Roster roundup: Knicks waive Houston, ending comeback

GREENBURGH, N.Y. (AP) -- Allan Houston's latest attempt at a comeback with the New York Knicks ended today when he was waived by the NBA club.

Houston was forced to retire in October 2005 because of chronic knee pain, and has attempted a comeback in each of the last two preseasons. However, he was never able to get into a game this time because of a sore right quadriceps.

Still, the fourth-leading scorer in franchise history has begun discussions with the team about a role within the organization and could stick around in some capacity working under team president Donnie Walsh.

DALLAS(AP) -- The Dallas Mavericks waived point guard Keith McLeod on Thursday, reducing their roster to 14 players.

McLeod, a fourth-year player from Bowling Green, signed as a free agent on July 11 after playing in Italy last season. He was unable to play during the preseason because of a right hamstring strain.

McLeod has played for Minnesota, Utah, Indiana and Golden State during his NBA career, averaging 5.5 points and 2.7 assists in 200 games.

Dallas is one under the 15-man limit, and coach Rick Carlisle said the Mavericks will consider signing a player.

"We're looking at the waiver wire to see who'd be a good fit," Carlisle said. "But we may stay at 14."

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- The Clippers waived forward Jelani McCoy on Thursday, trimming their roster to 14 players.

The 30-year-old center from UCLA signed with the Clippers on Sept. 23 and averaged 3.5 points and 2.7 rebounds in six preseason games. He has played for Seattle, the Los Angeles Lakers, Toronto, Cleveland, Atlanta and Denver.

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) --The Minnesota Timberwolves waived forward Chris Richard, guard Blake Ahearn and center David Harrison before Thursday's game against the Milwaukee Bucks.

Richard, the team's second round pick in 2007, appeared in 52 games last season and averaged 11.6 minutes. Richard and current Timberwolves swingman Corey Brewer helped lead the Florida Gators to back-to-back NCAA titles in 2005-06 and '06-07.

Ahearn lost a battle for the team's final guard spot to Kevin Ollie, and Harrison missed all of the preseason with a calf injury.

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) -- The Portland Trail Blazers waived forward Luke Jackson and center Steven Hill on Thursday, trimming their roster to 15 players.

Jackson appeared in three preseason games, averaging 5 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.3 assists.

Hill, a 7-foot rookie out of Arkansas, saw limited time in three preseason games.

The Blazers, who close out the preseason at Utah on Thursday night, open the regular season against the Lakers in Los Angeles on Tuesday.

PHOENIX (AP) -- The Phoenix Suns picked up their option on swingman Alando Tucker for the 2009-2010 season and waived guard Robert Hite on Thursday.

Tucker, the Suns' first-round draft pick in 2007, split time as a rookie between the Suns and Albuquerque of the NBA Development League. He averaged 27.7 points and six rebounds in 21 games with Albuquerque.

The 6-foot-6 Tucker, the 29th pick overall, played collegiately at Wisconsin.

Hite averaged 7.7 points in six preseason games for Phoenix.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- The Indiana Pacers waived veteran forwards Austin Croshere and Josh Davis on Thursday, cutting their roster to 15 players.

Croshere, a first-round draft pick by Indiana in 1997, played nine seasons for the Pacers and averaged 7.5 points a game. He was traded to Dallas in 2006 for Marquis Daniels and played for Golden State last season.

Davis is a three-year journeyman who has averaged 2.5 points for Atlanta, Philadelphia, Milwaukee, Houston and Phoenix.

DENVER (AP) -- The Denver Nuggets have waived five players, trimming their roster to 14.

The players waived Thursday are guards Mateen Cleaves and Smush Parker and forwards Nick Fazekas, James Mays and Ruben Patterson.

Parker averaged 5.3 points and 3.3 assists in four preseason games, and Patterson averaged 7.3 points in six games.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) --The Charlotte Bobcats have waived forward Justin Williams to leave the team with the regular-season limit of 15 players.

Williams was let go Thursday, hours before Charlotte's last exhibition game against the Los Angeles Lakers. The Bobcats signed Williams to a non-guaranteed deal last week, following his release by Golden State.

The 6-foot-10 Williams played in three preseason games, averaging 0.7 points and 1.3 rebounds.

SAN ANTONIO (AP) -- The Spurs waived guards Devin Green and Salim Stoudamire and center Darryl Watkins on Thursday.

Green averaged 7.0 points and 22 minutes in four preseason games, while Stoudamire averaged 5.5 points in two games. Watkins played in five preseason games, averaging 3.2 points and 3.2 rebounds.

The moves leave the Spurs with 16 players on their roster, one over the regular-season maximum.