The On Deck Circle

Now that TJ Ford has returned to the Raptors line-up and is roughly 75% (according to reports, though he says he’s 100%) the debate is bound to come up pretty soon: Who should the starting point guard of the Toronto Raptors be?

In times past, the question would have been whether the Raptors should trade one of our mighty point guard duo to shore up other positions. In the offseason, I was literally at the throats of some friends, frusrated with this asinine complaint – we have too much depth at the point, we don’t need both, they can’t co-exist. I hope, by now, my point has been proven: point guard depth is a blessing, not a curse. Other teams would kill for two reliable point guards. The plattoon allows you to consistently have a playmaker on the floor, and hedges you against bad games from a single player. Finally, players as a whole are injury prone and you absolutely cannot rely on a single player to stay healthy for 82 games a year. If the issue of Jose vs. TJ on the team hasn’t been quashed for you yet, please seek help. Instead, we now face the dilemma of Jose vs. TJ in the starting role.

This article is not meant to argue a point one way or the other, until the end. Rather, it is to lay out the case for both players and propose to the readership of the ODC the question: Who should the starting point guard of the Toronto Raptors be?

The Case for Jose
Obviously, Jose has done a great job starting in place of TJ. Jose’s numbers are an astonishing 14.3-3.6-9.9 on 54% shooting (46.6% from long range, and 92% from the line) as a starter in 2007-08, numbers that are not only close to the levels of the top point guards in the league, but are probably All-Star worthy (I’m looking at you, Gilbert). The team has gone 20-16 with Jose as the starter (7-7 with TJ), and you must also take into account a tough schedule and the poor play of Andrea Bargnani during this stretch. The numbers don’t lie – Jose is a starting NBA point guard.

Additionally, Bosh’s numbers have been much better with Jose as a starter. While some of this can be attributed to Bosh’s early season injury, some can also be attributed to Jose’s selfless play and ability to get Bosh involved early and often. Jose also generally does a better job of getting everyone involved equally from the get-go, as evidenced by the fact that the Raptors consistently have balanced first quarter scoring. This is huge for a team, as it is obviously beneficial to have all of your key players into the flow of the game quickly.

The final argument in favor of Jose is that he has earned the job. Sure, it sucks for TJ to lose his job because of an injury, but such is life. Football is killer for these types of situations, and it’s not a case of TJ’s injury costing him the job but the discovery of Jose as a better option. Jose has performed admirably as the starter and has thus earned the job. To pull him out of the starting lineup would be insulting, would alter chemistry, and, though Jose would never admit it, would likely decrease the chances of Jose being eager to sign back with the Raptors this summer.

The Case for TJ
This is TJ’s team to run. Bryan Colangelo invested several years and $8M per season in Ford for him to run the team. The team has been built to suit TJ’s strengths as a floor general and he has, in turn, altered his game to suit his teammates. No player should lose their starting job to injury, especially in the NBA. To keep TJ from the starting lineup is kin to changing the entire direction of the franchise, something Colangelo is probably not willing to accept. TJ is also Bosh’s best friend, and a move to please TJ is likely a move to please Bosh, though CB4 probably finds himself pondering the Jose vs. TJ debate on his own.

TJ is also a fantastic point guard. It is difficult to compare TJ and Jose as point guards because they bring different things to the table: While Jose is a better shooter and is less turnover prone, TJ causes more match-up problems because of his all-out attack and is a better scorer. TJ is also better at breaking down defenses. TJ’s numbers, 12.1-6.6 on 47% this year and 14-7.9 last year, are nothing to dismiss, and the number of big games he’s had for us dictate that he is a more valuable player.

A final argument in favor of TJ is that Jose runs the bench squad better. Not only is Jose better acclimated with the bench players, he is also afforded more opportunities to be creative with that particular group (Rasho opens the lane up for him, and the rest of the crew are shooters Jose can drive-and-kick to). While you could make that same claim for TJ, the proof has generally been that Jose can get more out of the second unit than anyone else can. This seems like a pro-Jose argument, but his flexibility and team-first attitude is actually reason to send him to the bench. Jose also claims not be impartial between the two roles while TJ’s ability to handle being number two is uncertain.

My Take
In general, I feel an injury is cause enough to lose your job. Those are the breaks. If a better player emerges from your absence, it is then his job to lose and yours to fight for. With that said, there are other compelling arguments favoring TJ Ford, not the least of which is his relationship with Bosh off the floor and on it (they form one of the best pick-and-roll combos in the NBA). On the other hand, Jose has performed unbelievably well and is officially a top-tier point guard. Obviously, since I was able to outline the arguments for both, I have a tough time choosing a side.

In the end though, I have to go with El Ocho, Jose Calderon. His numbers are off-the-wall good and he has turned former role-players into key cogs without taking touches from CB4. His shooting and ability to change speeds keeps opposing point guards guessing constantly, and his ability to play mistake free ball makes him an attractive option for a believer in conservative basketball, like myself. TJ is a great player and I have no problem with him as the starter or closer (since he is a better scorer). For now, though, while TJ nurses himself back to health in time for the playoffs, Jose should see the lion’s share of the minutes and hear his name announced nightly by Herbie Kuhn.

Debate It!
Obviously, these arguments are not exhaustive – there are many more out there for either player. I picked the top three arguments I could think of for each and proposed them here, and I invite you to develop more and argue them. This article has been penned to spark debate and discussion. As Raptor fans (sorry to those who aren’t) and basketball fans, this is a discussion that should mean a lot to you. Who will run your team the rest of the season? Who gets the most out of and does the best for your team? For non-Raptor fans, it’s still a fundamental set of basketball questions: should someone lose their job because of injury?; is a scorer or a passer better to run a team?; is this the best point guard duo in the NBA? If these questions don’t get you up in arms for debate, I’m not sure anything will.

So this article is here to spark the debate. I want to hear it from all of you: Who should the starting point guard of the Toronto Raptors be?