Anyone pulling for the New York Knicks to unload Jose Calderon ahead of the NBA’s February trade deadline might want to invest their sporting hopes in something else.
Rookie sensation/Dirk Nowitzki-DeAndre Jordan hybrid/Future Hall of Famer/Eventual 10-time champion/Inevitable 12-time MVP Kristaps Porzingis loves Calderon, so that means the 34-year-old floor general isn’t going anywhere.
This is a seriously serious thing, because ‘Taps is now publicly idolizing Calderon on Twitter:
A great teammate and a great mentor but most importantly a great guy off the court! Definetly an example for me. ??? pic.twitter.com/dJ1DtaH0lG
— Kristaps Porzingis (@kporzee) November 20, 2015
OK, fine, maybe that doesn’t make Calderon, and the $15.1 million he’s owed this season and next, untouchable. But it does perhaps explain when Knicks coach Derek Fisher is extensively playing Porzingis and Calderon together.
Part their combined floor time is unavoidable. Fisher is starting both, so they’re going to play beside one another. But when comparing the amount of time Porzingis has spent alongside Calderon to the minutes he’s logged with other teammates, it’s clear their connection goes beyond just being in the starting five.
Here are Porzingis’ minutes splits, courtesy of NBA.com:
With Calderon: 228
With Langston Galloway: 98
With Jerian Grant: 49
With Carmelo Anthony: 297
Porzingis has spent more time alongside Calderon than he has between Galloway and Grant. Combined. The Porzingis-Calderon connection is actually the Knicks’ sixth most used two-man combination this season, according to NBA.com.
That’s not exactly to be expected, even with both starting. The Knicks are still rebuilding, and both Galloway and Grant factor more into their future than an aging Calderon.
Which, in turn, leads me to believe this is a mentor thing.
Maybe Porzingis feels most comfortable next Calderon. He’s an international talent himself, so the two can relate. But this certainly has nothing to do with the results.
The Knicks are outscoring opponents by 0.6 points per 100 possessions when Calderon and Porzingis share the floor, according to NBA.com. With the caveat that we’re dealing with noticeably smaller sample sizes, New York is a double-digit net-positive when ‘Taps plays with Galloway or Grant.
And as far as this whole mentor thing goes, Porzingis probably does need Calderon—off the court.
On the court is a different story. Per NBA.com, Porzingis’ individual net rating improves by 21.8 points per 100 possessions when Calderon is on the bench. Calderon’s own net rating, though, plummets by 29.5 points per 100 possessions once Porzingis steps off the floor.
Kind of makes you rethink this matter of who actually needs who, huh?
