Calderon says he should've been a backup with Knicks

Now that the New York Knicks have replaced him with Derrick Rose and shipped him off to the opposite coast, Jose Calderon knows his days as a starting point guard are likely over.

But the 34-year-old Spaniard is far from resentful about it. In fact, he feels he probably should've been coming off the bench throughout his two-year Knicks tenure. If only the team had had a better option.

"It's something they needed," Calderon told Chris Berman of The New York Post, referring to the Rose acquisition. "Like I said, I was ready for a different role and I was ready for a different role the last couple of years. Maybe there wasn't the player to put ahead of me."

Calderon played 114 games (all starts) for the Knicks, and while he continued to shoot well from 3-point range (41.4 percent), his declining effectiveness in virtually every other facet of the game was evident. The Knicks won just 49 total games during his two seasons.

"I always said I wasn't the one putting me in the starting role or playing me 35 minutes," he said. "It could've been a guy like a Derrick Rose and I would've been the backup point guard. It's a tough position to play. You have to know your strengths and weaknesses. I've been in the league 12 years and I know what I do best or not do as well. It's nothing personal. It's what the team needed. Hopefully it will work better."

Calderon is also hopeful that a reduced role with the Los Angeles Lakers - who'll be focused on developing sophomore point guard D'Angelo Russell - will help extend his career.

"I would like to play 15 years in the league, so hopefully three more years," said Calderon, whose contract expires at the end of the 2016-17 season. "I played 30 minutes (per game) last year. I don't think I'll play that much ever again, so I'll be able to play more years. I'm happy and comfortable here."