There is no “I” in team.

You’ve heard the cliché a thousand times. It’s right up there with “We gave it a 110% out there,” and “We’re taking it one game at a time.”

It’s a warm and fuzzy sentiment but beginning to sound a bit outdated. How about, “I gave it my all out there today, mainly because I’m in a contract year and I’m trying to raise my price tag before I hit free agency next year.”

A bit wordy I know, but it seems to fit in with the growing attitude that it’s not whether you win or lose, but how you played, or maybe how much you didn’t. It seems the majority of athletes are more concerned with their contract status, how much they’re making, how much they’re not making, or how much they could be making, before winning even enters their mind.

Are there any team first athletes anymore? Someone who will put his ego or rep aside and do what’s best for the team. Maybe that means taking a seat on the bench more than you’d like or losing a couple points off your average, but sacrificing personal aspirations for the betterment of the team. Sounds crazy I know, but these types of athletes still do exist, they’re just a bit harder to find.

The Toronto Raptors feel they have found a player who possesses these qualities in Jose Calderon. Entering the off-season as a restricted free agent, the franchise took no chances in locking up the third-year pro to a five-year deal worth close to eight million a year.

Yet looking back on his time here, you can’t help but be impressed and a little bit surprised that Calderon would be in this position today. His transformation from a nervous, timid, turnover prone rookie to one of the most respected and efficient point guards in the league is a story that should not be overlooked.

Coming over from Europe to begin the 2005 season, things didn’t start off the way that many, including the newly acquired Spaniard, would have hoped.

Actually, that’s an understatement.

It was a complete train wreck.

With the franchise in disarray, and expectations high for the then 24-year-old ‘rookie’, Calderon had to deal with the added pressure of playing in a new country, learning a new language, and changing his style of play to adapt to the fast paced NBA.

The results of a 27 win season, coupled with Calderon’s inconsistent play, left many to wonder whether he was just another one of GM Rob Babcock’s failed experiments gone to waste. Although despite showing glimpses of the playmaker the team had hoped he could be, a battle with plantar faciatis and porous shooting throughout the season dogged Calderon in his first year in the league.

Season averages of 5.5 points, 4.5 assists, and an atrocious 16% mark from beyond the arc, left the ever optimistic Calderon wondering whether he had a mistake in coming to the NBA.

“The first year was really tough, I couldn’t play like I used to, like I wanted to,” Calderon said in a recent interview. “I was almost thinking of going home, I wasn’t myself on the court.”

Putting his disastrous rookie year behind him, Calderon spent his summer playing for Spain at the World Championships.

Turns out the guy can play some ball.

In helping lead Spain to a gold medal victory at the worlds, the plucky floor general came back to training camp in the fall with an added level of poise and experience.

“It was perfect, it was confidence. I could feel like a basketball player again and get back here with a lot of energy,” Calderon admitted. “I want to prove myself, like I can play in the NBA, so it was a bad year but I can go back there and get better and play.”

Although an improvement over his first season was to be expected, few could have predicted the type of season he would go on to have.

Elevating every part of his game, Calderon’s numbers shot up across the board, even though now playing fewer minutes. The defence that had dared him to shoot all his previous season was now paying for it as he shot a blistering 52% from the field, and regained his touch from the perimeter. Forming a deadly pick and roll combo with Chris Bosh and using deceptive quickness to cut corners and beat his man off the dribble, Calderon was a force to be reckoned with.

This was the point guard he was brought over to be. A strong leader who can not only think the game, but is equally adept at beating his man with the pass or the shot.

Only one problem.

The Raptors already had their point guard of the future, newly acquired T.J. Ford. No matter, with the franchise claiming it’s first Atlantic Division title and the two lead guards fast becoming one of the top tandems in the league, all was right in Toronto.

Ah, but what’s life in the NBA without a little controversy?

With the bar set high to start the season, the Raptors seemed to struggle out of the gate, trying to live up to last year’s surprising 47-win campaign. The season, and the franchise, took a surprising twist on a fateful December night in Atlanta. On a routine breakaway, T.J. Ford took a hard foul, crashing to the floor and suffered a tough upper body injury.

The rest as they say is history.

Calderon’s game flourished in the starting role, averaging 11.2 points and finishing fifth in the league with 8.3 assists per game. Leading the NBA by a wide margin in assist to turnover percentage and joining Steve Nash as the only point guards to hit 50% from the field, 40% from three, and 90% from the line, Calderon posted an All-Star calibre season, though few outside of Toronto knew about it.

What people did know about was the growing tension and controversy swirling around the team as questions started to arise over who should be starting. With Ford coming back after an almost two month absence, the plan for him to come back slow as a backup played out more like a soap opera, as it became quite obvious he wasn’t happy with the situation. Many analysts attributed Ford’s poor play coming off the bench to the young speedster having a ‘starter’s mentality’, needing to start the game to feel involved and be able to contribute.

The Raptors, sporting a .500 record and limping into the playoffs with no momentum, were struggling mightily when Calderon felt a change needed to be made. Knowing he was comfortable in either role, he asked head coach Sam Mitchell to be moved to a backup role, something almost unheard of in professional sports.

It didn’t seem like it was that tough of a decision.

“First of all this is the Toronto Raptors, and it’s a team,” Calderon was quoted saying. “Sometimes you have to sacrifice yourself for the team so I think that was the best for the Toronto Raptors and it worked.”

In a contract year, playing at an extremely high level, Calderon stepped aside, easing Ford’s transition back to the team and silencing, for the time being, talk of who should be the team’s starter. It’s a credit to his character that through both victory and failure, he’s stayed true to his belief that no one player is bigger than the team. That attitude and his passion to win is as big an asset to Calderon’s success in this league as any of his on floor skills.

Though, in the end it seemed all for naught. A season that began with such high hopes ended with a disappointing elimination in the first round by the Orlando Magic. Heading into the off-season with Calderon up for free agency and Ford not ready to accept a demotion, a big decision loomed ahead as it seemed the two were destined for a break up.

So here we are, a week after the official announcement of the T.J. Ford trade to Indiana, and the news of Calderon inking a new contract extension. I guess some times it comes down to an athlete’s attitude. Do you want a player with a starter’s mentality or a winning one?

I think the Raptors gave their answer loud and clear this summer.

Photo Credit: Icon Sports Media