March 8, 2008, 1:15PM
Rockets sign Rice product Harris with Landry hurt
Forward signed for depth as team releases new acquisition Green
By JONATHAN FEIGEN
Copyright 2008 Houston Chronicle
With surging rookie forward Carl Landry out for tonight’s game against the New Orleans Hornets, the Rockets moved quickly to shore up the thinning ranks of their frontcourt.
The Rockets signed former Rice forward and fan favorite Mike Harris, who impressed in training camp this season, to a 10-day contract, releasing guard Gerald Green to make room on the roster for Harris. Landry has developed swelling in his right knee and will be evaluated further. He bruised the knee against Indiana on Wednesday, but played the next night in Dallas with little difficulty.
“We’re making this move because of concern about tonight,” Rockets vice president of basketball operations Sam Hinkie said. “We’re making this move because Mike Harris is someone we’ve always liked. We need live bodies, and he’s more than just a live body.”
The Rockets also signed center Justin Williams to a 10-day contract on Friday. But without Landry – who has averaged 13.8 points on 68.4 percent shooting since Yao Ming went out for the season – the Rockets could be very short-handed in frontcourt scoring, with only Luis Scola and Steve Novak considered scoring options at the power forward or center positions.
“(Harris) is a guy we’ve liked for a long time,” Hinkie said. “We thought played very well for us. He brings a level of energy, toughness and athleticism and we like his rebounding. Our coaches always liked him and are very positive on him, as well as was the staff on basketball ops side. We targeted him, as someone that we if needed help, he’d be on the top of the list.”
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Rockets sign Rice product Harris with Landry hurt
Forward signed for depth as team releases new acquisition Green
By JONATHAN FEIGEN
Copyright 2008 Houston Chronicle
With surging rookie forward Carl Landry out for tonight’s game against the New Orleans Hornets, the Rockets moved quickly to shore up the thinning ranks of their frontcourt.
The Rockets signed former Rice forward and fan favorite Mike Harris, who impressed in training camp this season, to a 10-day contract, releasing guard Gerald Green to make room on the roster for Harris. Landry has developed swelling in his right knee and will be evaluated further. He bruised the knee against Indiana on Wednesday, but played the next night in Dallas with little difficulty.
“We’re making this move because of concern about tonight,” Rockets vice president of basketball operations Sam Hinkie said. “We’re making this move because Mike Harris is someone we’ve always liked. We need live bodies, and he’s more than just a live body.”
The Rockets also signed center Justin Williams to a 10-day contract on Friday. But without Landry – who has averaged 13.8 points on 68.4 percent shooting since Yao Ming went out for the season – the Rockets could be very short-handed in frontcourt scoring, with only Luis Scola and Steve Novak considered scoring options at the power forward or center positions.
“(Harris) is a guy we’ve liked for a long time,” Hinkie said. “We thought played very well for us. He brings a level of energy, toughness and athleticism and we like his rebounding. Our coaches always liked him and are very positive on him, as well as was the staff on basketball ops side. We targeted him, as someone that we if needed help, he’d be on the top of the list.”
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