Allan Houston Is No Fred Jones

A possible Allan Houston comeback was a major summer storyline. When the Knicks became his likely destination, it was moderately exciting. Now, it looks like it might end, due to a typically controversial Isiah Thomas decision. Instead of going with the big name looking for a final shot, Thomas is keeping Fred Jones, acquired as an afterthought in the Zach Randolph deal.

From the Daily News:

Houston and Demetris Nichols, the aforementioned draft pick from Syracuse, are both trying to make a roster that already includes the maximum 15 guaranteed contracts. For weeks, it was generally assumed that Jones, portrayed as a throw-in in the Zach Randolph trade, would be the odd man out.

But Jones' relationship with Thomas goes back to their Indiana Pacer days and there is something to be said for being an "Isiah guy." Just ask Knicks VP of basketball operations Glen Grunwald or assistant coaches Brendan Suhr and Mark Aguirre.

Jones won the Dunk Contest in 2004, and has been known at times to put up twenty-point games. However, Isiah wants to make him into a defensive specialist, since Jared Jeffries isn't really one. The good news is that Thomas is addressing something other than scoring; unfortunately, he's relying on a natural-born scorer to do so.