Mike Ganter of the Toronto Sun (via True Hoop) brings us some interesting news about the Spanish point guard. When I think of Jose I always think of him raising his hands up and showing three fingers. Doesn’t matter if he himself makes the three or if a team mate hits it – the three fingers are up all the time.So when I hear Mike Ganter saying that “the concept of trash talking is lost on Jose Calderon” and that “he doesn’t do it himself” maybe those three fingers have a deeper meaning like trash talk for Jose.
I think Jose just stopped thinking about trash talk since he had to deal with “the trash talking machine himself”: Gary Payton. “He was talking to me for the whole game. After one whistle I said, “Look, the only thing I can say in English is I don’t understand what you are saying.”
Jose Calderon has come a long way to gain some respect since this really funny conversation with Gary Payton and finally it looks like players in the NBA want to distract him with trash talk more frequently.
Calderon is bang on with that assumption. Take the game against the Boston Celtics last Wednesday night, for example.
Celtics backup point guard Eddie House was trying to get Calderon’s attention both when he was in the game and when he was on the bench. Calderon said he did not realize it.
There was the Anthony Johnson incident that Calderon had to be aware of after the Atlanta Hawk threw an elbow at the back of his head.
Chris Bosh, Jose Calderon’s team mate in Toronto explains us why things like that happen to foreign, new players.
While Bosh agreed the international players, particularly those who are new to the NBA, probably will get a little more in the way of intimidation tactics from opponents, he said everyone is fair game.
“It’s kind of a test, but ask any player, if they don’t know you and they think you are friendly or something they are going to test you,” Bosh said.
I don’t agree with that. Who really cares about new players? Especially when they are from some foreign country. Calderon is in his third season – what I would not call a rookie anymore. I do notice something though – 31.4 MPG, 12.1 PPG and 8.6 assists per game.
Maybe that is the real reason why you would want to distract Jose Calderon.
