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There are other free-agent centers who could be had for one-year deals that will pique the Knicks' interest -- Tony Battie, ex-Knick veteran Kurt Thomas, who filled in solidly in spots with the Bulls, Joel Pryzbilla, Aaron Gray and ancient Theo Ratliff. New York Post

New York Knicks, Kurt Thomas, Aaron Gray, Tony Battie, Theo Ratliff, Joel Przybilla 

They must decide if they are going to bring back forward Carl Landry and guard Willie Green, who will both become free agents. Backup center Aaron Gray also can opt of his deal to pursue free agency. Jason Smith, David Andersen and Belinelli will become free agents. Also, Demps and Williams must wait to see if West re-signs or opts of his current deal. Coming off knee surgery, West may not draw a contract offer better than the $7.5 million he is scheduled to make next season if he does not opt out. “I think you always look at opportunities to get better,’’ Demps said Friday. “But again, from where started to where we finished, I think we’re in the right direction, and we want to build off that.’’ After completing their physicals and exit interviews Friday morning, most of the Hornets’ players refrained from specifying needs the team should address through free agency or trades. “Obviously, we came up short,’’ backup guard Jarrett Jack said. “A couple of reasons were pretty obvious. I’m sure Coach and Dell will do the necessary things to make us a more competitive ballclub.’’ New Orleans Times-Picayune

New Orleans Hornets, Free Agency, Trade, Jarrett Jack, Aaron Gray, Willie Green, David Andersen, Carl Landry 

His availability turned out to be a thing of necessity when he played all but 1:48 of the first quarter, needing to do so when Okafor picked up two quick fouls. "Who would have thought at the beginning of the year, we'd be counting on Aaron Gray in a playoff game against the Lakers?" Hornets Coach Monty Williams said. "But these are the cards we've been dealt and we're glad to have him." Los Angeles Times

Los Angeles Lakers, New Orleans Hornets, Monty Williams, Aaron Gray 

Gray, New Orleans' backup center, had to be helped off and couldn't put any weight on his sprained right ankle, making it look more like a week-to-week issue than day- to-day. Incredibly, he was back in the lineup for Game 2 on Wednesday night against the Lakers and got in the game quickly when starter Emeka Okafor got into early foul trouble. Even before that, there was this question: Is Gray a quick healer or do the Hornets have a medical miracle staff? The latter, said Gray. It turned out Gray's anatomy is faring better than the TV series. "Definitely a medical miracle staff here," Gray said, smiling. "It's been a lot of hard work. To be honest, when I was walking back to the X-ray, I wanted to make sure we won. Los Angeles Times

New Orleans Hornets, Injuries, Aaron Gray 

John Reid: #Hornets' Aaron Gray remains questionable but he took some shots around the basket in practice Tues, according to Coach Monty Williams. Twitter

New Orleans Hornets, Injuries, Aaron Gray 

Gray said Monday his ankle feels much better, but he doesn't know if he'll play in Game 2 on Wednesday night. His foot was in a bulky black boot. Coach Monty Williams says Gray played a big role in negating the Lakers' size advantage in Game 1. Fox8Live.com

New Orleans Hornets, Injuries, Aaron Gray 

New Orleans backup center Aaron Gray suffered a sprained right ankle when he landed awkwardly after going after a rebound with 1:07 left. He scored 12 points on 5-of-5 shooting before he was injured. Los Angeles Daily News

New Orleans Hornets, Injuries, Aaron Gray 

John Reid: #Hornets' center Aaron Gray hurts right ankle has to be carried off. Twitter

New Orleans Hornets, Injuries, Aaron Gray 

Sources said Paul is confident Demps will be able to make the necessary moves on a roster that has remained stagnant during free agency. Backup center Aaron Gray remains the Hornets' only signee this offseason. "Anything can happen. We're right at the beginning of August, and training camp doesn't start until the beginning of October, '' a source close to Paul said. "They made the right choice hiring Dell. We knew the Spurs talked very highly of him, so that's all we could go off. But (Paul) said it was a great meeting.'' New Orleans Times-Picayune

Despite Paul’s plea to the Hornets to be an active player this summer in free agency, their only signee is returning backup center Aaron Gray. “I’m not going to start with the premise that we have to go out and sign more guys,’’ Weber said. “That’s not the case. You look at teams that are way below the cap and are going through a transition right now, they may have a lot of flexibility, but they don’t have the talent that we have. “We do have some assets that we do feel good about, especially if you look at teams that missed out on the free agency with LeBron (James) and looking maybe to reload the following summer, we do have some things that we think are very attractive for other teams. But let’s not forget that this team, even with a ton of injuries, competed pretty well. And even with this current team, we can be competitive.’’ New Orleans Times-Picayune

The New Orleans Hornets announced today that they have re-signed center Aaron Gray. Per team policy, terms of the contract were not released. Gray (7’0”,270) is a three-year NBA veteran with career averages of 3.8 points and 3.3 rebounds in 11.0 minutes over 149 career games (19 starts) with the Chicago Bulls and Hornets. NewOrleans.com

New Orleans Hornets, Free Agency, Aaron Gray