Raptors re-sign Jose Calderon
InsideHoops.com NewsWire | July 9, 2008
The Toronto Raptors announced Wednesday they have re-signed restricted free-agent point guard Jose Calderon to a multi-year deal. Per team policy, financial details were not disclosed.
“We couldn't be happier for Jose to be in a position to sign a long-term contract and lead this team as its starting point guard,” said Bryan Colangelo, Raptors President and General Manager. “Every step along the way of his young NBA career, Jose has elevated his performance and made others on the floor better. Jose is a tremendous asset for this organization.”
Calderon, 6-foot-3, 210 pounds, averaged career highs of 11.2 points and a team-best 8.3 assists last season, appearing in all 82 regular season games. He ranked fifth in the NBA in assists and led the League with a 5.38 (678/126) assist-to-turnover ratio.
Calderon, 27, started a career-best 56 games in 2007-08, where he upped his averages to 13.4 points, 9.1 assists and 34.4 minutes. He paced the Raptors in assists in a team-high 59 games and had 31 games with 10 or more assists. He led the team in free throw percentage at .908 (109-for-120) and finished the season ranked 10th in the NBA in three-point percentage (.429, 79-for-184) and 18th in field goal percentage (.519, 367-for-707).
Calderon finished second on the team in double-doubles with a personal-best 25, including a stretch of nine in 11 games from January 23 – February 20. He tallied a career-high 24 points versus Washington on January 31, 2007 and added a career-best 16 assists on two occasions (December 21 at Seattle and December 14 at Indiana).
Calderon has averaged 8.7 points and 6.1 rebounds in 223 regular season games with the Raptors. He has appeared in 11 postseason contests with Toronto, posting averages of 12.5 points and 7.0 assists.
Calderon averaged 8.7 points and 5.0 assists, second on the team, in 77 games during the 2006-07 campaign. He ranked fourth in the NBA in assist-to-turnover ratio at 3.52 (387/110). He upped his field goal percentage to .521 (263-505) from .423 (132-312) in his rookie season. He averaged 13.0 points and 5.3 assists, second on the team, in six playoff games.
Calderon was originally signed by the Raptors as a free agent August 3, 2005. He had played six seasons in the Spanish pro leagues, averaging 10.9 points, 2.2 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 214 games. He led Spain to the 2006 FIBA World Championship title and will participate for Spain in the upcoming Olympics in Beijing, China.
Calderon is an athlete ambassador for Right To Play, an international organization that uses specially-designed sport and play programs to improve health, build life skills, and foster peace for children and communities affected by war, poverty and disease.
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