Jose Calderon made his long-awaited debut with the New York Knicks in the team's win over the Detroit Pistons. The point guard was the team's big offseason acquisition following a trade with the Dallas Mavericks involving Tyson Chandler and Raymond Felton. However, Calderon got injured in the preseason and missed the first 13 games of the season. While the point guard was able to start for New York, he admits he is still not 100 percent yet.
Calderon made very little impact in his return to the court. The point guard played 21 minutes and put up just three points and three assists. Calderon said that his calf felt good in the game, but he is still not completely healthy and that his return to full-speed will be slow. The Knicks need all they can get from the point guard so anything from him is good at this point.
"He's just another kind of quarterback guy that can facilitate plays for us ... from a teamwork standpoint, from a chemistry standpoint, he's a guy that kind of bonds people together," head coach Derek Fisher said, via ESPN.com.
One person thrilled with the return of Calderon is Carmelo Anthony who believes the point guard will be a true weapon for the Knicks on the court this season. Anthony has some of his best seasons in the NBA when he is playing with a quality point guard and believes Calderon is that type of player.
"I don't think there's anything like playing with great PGs," Anthony said. "Jose knows how to run an offense, especially an offense like this. He can shoot the ball, he can spread the court. But most importantly, his IQ out there on the basketball court, I think is very high. That's something that, at that position, we've been missing."
Calderon's return comes at a good time as Andrea Bargnani sits out with a calf injury as well. The Knicks are not hurting as bad with his absence as Amar'e Stoudemire continues to play at a higher level than anyone has seen over the past two seasons. According to the power forward, he is healthy and taking full advantage of it considering he is in a contract season. Stoudemire is averaging 16.3 points and 6.3 rebounds this season.
"It took me a little longer [than expected]," Stoudemire said. "Those two years previously were extremely tough to go through. But I knew hard work and dedication to the game of basketball -- staying focused, it'll all pan out. So far, feeling great. Going to do everything I can to keep that feeling."