Kudos to Jose Calderon as mentor for young Knicks

Jose Calderon's stats are down from his career numbers, but two key members of the Knicks' present and future have credited him with a big assist.

Prized rookie Kristaps Porzingis and improving second-year guard Langston Galloway gave a shout-out to Calderon on Twitter in the last several days for helping them. Both referred to Calderon as "a great mentor." Galloway mentioned Calderon's "heart, passion, determination." Porzingis tweeted that Calderon is "a great teammate" and "definitely an example for me."

There is a part of Calderon, 34, that probably needed to see this or hear this.

The Spanish point guard is a true pro and selfless player, but because of injuries, he hasn't been at his best since being traded to the Knicks in June 2014. He's drawn heavy criticism from the fans.

The tweets brought a huge smile to Calderon's face. "It means everything," he said. "It's more than just basketball. It's about being a friend. I'm trying to help those guys to stay as long as they can in this league. It's not just basketball. It's about whatever they need. That's what I try to be. A teammate says that about you, that's all you can ask for. I'm really happy about it."

Fans have come down hard on Calderon and believe he should be replaced in the starting lineup by rookie Jerian Grant. Calderon hears them, but he's remained steadfast in his approach to the game. Derek Fisher has been steadfast too, knowing the 11th-year veteran is the right person to run this team right now.

Grant's time may come, but he's had several games in which he's looked like a rookie. Calderon, who is signed through next season, has a steadying influence on the Knicks, and he's rewarded his coach's faith with his recent play.

Although his numbers are some of his lowest since his rookie year, Calderon has lifted his play in the last seven games. He's averaged 10.1 points and 3.6 assists and shot 50 percent from three-point range (11-for-22) in that time. He had 10 points, seven assists, four rebounds and three steals and played with a lot of bounce in Friday's win over Oklahoma City.

"I'm going to compete against anybody," Calderon said. "The last four, five games, I've been more animated and having more fun out there, I'm feeling better. It's everything. I get my rhythm a little bit. I still can play a little bit."

Calderon, never a good defender, struggles against some of the quicker guards. His floor leadership and experience are important, though.

"I just appreciate the way he is and the way he's on the court," Porzingis said. "He's an example for me. He's a great guy, always talking on the court, helping his teammates out. Even if he's not having a great game, he's always focused, always trying to help everybody out. That's something I can learn from him."

Calderon said that won't change no matter how he plays or how many fans want him to take a seat. "I've been around a lot," he said. "If I play the next two games bad, it's going to come back. It's more than that. Anything can happen. For me, those kind of comments, I'm good with that. That's all I need."

Inside the numbers

Jose Calderon appeared in only seven games that the Knicks won last season. He had played in seven victories heading into Saturday night's game, thanks to better health and a better team.

Carmelo Anthony played in 10 of the Knicks' 17 wins a season ago, two fewer than Langston Galloway, Lance Thomas and Lou Amundson. Former Knicks Tim Hardaway Jr. and Shane Larkin appeared in the most victories -- 16 each.

Hardaway hasn't been heard from since the Knicks traded him to Atlanta for the draft rights to Jerian Grant. Hardaway is healthy but hadn't played yet for the Hawks entering Saturday's action.

Around the NBA

President Barack Obama, a big basketball fan, told GQ that he "absolutely" would want to own an NBA team. The president said, "I have fantasized about being able to put together a team and how much fun that would be. I think it'd be terrific."

Amar'e Stoudemire appeared in only his second game of the season for the Heat on Thursday night and had 10 points in eight minutes. He's totaled 20 minutes this season. The Knicks are in Miami Monday.

Raymond Felton has contributed to some Mavericks wins recently, including a 23-point game against the Rockets, which was his highest-scoring game since 2012-13 with the Knicks. Said Felton, "Those who forgot about me or those who forgot about the nine years of work I put in this league before last year, just letting them know that I'm still here. I still got it."

The 76ers took an 0-13 start into Saturday night's game against the Heat and had dropped 23 straight dating to last season. Just in case: The worst start ever is 18 in a row by the 2009-10 Nets. The longest losing skid is 26 games by the 2010-11 Cavaliers.

Houston, you have a problem

The first NBA coaching casualty was Kevin McHale, which surprised some after Houston reached the Western Conference finals last season. But it was clear something wasn't right with the Rockets or the leaders in their locker room: last year's MVP runner-up, James Harden, and big man Dwight Howard.

The Rockets started horribly, losing each of their first three games by 20 points, and dropped four at home by at least 12 points. The perception was that they stopped responding to McHale, so a move was made to try to right the ship.

J.B. Bickerstaff took over and won his first game, with Harden recording 45 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds to snap Houston's four-game losing streak. Coincidence?

It always seems star players lift their play after a coaching change. Remember Jason Kidd after Lawrence Frank replaced Byron Scott with the Nets or Carmelo Anthony after Mike Woodson took over for Mike D'Antoni.

Nuggets coach Michael Malone, a former Knicks assistant, was the first coach fired last season, by Sacramento. Most believe it was a mistake. Malone had DeMarcus Cousins'support and an 11-13 record at the time. The Kings then struggled, especially defensively, and dropped 22 of their next 30 games.

"It was loud and clear that I didn't lose the locker room," Malone said. "Once I got fired, the organization lost the team in a weird way."

Golden

The Warriors matched the best start by a reigning champ at 14-0, joining the 1957-58 Celtics. Golden State can break that mark by beating Denver Sunday and equal the best start ever by any NBA team. None has ever gone 16-0.

Teams starting 15-01948-49 Washington Capitols

Finished 38-22, won BAA

championship.

1993-94 Houston Rockets

Finished 58-24, won NBA

championship.

By Al Iannazzone

al.iannazzone@newsday.comAl_Iannazzone

Al Iannazzone covers the Jets for Newsday after spending nearly two decades on the NBA beat with Knicks and Nets.