Kalin Lucas

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The Memphis Grizzlies have re-signed guard Kalin Lucas and center Hassan Whiteside, the team announced today.  Per team policy, terms of the deals are not disclosed.

Lucas (6-1, 186) originally was signed on Sept. 25 and averaged 3.1 points and 1.0 assists on .429 shooting in 7.9 minutes in eight preseason games for Memphis before he was waived on Oct. 25.  The 25-year-old was re-signed on Nov. 4 and did not appear in any regular season games before being waived again on November 9. Last season, the Michigan State product posted 15.1 points, 2.9 rebounds and 5.0 assists in 29.0 minutes in 29 games (20 starts) for the NBA Development League’s Iowa Energy, now exclusively affiliated with the Grizzlies.

Whiteside (7-0, 275) originally was signed on Sept. 25 and recorded 3.4 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.00 blocks on .500 shooting in 8.2 minutes in five preseason contests before he was waived on Oct. 22. He started the 2013-14 season playing in Lebanon before moving onto his second tour of duty in China.  The 25-year-old holds NBA career averages of 1.5 points, 2.1 rebounds and 0.79 blocks on .444 shooting in 5.8 minutes in 19 games (zero starts) over two seasons (2010-12) with the Sacramento Kings and owns NBA D-League career averages of 6.3 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.16 blocks on .545 shooting in 12.8 minutes in 61 games (11 starts) with the Reno Bighorns, Sioux Falls Skyforce and Rio Grande Valley Vipers.

memphis-grizzlies-re-sign-kalin-lucas-hassan-whiteside

Memphis Grizzlies re-sign Kalin Lucas & Hassan Whiteside

The Memphis Grizzlies signed guard Kalin Lucas, the team announced today.  Per team policy, terms of the deal are not disclosed.

Lucas (6-1, 186) recently averaged 3.1 points and 1.0 assists on .429 shooting in 7.9 minutes in eight preseason games for Memphis. The 25-year-old, who also played for the Grizzlies in the 2014 Orlando Pro Summer League, was originally signed on Sept. 25 and waived on Oct. 25.

Last season, Lucas posted 15.1 points, 2.9 rebounds and 5.0 assists in 29.0 minutes in 29 games (20 starts) for the NBA Development League’s Iowa Energy, now exclusively affiliated with the Grizzlies.  Lucas had returned to the Energy following his preseason stint with the Grizzlies.

Undrafted in the 2011 NBA Draft, Lucas starred for four seasons at Michigan State University (2007-11), leading the Spartans to the 2009 NCAA National Championship Game.  The Sterling Heights, Mich. native also has played professionally in Turkey (2011-12, 2012-13) and Greece (2011-12).

The Grizzlies’ roster stands at 15 players.

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Memphis Grizzlies sign Kalin Lucas

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Grizzlies defeat Rockets in 2014 Summer League

Bennett Hipp

When asked why Memphis worked so hard to acquire the draft rights to Jarnell Stokes on draft night, Grizzlies interim general manager Chris Wallace mentioned Stokes' ability to rebound the basketball as something he liked and something the team expected to quickly translate to the NBA game.

Through three games in the Orlando Pro Summer League, Stokes continues to display why the Grizzlies were right to like that aspect of his game.

After hauling in 12 boards Sunday afternoon against Oklahoma City, he backed that up with another 12-rebound performance Tuesday, leading the Grizzlies to an 80-73 victory over the previously unbeaten Orlando Magic.

Stokes posted his second consecutive double-double (11 points, 12 rebounds) and was one of four Grizzlies players to reach double figures in points as Memphis turned in a balanced and efficient performance on the offensive end.

In addition to Stokes, former Michigan State guard Kalin Lucas poured in a team-high 14 points along with four rebounds and three assists, while forward Okaro White tallied 11 points and two assists.

Native Memphian and former Ole Miss guard Terrico White also contributed ten points and two assists for the Grizzlies, who earned six points in the standings during Tuesday’s game and now have 16 total through three games.

Memphis again showed the toughness and grit that they've displayed throughout the Orlando Summer League, this time battling back from a 30-19 second quarter deficit to take a 41-39 lead into halftime. The Grizzlies carried that advantage over into the second half, extending it to as many as 13 points and never trailing in the final half.

Dewayne Dedmon (13 points, three rebounds, two assists) and 2013 first round pick Victor Oladipo (11 points, seven rebounds) led the way for Orlando.

Memphis is off Tuesday, but will be back in action Wednesday night at 6pm (CT) against the Houston Rockets on NBATV and NBA.com Full schedule and more coverage...

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Grizzlies defeat Magic in third Summer League game

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