Rasho Nesterovic and T.J. Ford are in and Andrea Bargnani and Jose Calderon are out for the struggling squad as it faces the Detroit Pistons at the Air Canada Centre.

The switch of Nesterovic for Bargnani is not a huge surprise given their play of late but changing point guards with only a dozen games left in the regular season is a big gamble and comes at the suggestion of the player being demoted.

After watching Ford struggle to find his way in a backup role, Calderon suggested – and coach Sam Mitchell agreed – that the move be made to kick-start Ford and, hopefully, the team as a whole.

Ford hasn’t started a game since Dec. 12, a night when he suffered serious back and neck injuries after being clubbed to the floor by Atlanta’s Al Horford.

The 25-year-old missed Toronto’s next 24 games and also missed a couple of games with a strained abdominal muscle.

His play of late has been spotty, as he’s found it difficult to adapt to a backup role. He’s been dominating the ball on offence, trying to force himself on the game instead of simply running the offence.

Calderon, a restricted free agent at the end of the season, met with Mitchell and president Bryan Colangelo on Tuesday to discuss the switch. He sees the same things the coaches, teammates and fans do – that Ford is uncomfortable with the second unit and the team’s play in deteriorating.

Toronto has won just three times in its last 14 games.

Nesterovic has proven over the last dozen games that he’s worthy of being in the starting lineup. Inserted after Chris Bosh went out with a sore knee, the 31-year-old veteran averaged 13.2 points and 7.3 rebounds per game in 10 games. Overall as a starter this season, he’s averaging eight points and six rebounds; he averaged four points and three rebounds coming off the bench.

Aside Bargnani’s a 16-point first quarter against Denver on Sunday – the only points he scored in the game – the second-year centre has been wildly inconsistent this season.

With just 12 games left in the regular season, the Raptors are battling Washington and Philadelphia for fifth, sixth and seventh place in the Eastern Conference. Toronto takes a 35-35 record into tonight’s home game.