Allan Houston – Where will he go?

Veteran Allan Houston has a lot of teams interested in him at the moment, with staff from several teams watching his workout in New York. The Cavs, Heat, Mavericks, Spurs, Nets and Knicks all had somebody at the workout and it appears very likely that Houston will make a comeback.

The Cavs could use a shooting guard, since Larry Hughes’ health is unreliable, and as Houston’s jumpshot is said to be “smooth as water”, Cleveland will no doubt be interested. Right now the Cavs need somebody to help out at the 3 – LeBron may be a superstar but not even Jordan could do everything at once.

Miami are still figuring out who will play SG for the first 2+ weeks of the season, with Dwayne Wade likely to miss the first few weeks of the season as he recovers from a dislocated shoulder. Their current options until Wade is back are Dorrell Wright, rookie Daequan Cook, Smush Parker and veteran Penny Hardaway. With so many options, it seems unlikely that the Heat would sign Houston. However, a good outside shooter would definitely force defenders to concentrate less of Shaquille O’Neal and Dwayne Wade, freeing them up to do their thing.

Allan Houston joining the Mavericks is a possibility, but Dallas won’t be desperate after achieving the most wins of any NBA team in the regular season. The Mavs could benefit from an experienced shooting guard, but they already have Jerry Stackhouse and Eddie Jones, so they may prefer not to pay for a player who they don’t really need.

Houston being snapped up by San Antonio is a possibility too, as the Spurs could use some experienced backup for Manu Ginobili. However, after winning the championship, the Spurs, like Dallas, will not be desperate to sign an older guard, who will retire in a few years.

New Jersey has also expressed interest and it seems likely that the Nets will offer him a contract. The Nets could definitely use an experienced shooting guard, as Richard Jefferson is more of a small forward, and with Houston living in Southern Connecticut, a contract with New Jersey would save Houston the trouble of moving across the country.

It seems unlikely that Houston will move to the Knicks, as New York already have enough shooting guards, all of whom are crucial. It would be plain stupid for Isiah Thomas to bench Jamal Crawford, Q-Rich or Nate Robinson in favour of an older player with a history of knee trouble. That issue aside, the Knicks are busy dealing with the Isiah Thomas sexual harassment scandal and their cap room leaves much to be desired.

We should see Allan Houston in the NBA this season, with so many teams interested he is bound to get a roster spot somewhere. It seems most likely that Houston will play in New Jersey or Cleveland as he could contribute much to those two teams. Having Allan Houston and LeBron James on the same team, or Allan Houston, Jason Kidd and Vince Carter on the same team would be quite a mix.

There is only one question remaining: Can his knee stand the pressure of professional basketball? Lets hope it can.