Jose Calderon's been getting buckets going to his left

Jose Calderon has been starting and smarting the Knicks with sludge-sodden perimeter defense and uncharacteristically wobbly shooting since he was traded to New York. Recovering from a left achilles strain can't possibly be easy on those 34 year old wheels. Nevertheless he should be able to find his way a little bit as the team congeals. After all, he added fifteen pounds of brainpower this off season.

For some reason I remain a Calderon optimist, if only on occasion. I guess the concept of shooters having extended warranties on their careers doesn't hurt. Of course, his historically dominant shooting statistics keep me coming back as well. The idea of a 50-40-90 season practically originated with Jose! In the past few games it seems like he might be finding a level of comfort we haven't seen in New York and the team is starting to figure out some of their identity issues.

If his brain really is getting all wrinkled, he should know that he has been a left leaning menace. Whether off the catch or the bounce, Jose has been stirring the pot when he has momentum to gather going left. Let's take the lid off this old double boiler and see what's cooking.

Notice in the game against the Hornets, Charlotte's strategy on pick and rolls is to ice and then let Al Jefferson loaf around the painted area. They paid for that, although not dearly enough. This isn't to say that Jose is about to set the league on fire, but just something I've noticed. With any luck he'll be able to pull himself up from his negative plus-minus. I'd like to believe he won't shoot 31% on catch and shoot threes for the rest of his career.

Anyway, teams that hang the big in the paint on pick and rolls should get the ham hock special. After a couple of portions of that stuff, maybe he starts knocking down more of his catch and shoot chances. All I'm saying is there is reason to believe. As for the defense? Well, I won't subject you to it.