Rockets Hope To Re-Sign Mutombo

An off-season that's delivered an assortment of new names and faces to the Rockets roster could take another step toward bringing back an old one when general manager Daryl Morey meets with Dikembe Mutombo in Atlanta on Monday.

It's not likely that there will be final agreement on a deal for the upcoming season at the meeting, but Morey is feeling confident in taking the next step and that the 41-year-old veteran will be in the fold when training camp opens in October.

After expressing frustration in the immediate aftermath of the Rockets first-round playoff loss to Utah and saying he was leaning toward retirement, Mutombo is now committed to playing one more season. A brief flirtation with the Boston Celtics seems to have waned.

Morey says that if he can get Mutombo under contract, the Rockets will likely be done adding to their roster.

The team is still trying to trade John Lucas III and will trade away Bob Sura's contract or buy it out. The rest of the bodies — 17 others when you eventually add second-round pick Carl Landry — will likely be in training camp for new head coach Rick Adelman to check out before the paring process begins.

source : blogs.chron.com