd round picks will be relatively high and since our scouting is amazing, we will have the potential to draft a steal like we did with Clarkson.
No reason to think that Clarkson and Russell would improve to be somewhat adequate defensively. Williams? Well, he's a lost cause. Calderon will not play that much unless the situation dictates it. Of course, overall they won't be confused with the Doberman Gang but I do hope it won't be as bad as last season. Oh and I agree about the two 2nd round picks. Pleased that we received those...
is Huertas better defensively? Are there any free agent PGs left that are better? Of those PGs, we'd probably have to commit to a 3-4 year deal around a similar salary. This is a veteran that will effectively run Luke's offense and is $8M off the books after this year. So yeah, you probably are the only one that doesn't like this move.
Calderon is a backup PG, so his defense doesn't concern me too much. He's an expiring contract, he's a vet the young guys can look up to and respect, and his offensive game fits into the system we're trying to run.
Well 1. Our other option was Huertas or a small group of FA point guards that are not impressive defenders either. 2. Calderon is better than Huertas by a good margin, started 72 games last season, and is one of the best shooters in the league. He's a good backup PG. 3. Calderon is expiring so if he falls short of expectations, you just let him go. No different from Hibbert or Lin the last two years. 4. We get the two picks you mentioned. I can understand not being full of excitement about the deal, but not liking it? No I don't understand that. It's a good move and there's nothing to NOT like. Sure he's not a defender, but he's better than basically anything else we could have gotten out there.
Love this move, and wrote at length about why: http://www.lakersnation.com/why-the-jose-calderon-trade-is-a-big-win-for-the-lakers/2016/07/07/ Next to the Jordan Clarkson signing, this is probably the best move the Lakers have made this summer.
I would have preferred a guy like Mario Chalmers and for the amount we are going to pay Calderon, I'm sure we could have gotten him for the same amount or less on a 1 year deal. I think people are going to be calling for his head soon when he's in the game. This move would have been catastrophic if Byron Scott was still our coach....but I think Luke is going to handle Calderon's minutes effectively and D-Lo will be playing 35-38mpg (HOPEFULLY).
Clarkson can slide to the one and Calderon can play off him... The former has spent time manning the point. Williams and Calderon together? Defensively, that would be a disaster. They could play well enough offensively to offset what they give up... A wash if we happen to have a lead then.
Salary floor. Not winning the title anyway. Probably not making tbe playoffs anyway. His salary comes off the books freeing up space for next offseason again or he's a trade piece at the deadline in a package to match salaries. I think you're looking at this all wrong. We got a competent backup PG and 2 picks for nothing, we can't be so picky. Imagine if we went into the season with only Huertas at backup, things could be worse.
This. We don't really know what Chalmers would cost, but he's not significantly better than Calderon and would have likely asked for more years. This trade gives us maximum flexibility, picks, and a competent backup PG. I really don't understand not liking the move. I can understand not jumping over the moon for a backup PG and some picks, but not liking it in general? I don't get that.
The best part about this is he's an expiring contract next season and we got picks. So if we are much more competitive this season. Then with that max slot for Westbrook etc may sway a max guy to join us. Hoping for a Portland like year
Chalmers by some accounts also have an attitude plus he'd probably want to start and play more minutes... Not a good thing if we are trying to grow our players as professionals. Calderon is a one year rental at best...let's not forget those two second rounders which could be invaluable down the road.
I'm surprised nobody has mentioned the ruptured Achilles that Chalmers suffered in March. He won't even be ready to until a few months into the season.
That's right... Who knows if he could be the same player he was before. I'm sure he still believes that. Dubs supposedly trying to ink him.
Another player who could benefit from Calderon's game management could be Anthony Brown if he can swing some minutes at the three spot. I am interested in seeing how he manages under Walton's system. He seems to be the forgotten one among the new signees and the five notables in our core. Brown could either sneak up on people or end up being a mediocre player that could not reach NBA level.
