On a day the Knicks honored guards from the past, Allan Houston, with some creaky knees, checked back in at the Garden for the first time since last March.
“I felt like a little kid in a toy store,” said Houston. “It was just fun being out there.”
Houston felt and looked more comfortable yesterday than he did on Friday in his first game back. In the Knicks’ 107-96 victory over the Nuggets yesterday, Houston came off the bench to shoot 3-of-11 and score nine points in 17 minutes. While the numbers weren’t great, Houston drove to the hoop and had a few shots that went in-and-out.
“It was like I was telling some guys on the bench, ‘At least they went in first,’ ” said Houston, who reported that his knees felt sore but fine.
In recent days, Isiah Thomas and Lenny Wilkens have made declarations on Houston’s future with the Knicks. On Saturday, Wilkens said Houston will eventually return to the starting lineup, while yesterday, Thomas said he will not trade Houston.
“I appreciate that,” Houston said of Thomas’ no-trade talk. “It is business.”
Thomas’ words seemed more likely inspired by a lack of interest from other teams, who don’t hold the combination of a $100 million contract and bad knees as a hot commodity. Houston seemed to know that if the right deal rose, Thomas would pull the trigger.
The business of basketball has led some Knick fans to boo Houston. Yesterday, however, when Houston walked to the scorer’s table with a little more than two minutes to go in the first quarter, the Garden crowd cheered. With Denver calling timeout before Houston could check in, the rest of the reaction was muted. All and all, the Garden crowd seemed happy to see No. 20 back on the floor.
“It felt good to have that reception,” Houston said.
Wilkens used Houston with Stephon Marbury and Jamal Crawford, making for a pretty explosive offensive trio. The question, Houston said, is whether they can defend.
“On the other end, I don’t know who can really match up with the three-guards,” Houston said.
On a day the Knicks honored former guards such as Walt Frazier, John Starks and Earl “The Pearl” Monroe, Houston made his season debut at the Garden, wearing a throwback jersey from the 1979 season.
“I might be a throwback player now,” Houston said. “It was a good day all the way around.”
