Saturday, saving Isiah Thomas from possibly having to cut one of the top scorers
in franchise history.
Houston rejoined his former team late last week, two years after he was
forced to retire because of chronic knee pain. However, the Knicks already had
the maximum 15 players under contract, and Thomas said he only gave the
36-year-old guard an invite to camp because of his history in New York.
Houston's chances were even slimmer because he didn't join the team until 10
days after practices began. He cited the timing issue in his decision to walk
away again.
"While my body and my knees, in particular, feel fine, I know what is
required for me to be truly effective in the NBA again, and it involves a timing
and progression that would not be fair to Isiah and the Knicks right now,"
Houston said in a statement released by the Knicks. "With the season opening
less than two weeks away, I think it is best for the team to move on without me.
I appreciate the opportunity that Isiah and the Knicks have given me, and I wish
the team nothing but success."
Houston played only six minutes in his lone preseason appearance Wednesday at
Boston, then sat out a game at New Jersey the next night.
Houston spent nine seasons with the Knicks and is fourth on the team's career
scoring list. He said upon his return that he didn't think he would try to latch
on with another team if he didn't stick with the Knicks.
No comments:
Post a Comment