Calderon out to point Melo toward winning
CARMELO ANTHONY’S future is uncertain since he opted out of his contract earlier this week to hit free agency. But the new Knicks point guard believes he can be of help to Anthony if he stays in New York.
Jose Calderon said Friday during a conference call that he thinks he can help “take a lot of pressure off” Anthony. It was the first time Calderon, along with Samuel Dalembert, Shane Larkin and Wayne Ellington, addressed the media since being acquired by the Knicks on Wednesday from the Mavericks along with two draft picks in exchange for Tyson Chandler and Raymond Felton.
The 32-year-old hasn’t yet spoken with Anthony but hopes to soon.
“Obviously he’s a great player, one of the best,” Calderon said of Anthony. “I’d love to play with him. I’d love to make everything easier for him and make the team successful and get us as far as we can. He can be a big part of this, for sure. There’s no question about that.”
Having a pass-first, veteran point guard should help as the Knicks transition into Phil Jackson’s Triangle offense. Calderon, who has a career average of 6.8 assists, has never played in the Triangle but believes he’s a good fit. The Zen Master agrees. “Jose is a thoughtful guard,” Jackson said. “He’s got great control of the ball. He pushes the ball up, accelerates it up the court. He’s a very good 3-point shooter. He organizes a team quite well and we anticipate he’ll fit in to what we’re trying to do.”
One of those teammates is Andrea Bargnani, whom Calderon played with for more than six seasons in Toronto. When Bargnani put up a career-high 21.4 points per game during the 2010-11 season, Calderon tied a career-high with 8.9 assists per game.
“I think I can help him,” Calderon said of Bargnani, who texted his friend after the trade was announced Wednesday. “I know he had some injuries and the past couple of years, he wasn’t able to show the player who went No. 1 in the draft. All the pressure is there, all the expectations are there.”
A LARKIN IN NYC: Fourteen years later, a Larkin is finally a member of a New York franchise.
Baseball Hall of Famer Barry Larkin nixed a trade to the Mets in 2000 because they weren’t interested in signing him to an extension. Larkin ended up spending all 19 of his seasons with Cincinnati.
His son Shane said he was discussing that ordeal with him after the trade.
“I remember being at the press conference when he was stuck in a bind because he didn’t know if he was gonna be in Cincinnati or New York,” Shane said. “I was just joking with him the other day that one of us finally has the opportunity to play for New York. It’s such a great sports city and I’m glad I’m the one that actually gets to play there.”