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Rockets finalize roster for regular season
Houston waives Lucas III, Butler, Reed and Sura
Damien Pierce
Rockets.com Staff Writer
HOUSTON -- The Rockets finalized their roster for the regular season on Monday.
Before departing for the team's season opener against the Los Angeles Lakers, the Rockets waived point guard John Lucas III, center Jackie Butler, forward Justin Reed and veteran point guard Bob Sura. The four cuts reduced Houston's roster to 15 players.
Lucas III, who was one of five point guards in preseason camp, was the only player among those cut who played for the team last season. During his first full season in Houston, Lucas averaged 3.3 points and 0.7 assists in 47 games.
Butler arrived in Houston this summer as part of a three-player trade with San Antonio that brought Luis Scola to town. Despite having some upside, the 6-foot-10 center saw minimal action in the preseason. He was vying to make the team as the Rockets' third center behind Yao Ming and Dikembe Mutombo.
Reed, meanwhile, was released after joining the Rockets as part of the trade that acquired Mike James from Minnesota. During the Rockets' preseason camp, Reed saw action in only three games. He averaged 6.0 points and 1.7 rebounds.
The final player waived was Sura, who missed the past two seasons because of injury. The point guard has had multiple operations on his right
knee since the 2004-05 season and had also been dealing with back problems.
