Allan Houston

From Hoopedia

Allan Wade Houston (born April 20, 1971, in Louisville, Kentucky, USA) is an American former professional basketball player who spent the majority of his career playing shooting guard for the National Basketball Association's New York Knicks. His nickname is "H2O", derived from the first letter of his last name and his jersey number of "20", and acknowledges his graceful jumpshot, which was said to be "as smooth as water."

Early Life

Houston played at Ballard High School in Louisville, helping them to win the 1988 Kentucky state championship. He went on to play at the University of Tennessee (where he played under his father Wade) and graduated in 1993 as the school's all-time leading scorer.

NBA

Houston was selected 11th overall by the Detroit Pistons in the 1993 NBA Draft, and averaged 8.5 points per game in his rookie year. His average was boosted to 14.5 and 19.7 points per game in the next two years.

In 1996 after his rookie contract expired, Houston signed as a free agent with the Knicks, where he played for the next nine seasons. Detroit at the time fully expected Houston to re-sign giving Detroit a formidable duo of Houston and Grant Hill, but left Detroit without even discussing a contract, leaving very bitter feelings toward him in Detroit. In his first year as a Knick, Houston took the place of John Starks in the starting lineup, with Starks serving as a mentor for him coming off of the bench. Houston kept his scoring average at a consistent clip of about 17 points per game, helping to lead his team to the 1999 NBA Finals. He made the All-Star team in 2000 and 2001.

Despite the accolades, though, Houston's lasting legacy may be something that happened off of the court: In 2001, Houston signed a maximum contract extension with the Knicks, a decision that proved to be a huge mistake for New York because it cut deeply into the Knicks' already-grim salary cap situation and prevented them from making any free agent moves. Houston's yearly salary of over $20 million made him virtually untradeable and injury problems would further burden the Knicks. Houston missed 32 games in 2003-04 due to a knee injury, and despite claims in the summer of 2004 that he would be ready to play the next season (he even refused to have surgery on his knee that summer), he played in only 20 games that season because his injury hadn't completely healed. The knee injury would eventually force Houston to announce his retirement, on October 17, 2005.

Houston retired as one of the most prolific scorers in Knicks history, and his last-second bank-shot in the deciding game of the 1999 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals against the Miami Heat was one of the most dramatic moments in Knicks history, sending the team into the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals and eventually to the NBA Finals. Houston also ranks 10th on the NBA's all-time list for career 3-point field goals made.

On March 30, 2007, Houston reportedly was interested in making a comeback. He is waiting for his current contract to expire with the Knicks. Despite not having played in the league since 2005, Houston was the second highest paid player in the league two years later during the 2006-2007 NBA season at $20.7 million. On June 27, 2007 it was reported that Houston was once again quite interested in making a comeback.

Allan Houston Rule

In 2005, the NBA agreed on a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA). The most striking innovation grants NBA teams a one-time exception to waive a player without paying any further luxury tax on the player's contract, regardless of how long or how rich the contract was. The provision did not negate the player's contract, a team's obligation to pay the player, or the impact on the salary cap; it merely removed the player's salary when computing the luxury tax. This rule benefited teams that were in danger of facing the "luxury tax" penalty, a tax paid on salaries spent above a certain threshold of total team salary. The correct term is "amnesty clause," but because the team with the worst problems was the Knicks, and their worst financial liability was Houston, it was quickly dubbed the "Allan Houston Rule." Ironically, the Knicks chose not to use the exception for Houston, but for forward Jerome Williams instead, since the Knicks correctly predicted Houston would retire due to lingering injuries over his last two seasons. As a result, Houston made $40 million for the last two years of his contract even though he did not participate in any games for the Knicks.