Jose Calderon was hampered by injuries throughout his first season as a Knick. Now that he’s fully healthy, Calderon is feeling optimistic for Year 2 in New York.
“I just want to be myself, just be healthy and play basketball. I think being healthy can change everything,” Calderon said in an interview on Sirius XM NBA Radio Wednesday. “I think last year with all the different [lineups], injuries, myself included, I couldn’t get into a rhythm.”
Calderon missed the first 13 games of the season because of a calf strain. He also sat out the final 25 games with an Achilles ailment.
He also struggled when he was healthy enough to play. Calderon made a career-low 41.5 percent of his shots and scored only nine points per game. There were plenty of reasons why the Knicks finished with a franchise-low 17 wins last season and Calderon's subpar play was one of them.
Knicks' president Phil Jackson and the Knicks' front office listened to trade offers for Calderon last season but nothing materialized.
Calderon said on Wednesday that he is confident he will be with the team to start the season. He said he received a strong indication that he would be a part of the team this season during exit interviews with Jackson, general manager Steve Mills and head coach Derek Fisher.
“In the NBA you are pretty confident but you are one phone call away from being somewhere else you’ve just got to be ready for everything,” said Calderon, who was a part of the Tyson Chandler/Raymond Felton trade in June 2014. “I really want to be part of things because when you go through a bad season like we had last year you don’t want to be out when the good things arrive.”
The Knicks could open up an extra $3.9 million in cap space if they waive Calderon under the stretch provision prior to Aug. 31. But there aren’t many options on the free-agent market at this point. Thus, waiving Calderon would not make much sense.
At his best, Calderon can be a perimeter threat for New York, forcing the defense to focus its attention on someone other than Carmelo Anthony. He can also be a calming presence for rookie Jerian Grant and second-year guard Langston Galloway, two young guards expected to play significant minutes for the Knicks.
But it wouldn't be a shock if New York looks to move Calderon if things don't go well this season.
He is scheduled to earn $15 million over the next two seasons, which sounds like a significant amount of money but is more palatable due to the expected salary cap increase in the 2016 offseason.
It’s worth noting that waiving Calderon after July 1, 2016 can create an extra $5 million in cap space for that summer.