CHARLESTON, S.C. - Allan Houston is leaning toward rejoining the Knicks but likely will wait until tomorrow before making a final decision, according to a person close to the veteran shooting guard.
Should Houston choose the Knicks over the Nets, there is no guarantee that he will make the 15-man roster. Isiah Thomas currently has 15 players with guaranteed contracts and would have to make one roster move in order to keep second-round pick Demetris Nichols. If the Knicks elect to keep both Nichols and Houston, the club would have to eat two contracts, which wouldn't make fiscal sense.
When asked why he would go to such great lengths to bring in Houston at the expense of possibly releasing a younger player, Thomas said: "It's out of respect. He's a great Knick. He wants to come back and give it a shot."
Yesterday, Thomas hinted that Nichols could have trouble making the team while at the same time strongly endorsing veteran guard Fred Jones. The Knicks would have held Nichols' draft rights had the rookie from Syracuse played overseas.
"That ship has sailed," Thomas said. "It was an option for him and team-wise for us down the road it would have been great to hold onto his rights. But we don't have that option now."
Nichols wants to play in the NBA and could be in danger of being cut, especially if Houston comes in and proves that he can be a contributing player. Houston, who was forced to retire because of chronic knee pain, has a lot of catching up to do considering he has already missed the first week of camp.
click for more detailssource : nydailynews.com
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