Yesterday (Thursday, Sept. 25) Allan Houston signed with the New York Knicks in what he hopes to be a major comeback. Houston is fourth on the Knicks’ career scoring list, trailing only Hall of Famers Patrick Ewing, Walt Frazier and Willis Reed. He will be in training camp next week with the franchise he led to the 1999 NBA Finals.
Forced to retire in October 2005 because of knee pain, Houston briefly tried a comeback last year with the Knicks. He played in only one preseason game before ending his long-shot bid to make the team.
Now 37, Houston hasn’t played in an NBA game since 2005 and would have to show that his knees can handle the running involved in new coach Mike D’Antoni’s uptempo system.
Houston joined the Knicks in 1996 and made one of the most famous shots in franchise history, a running jumper in the closing seconds of the deciding Game 5 that gave New York an upset victory over top-seeded Miami in the first round off the 1999 playoffs. The Knicks went on to reach the finals, where they lost to San Antonio.
A two-time All-Star and one of the league’s best outside shooters, Houston signed a much-criticized $100 million, six-year contract extension in 2001 and averaged a career-best 22.5 points in 2002-03. But chronic knee soreness then limited him. He averaged only 11.9 points in 20 games his final season, his lowest total since he was a rookie.
Information from the Associated Press contributed to this report.
