The initials may fit, but neither Jose Calderon nor the Knicks want anyone viewing the veteran point guard as the savior for the struggling team’s season.
Calderon, barring an overnight setback, is expected to play his first regular-season game as a Knick Saturday against (pick adjective of choice: a. woeful; b. pathetic; c. hapless) Philadelphia at Madison Square Garden.
Calderon, who injured his right calf during warm-ups opening night, just wants to play his game and bring some cohesion to the Knicks offense that ranks 24th in scoring. Calderon endured a full practice Friday after a stiff, but non-contact, session on Thursday.
“I have to be myself,” said Calderon. “I got to try to get everybody organized, I got to pass the ball, shoot when I’m open, try to make everybody feel a little comfortable out there. That’s what I can do and try to be 100 percent every night to try to turn this around.
“Feeling better,” Calderon said after his practice. “We’ll see how I feel tomorrow and how we go after shootaround.”
Coach Derek Fisher, who apparently must wait on forward Andrea Bargnani (hamstring) for his season debut, sounds as if he expects Calderon to play, but no final decision will be made until Saturday. He also just wants Calderon to be Calderon.
“We don’t want to put too much pressure on Jose individually. He looked good today, he’s moving well,” said Fisher, who hopes to know definitely about Calderon’s availability Saturday morning with how he responds to practice.
“Any time you can add a good veteran presence, a guy that understands the game and even as he’s learning exactly what to do just like everybody else is, he still has a feel for how to playthat helps to be a good symbol of composure and poise and leadership out there on the floor.”
Calderon, in his 10th season, has career averages of 10.2 points and 6.8 assists. The Knicks think he can make a difference.
“He’s a leader from a point guard position, somebody who can make plays, make shots,” J.R. Smith said. “He puts a lot of threat on our offensive end, makes other teams have to respect that.”
Shane Larkin has started 12 of 13 games, but Calderon was acquired from Dallas to start. It appears the 3-10 Knicks are ready to have Calderon run the first unit immediately and to heck with working-in-slowly theories. But Fisher said minutes, usage and how to work Calderon back in still needed discussion.
But the way the Knicks have gone, that discussion could go: “His pulse working? Good, start him.”
“We haven’t formally decided,” Fisher said of Calderon starting immediately, but quickly noted, “I think he has earned that right as a veteran player and as a guy that has done a lot of good things for us. I don’t necessarily think an injury should take you out of that position. … Either way he will be ready to go.”
Calderon joked that “it will be trouble” picking up the new offense and admitted “for sure” it will take some time to get re-acclimated to the Knicks and the Knicks to him. But it’s not as if he’s just walking in off the street. He went through training camp.
“I need some time, for sure, it’s gonna be a little bit,” Calderon said. “It’s tough to be just sitting on the bench and not be able to help the team.”
“It’s going to take a while, I’m going to make mistakes, but it’s different when you have a uniform on. At least, if the coach plays you or not, at least you are feeling like a part of the team,” said Calderon, who referred to preseason and how much he absorbed by watching. “I was feeling really comfortable in the games I was able to play … and I know what they like and what they’ve been doing in these 13 games.”