Calderon, his teammate on the Espana National Team and the Toronto Raptors, says he is ready (what else would they have him say?)... from the Toronto Sun: article here...
Garbajosa all-worlds By MIKE KOREEN, TORONTO SUN
Calderon says Spain/Raptors teammate ready for NBA
As Spain's basketball team partied the night away in Japan, Raptors point guard Jose Calderon took a moment to sing the praises of teammate Jorge Garbajosa.
The Spanish forward, who signed with the Raptors this summer, was instrumental in Spain's 70-47 win over Greece in the final of the world championship yesterday and was named to the all-tournament team. Calderon, who had a good tournament for Spain, believes Garbajosa gave Raptors fans a sign of what's to come by scoring a game-tying high 20 points and adding 10 rebounds and four assists against Greece, helping the team overcome the loss of injured star and tourney MVP Pau Gasol.
"He (Garbajosa) is ready to play there," Calderon told The Toronto Sun in a telephone interview after Spain claimed its first world title. "He has confidence and he's going to go there and play hard and practice hard ... He earned the respect of all the guys."
The internationally diverse Raptors are the only NBA team with more than one 2006 world championship gold medallist.
Garbajosa, who showcased his long-range shooting touch by draining six of 11 three-pointers yesterday, finished the tournament with a 12.7 point scoring average.
"It's the best moment," the 6-foot-9 Garbajosa said. "To win for my team, to win for my country, with all the people watching in Spain, it means a lot to me.
"This kind of victory is really important for any player. But I have to work a lot (in Toronto) and work every day in practice. I want to try to play well for all the fans (in Toronto). I know we (Spain) are the best team in the world now, but I'm starting from zero (in the NBA)."
Calderon had seven points and one assist in 15 minutes yesterday. He had a solid tournament, finishing with a 55% shooting percentage, a good sign for a player who struggled with his shot in his rookie season in the NBA last year.
"It is unbelievable," Calderon said. "It's one of the best, (maybe) the best, feelings. I can't even think about what happened.
"We didn't have our best player, but everybody tried to give it a little bit more. For sure, it was for (Gasol). We didn't want to talk about Pau's situation (before the game), we talked about the team."
After returning to Spain, Calderon and Garbajosa are slated to come to Toronto next week to begin preparing for training camp.
Calderon says Spain/Raptors teammate ready for NBA
As Spain's basketball team partied the night away in Japan, Raptors point guard Jose Calderon took a moment to sing the praises of teammate Jorge Garbajosa.
The Spanish forward, who signed with the Raptors this summer, was instrumental in Spain's 70-47 win over Greece in the final of the world championship yesterday and was named to the all-tournament team. Calderon, who had a good tournament for Spain, believes Garbajosa gave Raptors fans a sign of what's to come by scoring a game-tying high 20 points and adding 10 rebounds and four assists against Greece, helping the team overcome the loss of injured star and tourney MVP Pau Gasol.
"He (Garbajosa) is ready to play there," Calderon told The Toronto Sun in a telephone interview after Spain claimed its first world title. "He has confidence and he's going to go there and play hard and practice hard ... He earned the respect of all the guys."
The internationally diverse Raptors are the only NBA team with more than one 2006 world championship gold medallist.
Garbajosa, who showcased his long-range shooting touch by draining six of 11 three-pointers yesterday, finished the tournament with a 12.7 point scoring average.
"It's the best moment," the 6-foot-9 Garbajosa said. "To win for my team, to win for my country, with all the people watching in Spain, it means a lot to me.
"This kind of victory is really important for any player. But I have to work a lot (in Toronto) and work every day in practice. I want to try to play well for all the fans (in Toronto). I know we (Spain) are the best team in the world now, but I'm starting from zero (in the NBA)."
Calderon had seven points and one assist in 15 minutes yesterday. He had a solid tournament, finishing with a 55% shooting percentage, a good sign for a player who struggled with his shot in his rookie season in the NBA last year.
"It is unbelievable," Calderon said. "It's one of the best, (maybe) the best, feelings. I can't even think about what happened.
"We didn't have our best player, but everybody tried to give it a little bit more. For sure, it was for (Gasol). We didn't want to talk about Pau's situation (before the game), we talked about the team."
After returning to Spain, Calderon and Garbajosa are slated to come to Toronto next week to begin preparing for training camp.
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