TORONTO -- The Toronto Raptors re-signed centre Aaron Gray and added free-agent guard John Lucas III on Friday.
Gray averaged 3.9 points, with 5.7 rebounds and 16.6 minutes in 49 games with the Raptors last season.
The 27-year-old played for the New Orleans Hornets in 2010-11, averaging 3.1 points, 4.2 rebounds and 13 minutes.
The seven-foot, 270-pound Gray was a second-round selection of the Chicago Bulls in the 2007 NBA draft.
The 29-year-old Lucas has averaged five points, 1.4 assists and 11.1 minutes in 111 career regular-season games with the Houston Rockets and Chicago Bulls.
In seven career playoff outings, Lucas has averaged 6.1 points, 1.3 assists and 14.6 minutes.
Lucas had career bests in points (7.5), assists (2.2) and rebounds (1.6) in a career-high 49 games with Chicago last season.
The five-foot-11, 165-pound Lucas played overseas from 2007-10 in Italy, Spain and China after two seasons in the NBA with Houston.
Lucas, who played for the Rockets from 2005 to 2007, is the son of John Lucas, Jr., who was taken first overall by Houston in the 1976 NBA draft.
Last edited by Legends66NBA7 : 07-27-2012 at 07:07 PM.
Re: Raptors sign free-agent point guard John Lucas; re-sign Aaron Gray and Alan Anderson
What about Alan Anderson?
Roster looks set for 2012-2013
PG Lowry / Calderon / Lucas
SG Derozan / Ross / Anderson (if hes signed, still no word)
SF Fields / Kleiza
PF Bargs / Davis / Acy
C Valancuinas / Gray / Johnson
Looks like we can play with a lot of different matchups with our depth at every position. Depth is one thing and talent is another and once again we will be lacking talent at the wings. Minutes will be hard to find for everyone.
Re: Raptors sign free-agent point guard John Lucas; re-sign Aaron Gray and Alan Anderson
Quote:
Originally Posted by kmart
What about Alan Anderson?
Roster looks set for 2012-2013
PG Lowry / Calderon / Lucas
SG Derozan / Ross / Anderson (if hes signed, still no word)
SF Fields / Kleiza
PF Bargs / Davis / Acy
C Valancuinas / Gray / Johnson
Looks like we can play with a lot of different matchups with our depth at every position. Depth is one thing and talent is another and once again we will be lacking talent at the wings. Minutes will be hard to find for everyone.
Eighth place? Seems likely.
Roster looks good as long as we don't hit major injuries down the road. The wing position still looks a bit thin though, I wouldn't be surprised if we made a made a move for a tweener near the trade deadline.
Re: Raptors sign free-agent point guard John Lucas; re-sign Aaron Gray and Alan Anderson
Should be a slightly better than last year, but they were nowhere near making the playoffs last year and the East should be better this year. I'd be pretty shocked if this lot made the playoffs.
Re: Raptors sign free-agent point guard John Lucas; re-sign Aaron Gray and Alan Anderson
Some teams in the East got better and some got worse. Some elite teams got better like Boston and Miami. Chicago won't have D-Rose for like 85% of the year. Atlanta lost Joe Johnson. Orlando is going through their Dwight Howard Drama. So outside of Miami, Boston, Indy, NY, and maybe Philly, the rest of the East is up in the air.
Re: Raptors sign free-agent point guard John Lucas; re-sign Aaron Gray and Alan Anderson
Quote:
Originally Posted by bokes15
Some teams in the East got better and some got worse. Some elite teams got better like Boston and Miami. Chicago won't have D-Rose for like 85% of the year. Atlanta lost Joe Johnson. Orlando is going through their Dwight Howard Drama. So outside of Miami, Boston, Indy, NY, and maybe Philly, the rest of the East is up in the air.
I definitely think Brooklyn is a fix for the playoffs as well.
Miami
Boston
Indy
Brooklyn
New York
Atlanta?
Orlando?
Chicago?
Going to be real tough for the Raptors to make 8th seed considering other than the above teams listed, Philly and Milwaukee can make a run for it as well.
