Pistons trade: Jose Calderon discusses his role, staying beyond this season

Lawrence Frank has already confirmed that Calderon will be the team's new starting point guard (with Brandon Knight sliding to shooting guard), and as you'd expect from one of the purest point guards in the game, Calderon is saying all the right things about his expected role on the team. From David Mayo of MLive.com:

"I'll try to help everybody," Calderon said. "That's what I try to do as a point guard. I try to get everybody involved in the game, get them in the right positions, get them involved at the right times. I just need a few practices and games."

[...] "I think you've got to be able to make sure your guys get the ball where they're really comfortable getting that ball," Calderon said. "It's a team sport. You can't win by yourself. There are only one or two Kobes and LeBrons. At the end of the day, it's really about team. Everybody has to do the right thing.

"As soon as I start knowing where everybody feels comfortable, it's going to be real easy to play together."

(Mayo's article has a TON of quotes -- I wish I could blockquote them all -- so go read the whole thing.)

Joe Dumars also met with reporters, and while his comments were entirely predictable, it's still interesting that he thinks Calderon might be part of the team's long-term vision. From Vincent Goodwill of the Detroit News:

"We've had high regard for him for awhile, we just really like his skill set and we thought his skill set could be a match with the young guys," Dumars said. "We like him. We'd have some interest in him staying going forward."

[...] "That makes a huge difference, not just a trade of an expiring contract," Calderon said.

When asked if he'd consider staying, the Spaniard's eyes lit up, replying "yes, for sure."

"You never want to close any doors, you never know what's going to happen," he said. "I'm a free agent and we'll see. It's only been two days and it's been great."

Calderon's contract expires at the end of the season. He's making $10.5 million and change this season, but will likely settle for less as a free agent given his age (he'll be 32 by the time next season starts). Also worth pointing out: the Pistons now own Calderon's Bird rights, meaning they can go over the cap to keep him if necessary.

Update: Now with moving pictures!