"Ironically, one of the players most likely to replace Ukic in Toronto is the point guard he'll be replacing with Tau. Babcock said talks with Spain's Jose Manuel Calderon are "progressing" and it's expected a deal will be announced when the NBA's free-agent signing moratorium is lifted Thursday afternoon." Toronto Star
"Roko Ukic, the 6-5 Croatian point guard taken 41st by Toronto in last month's NBA draft, has reportedly agreed to terms on a four-year contract with Tau Ceramica of the Spanish league, leaving the Raptors to scurry after a suitable backup to Rafer Alston for the coming season. "We knew there was an offer out there, it wouldn't surprise me if he took it," Raptor general manager Rob Babcock said in a telephone interview last night. "It's not a bad thing overall, I would have liked to see him over here this year but we were prepared for this." Toronto Star
"While no terms of the Tau Ceramica deal were announced, it's likely they offered him far more than the Raptors would have wanted to pay a second-round draft choice. Toronto will retain Ukic's NBA rights regardless of how long he remains in Spain. "There are some advantages to coming over early (getting acclimated to the NBA style of play and getting used to teammates) but there are some advantages to staying over there, too," said Babcock. "He still needs some physical development, he could get 30 minutes (of playing time each game) over there where he might be getting 15 with us." Toronto Star
I guess we will be getting Jose Manuel Calderon.
He has more experience then Roko and he can really shoot the ball.