Re: Raptors sign free-agent point guard John Lucas; re-sign Aaron Gray and Alan Anderson
Brooklyn will probably make the playoffs, but how good they are is yet to be seen. Everyone automatically expected the Knicks to be a powerhouse last couple of years and look how they turned out. I definitely expect them to be battling out for the last 2-3 spots rather than being a top 4 team. I still consider the 8th seed to be a tossup. How many years do we pencil in teams that should be guaranteed a top 8 spot only to realize that the battle for 8th in the East is to see who loses the least rather than who wins the most.
Re: Raptors sign free-agent point guard John Lucas; re-sign Aaron Gray and Alan Anderson
Anyone who thinks we don't have a playoff shot is kidding themselves. We have 2 legit 7 footers in the front court. No other team in the East and only one team in the West can make that boast. We have enough depth at the 1 spot that Jose Calderon who as much as many people hate him, they also admit he's a starter on a lot of teams, is gonna be coming off the bench. Fields is not worth what we are paying him but he's an upgrade from Kleiza. And I think a bench unit of
Calderon
Ross
Kleiza
Davis
Gray
is pretty solid if you ask me. We have a team that will definitely give it a run for the playoffs. My only issue at the current moment is the swingman spot. Derozan/Ross may not cut it.
Re: Raptors sign free-agent point guard John Lucas; re-sign Aaron Gray and Alan Anderson
Quote:
Originally Posted by lilbeastnani
Anyone who thinks we don't have a playoff shot is kidding themselves. We have 2 legit 7 footers in the front court. No other team in the East and only one team in the West can make that boast. We have enough depth at the 1 spot that Jose Calderon who as much as many people hate him, they also admit he's a starter on a lot of teams, is gonna be coming off the bench. Fields is not worth what we are paying him but he's an upgrade from Kleiza. And I think a bench unit of
Calderon
Ross
Kleiza
Davis
Gray
is pretty solid if you ask me. We have a team that will definitely give it a run for the playoffs. My only issue at the current moment is the swingman spot. Derozan/Ross may not cut it.
I definitely appreciate your optimism. Sometimes this board confuses realism and pessimism.
You forgot Amir off the bench too , so the bench is looking pretty decent going into the season
I really think for the Raps to come close to 8, everything has to go right which include an over achieving season from Val and no injury to Bargnani. Also, like you said, the wings are still very weak. We really need to find a taken for Calerdon's expiring contract and get an upgrade wing back.
Re: Raptors sign free-agent point guard John Lucas; re-sign Aaron Gray and Alan Anderson
Quote:
Originally Posted by SESSEL15
I definitely think Brooklyn is a fix for the playoffs as well.
Miami
Boston
Indy
Brooklyn
New York
Atlanta?
Orlando?
Chicago?
Going to be real tough for the Raptors to make 8th seed considering other than the above teams listed, Philly and Milwaukee can make a run for it as well.
+1 -
Realism - Toronto 10th.
Even if the Dwightmare guts that team Orlando was in the playoffs and may have the same roster till trade deadline. Philly is a shoe in I suspect. The Knicks are better and they made the playoffs. I mean Lin-sanity aside they are better overall with Felton and the FA signing....and another year of chemisty between Melo Amare and Chandler (baring injuries).
Miami
Boston
Inidanapolis
Chicago
Brooklyn
Atlanta
New York
Philidelphia
<edit> Washington - Okafur and Beals join Wall... should be in the hunt
Orlando (post Dwightmare)
Milwaukee
Toronto
Detroit
Toronto's only hope will be injury bug on other teams.
Agreed JL III is here so they can deal Jose - which is probably being worked by Jose agent during this Olympic break.
Re: Raptors sign free-agent point guard John Lucas; re-sign Aaron Gray and Alan Anderson
I don't even think it's optimism, at least not on my part, to say that we have a good enough team on paper to be in competition for the 8th seed. That's not to say we'll definitely get there but rather that we'll be closer to 8th than 15th.
Re: Raptors sign free-agent point guard John Lucas; re-sign Aaron Gray and Alan Anderson
Quote:
Originally Posted by bokes15
To address the actual topic though, I somehow feel like JL3 was signed so that we'd have a backup point on the roster if we trade Calderon.
Calderon is not getting traded.
BC will say when the season starts that we will wait till the trade deadline, then come deadline time we will be close enough to the playoffs that he will use the excuse that he felt we could make a run and that's why he held on to Calderon. Then Calderon walks next offseason.
Raptors sign free-agent point guard John Lucas; re-sign Aaron Gray and Alan Anderson
