You his P.R rep or something, homie? Why so much passion for Houston. How is Houston more special than any other NBA player who has to deal with pain. And like I said, he seems to be feeling great, all of a sudden.
Knicks wanted him to retire, because he kept whining about his knees and he obviously wasnt trying to play.
I'll be honest and lay all my cards on the table when it comes to Houston. I have no respect for him. Here is a cat that put his religion on his sleeve yet, to me committed a deadly sin --- Gluttony. He in no, way, shape, or form earned his paycheck the last two years. He should have given away a considerable chunk of that money to the less fortunate. Others could have used that money a hell of a lot.
I see other players, Marbury especially, take so much abuse from the fans and the media --- perhaps its deservedly so, but I know a fake and a fraud when I see one. At least Marbury tried to make somewhat of a difference through philanthropic efforts, but to some he'll always wear the black hat, while Houston will always find himself exalted by others for some reason.
I dont give a damn about Houston's knees, others have dealt with much, much worse. I find it self-serving at the very best that he is now ready to play.
Sebstar, I would like to say for the most part I enjoy reading your posts. You are generally insightful and fair.
However, I think you are way off-base on this Houston issue. Outside of what you think of him personally, his knee injuries have been neither small nor easy to deal with, nor has he stolen money from anyone or dishonored his commitment to the fans of the Knicks.
I can speak of this firsthand, because I am a relatively young man who has gone through the exact same injuries that Houston has. As of this writing, I have had 5 cartilage knee surgeries, 4 on my left knee including a microfracture, 2 meniscectomies, and finally a cartilage transplant 2 years ago. I will have another surgery soon to check that knee out and do any repairs that might be necessary.
Cartilage injuries have been the leading cause of knee injury retirements across high-level sports for a long time. After my third surgery, my doctor reported to me that my knee resembled that of a 65 year old former athlete. Imagine what Houston's looked like!
The pain associated with a degenerative cartilage condition is immense and it only gets worse with time and use, especially the use of pro basketball. Houston played through that pain for years before he let it derail his career, then he tried mightily to come back from it.
Houston has not been stealing fron the fans for the last 2 years of his retirement. He did not retire because he wanted to. He retired because he would only be able to play 25% of the time and at a diminished capacity. By retiring, which I am sure he did at the behest of James Dolan, he allowed Dolan to save between 25 and 30 million dollars because insurance pays the bulk of Houston's contract while retired, Dolan pays it if he is active.
The reason Houston states his knees feel great now is that he hasn't been playing basketball for the last 2 years. I am sure they won't feel so good once he has to put them through the rigors of the NBA season. He won't be able to play big minutes, and he very likely won't be nearly as good as he was.
Finally, in the articles I have read, the feeling has been that he would give the Knicks first shot at signing him. If he shows up at the Garden in a different uniform, it will be because the Knicks no longer want him (I don't think they should sign him.).
If the Knicks don't want him, why should he just decide not to play with anyone? Why would we begrudge him trying to finish out his career on his terms with a team that wants him? I think the answer is we should not.
Good luck Allan Houston.
oohah
. Considering we have 18 people on our roster I'm not to sure that any free-agent is going to make us there choice destination. But who cares were he goes? What is he going to do for us at this point?