http://www.thejournalnews.com/newsroom/081304/c02w13knicksweb.html
By HAROLD GUTMANN
THE JOURNAL NEWS
(Original publication: August 13, 2004)


NEW YORK — Sitting in a quiet conference room at Macy's in Herald Square, with eight floors of the world's largest department store below him, Allan Houston described a problem as tricky as any zone defense he's faced.

He wants nothing more than to rush back on the court, "having fun again, winning games." Not to mention, prove he's worth his $17 million salary (a number so large that Charlotte wouldn't take him when he was left unprotected in this summer's expansion draft), and show that he's not ready to relinquish his spot in the starting backcourt to Jamal Crawford, the Knicks latest big signing.

But he can't. Not yet, anyway. For now, Houston must be content shooting baskets at the Knicks' practice facility, doing strength and conditioning drills and waiting until his battered knees catch up to his burning desire.

"My mind is getting ready for camp. My body is saying, 'Look, we have to progress, we have to do it the right way,'" Houston said. "So I have to find that medium,"

Houston, 33, had missed only 10 games with the Knicks until last season. Then, rebounding from offseason right knee surgery, the shooting guard missed 32 games with back, quad and knee injuries. The final straw, a sore left knee, kept Houston out of the Knicks' short-lived playoff series with the Nets.

"When you haven't played at a certain level, your body has to adjust," Houston said. "I think to sit out that long and be ready to play at that intensity you have to build up to that, you can't just do it. That's what happened last time, I tried to go all-out without taking progressions, and that's why I had setbacks."

So Houston, who appeared at Macy's yesterday to promote a children's reading program, has to be content with shooting drills for now. But he says he is on pace to be ready for training camp, which begins Oct. 5 in Charleston, S.C.

"My goal has always been to be able to do drills on the court in August. I still have a ways to go, but I'm right where my goal is," Houston said. "In a couple weeks I'll probably be able to go out and play."

Though Houston said he hasn't talked to Crawford yet, he seemed pleased at the prospects of the Knicks' three-guard rotation (with point guard Stephon Marbury).

"It gives us a lot of depth. I think when you look at teams that go far and win the championship you have depth, especially at that position," he said. "The bottom line is you have three guys who can put a lot of pressure on a defense."

Houston was also optimistic the Knicks could sign free-agent center Erick Dampier, who has the option of taking more money with Atlanta or coming to a playoff contender hampered by the salary cap.

"I have a feeling a lot of guys want to be here. They see the direction that the organization is going, they see a commitment to winning," Houston said. "I think a lot of guys want to be a part of that and I believe he's one of them."