Jose Calderon is likely done for the season after undergoing a procedure on his strained left Achilles tendon, Emilio V. Escudero of the Spanish outlet ABC.es reports (translation via Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia). Calderon had a platelet-rich plasma injection, a source tells Shams Charania of RealGM (Twitter link), and not a minor surgery as Escudero indicates. The point guard could return if there were playoff implications for the Knicks, Charania notes, but New York has the league’s worst record. Calderon will be re-evaluated in approximately 10-14 days, the team’s PR staff tweets.
Calderon had a disappointing 42-game stint with the Knicks this season after being traded by the Mavericks during the offseason, averaging 9.1 points and 4.7 assists while shooting a career-low 41.5% from the field. His scoring average was his lowest since 2006/07, his second year in the league, while his assists average matched the second-lowest of his career.
Calderon still has two more years and approximately $15.1MM remaining on his contract, though his status with the team next season is cloudy. Alexey Shved has emerged as a solid contributor at the point during his absence.
With Carmelo Anthony out for the season, the Knicks only have 13 available players despite having a full 15-man roster. That includes Ricky Ledo, who signed a 10-day contract last week which expires after Saturday’s game against Chicago. They are not eligible for a hardship exemption since they have only three current players who have missed three straight games, including Calderon. They would need a fourth to apply for the hardship exception.