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Raptors lock up Calderon

Jose Calderon

TORSTAR NEWS SERVICE
July 02, 2008 1:18 a.m.
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Never let it be said that Bryan Colangelo dithers.

In one blistering overnight period, the Raptor president and general manager put a lot of the finishing touches on his 2008-09 roster, leaving him with just a couple of minor moves to make before sitting back and watching other teams sweat out the rest of the NBA free-agent season.

Colangelo got Jose Calderon locked up to a long-term contract and signed Roko Ukic and Hassan Adams to deals that leave him with just one more spot to fill to get to the pared-down roster he wants to give coach Sam Mitchell this season.

None of the moves — and the soon-to-be-announced signing of second-round draft pick Nathan Jawai — comes as any surprise and Colangelo’s last addition to get to the league-minimum 13-man roster is likely to be a young point guard.

For Ukic, the move has been a long time coming. Originally touted as a possible first-round selection in 2005, he dropped to No. 41 and spent the last three seasons playing in Europe.

But a solid season in Rome last year — and the ability to get out of his contract — made his arrival in the NBA easy.

“He was able to mature while he was playing in Europe and play at a high level,” said Marc Cornstein, Ukic’s U.S.-based agent. “He’s only coming to the scene, he should have a chance to contribute and be in the rotation.”

While there is still no official word on Calderon’s salary or the length of the deal, it’s been widely speculated he’d get about $8 million US a season to take over the starting point guard duties with the Raptors. 

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