Tj Ford hasn’t been playing for about 3 weeks-month. That night where it looked as if he got hit by a plane really took its tole on him physically and mentally. Ever since, he hasn’t stepped out on to the court for the raps, not even practices. His days are almost certainly spent seeing doctors, specialists, and whatever he can do to buy time. Maybe he’s watching Raptor games, and if he is that’s awesome, but I strongly doubt it. I doubt he cares that much about the group, especially lately. Can you blame him? I mean the guy almost lost his daym head. The answer is yes.. you can. If one is passionate about something, nothing is impossible. The funny thing is he already made a come back from a disastrous injury 2 years ago in Milwaukee.. so why can’t he do it again? Once again God is giving him the mother of all tests. Only time itself will reveal the truth and I’m not so sure he can rebound this time. In truth, I absolutely hope he can and will, and if he does return, I’ll be on top of his bullshit until he changes a few things:

• Ego: Tj’s self-image is very important to him and I detest that with every element of my frustration. Say he returns, there is no way he should start games with Jose’s upgrade and impressive outbursts. Therefore he must adapt to being option number 2!!
• Effort: This city deserves nothing but the best from each and every player who cover themselves with the red and white.
• Professional Attitude: the fact that I have to touch upon this issue is sad..this is the Nba..it’s to be expected…show your teammates some love when they do well!

I have big dreams with this club and Tj is most definitely in the thick of things. The importance of what this young man decides to do is substantial. Again it’s not every day an Nba team has two equally talented point-guards..let me rephrase that: Two almost equally talented point-guards. We all know that if the time came where one is to be chosen over the other (crunch time), that most people would take Jose the a heart beat of a skydiver. Jose now appeals to the coach in many ways:

• Production: He owns the number one assist/turnover ratio in the league.
• The guy is a human energize bunny; you never see him down or confused..maybe after a tough losss, but that has its own upside. This might interest you, if you havn’t already seen it..I seen an episode on RaptorsTv they had before the New Year, and the main question for the players was ‘Who is the most up-beat character on the team?’..and every last one of them said: Calderon…
• The guy happens to be from Spain, a powerhouse nation in the world of basketball..doesn’t hurt.
• He is actively learning the North American style day in and day out.
• He appreciates his teammates and generally his overall situation in Toronto.
• He is young and wants to play in Toronto for many years to come. This is a key ingredient for Toronto’s championship ambitions. And if that day ever comes, I will run several laps around the Air Canada Center ..naked..in arctic weather… I promise.
• For Goodness sake.. he has all-star caliber!!!!! Apparently, someone in an important position wrote an article dedicated to the reasons why Jose should play in the all-star game…I couldn’t find it..if you know what I’m talking about..facebook me pronto.
• The guy is married so you know he isn’t sexually frustrated. Which can affect one’s game heavily. For example..if one is getting ready to drain a three-pointer, and he’s thinking about getting himself some scrumptious ass friday night, that shot attempt is all Oxygen. Head must be in the game at all times.

Now, I know Tj has a history of neck and spine issues and how these unfortunate happenings hindered his carreer. But it isn’t the end of the world just yet, so he should do himself and everyone around him a favor..and wake up and smell the roses! He is still very young and has a chance to be a part of something special! There are many things that can be happening behind the scenes. For all we know, Tj Ford can be taking extreme measures to avoid a come back period. Ponder it for a minute. This dude came pretty close to ending his career twice and the most recent was life threatening. Perhaps he doesn’t want to return? He could possibly want to sit on his ass and collect that insurance check of 6 mill/year until the average age of retirement, which is 33. Sounds tempting enough to me for it to be factual. I’ve also heard that Brian might be interested in aquiring another point-guard…FUCK!!! I thought we had something unique here..

All in all that would be a cowardice operation by Mr. Ford. And can anyone blame him? You better fucking belive so.. I’ll tell you who and why:

• the Nba: there is not one current player to my memory that brings Tj’s style
• Teammates: Jose is awesome, but he can’t do it all himself, a big part of our game plan is expecting quite a bit from the bench, without Tj Ford, who is going to assist Delfino, Kapono, Humpries and so fourth?
• The Toronto Faithfuls: It’s no secret that the Toronto Raps can compete amongst the elite teams in the Nba. And no one can take that way from us..unless ofcourse you’re Tj Ford.
• I: I take pleasure watching a human his size play effectively, at times, amongst giants..And as much as I dislike his personality..I should admit that I relate to the guy and observe his game more than any other.

Through all the ifs and buts..and between all the hows and whys…one thing is for certain..Assumingn Tj does return of course… If the Toronto Raptors desire a long playoff run…then Tj and Jose must take part in brotherhood.