DeMarre Carroll goes by familiar nickname to Raptors fans: The Junkyard Dog

Not only does DeMarre Carroll promise to bring toughness and defensive grit to the Toronto Raptors next season, he also brings back a nickname that's already very familiar to the team's fans: The Junkyard Dog.

After agreeing to terms on a four-year, $60 million contract to join Toronto as a free agent, Carroll wrote a goodbye letter to Atlanta that ran on The Players' Tribune. He thanked the Hawks organization and its fans for believing in him when most did not and then closed with a note for supporters of his new team that should get them excited:

Williams, who played for the Raptors between 2001 and 2003, was beloved figure in Toronto for his hustle and tenacity on the court as well as his charisma away from it.

Carroll has had the Junkyard Dog nickname since college and carries himself in a similar fashion. Coming off a career-season in Atlanta where he averaged 12.6 points, 5.3 rebounds, and shot 39.5% from three, the soon to be 29-year-old forward has a tremendous opportunity to take on a larger role with the Raptors and anchor what they hope is a much-improved defence.

Get ready, Toronto. There's great potential for the JYD sequel to become even more popular than the original.

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Israel Fehr is a writer for Yahoo Canada Sports. Email him at israelfehr@yahoo.ca or follow him on Twitter. Follow @israelfehr