[ESPN] Rockets sign Andre Barrett, waive Zimmerman

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/sports/2872147

Confirmed by the Chronicle in last night's game report.

Rockets Summary

Barrett signed

The Rockets on Thursday signed rookie Andre Barrett to fill the point guard roster vacancy left open by the injury to Bob Sura.

They had brought Barrett in for a pre-draft workout and for a mini-camp after the draft, offering him a spot in training camp. But Barrett, a New Yorker who starred at Seton Hall, opted to take a training-camp offer from the Knicks. He was released Monday.

"He's got great speed with the ball, a sure handle and terrific vision," Rockets vice president for basketball operations Dennis Lindsey said. "He can add a lot of pace to practice or games.

"He's a good pick-and-roll player, so he can help us work against that defensively in practice. With Yao (Ming), that's obviously an area people try to exploit, so (Barrett) can help with that the way Mike (Wilks) did last year."

The Rockets released guard Derrick Zimmerman on Thursday, but with 16 players under contract, they will have to make one more move. Only Barrett and forward David Hawkins have non-guaranteed contracts.

 

This kids got alota up side im happy w/ the pick up & thanks for the confirmation.

 

The Bulls waived Cezary Trybanski and the Spurs waived Ruben Boumtje Boumjte. I'd rather pick up one of those 2 to have a 3rd-string center than a 3rd string PG.

 

Nobody has ever heard of Andre Barrett? He was on Letterman once trying to throw things off the roof into a basketball hoop 5 stories down. If I remember he missed everything though.

 

Cut him

 

Barrett was spectacular at Seton Hall. He's was absolutely amazing. He's 5'9 though. If he was taller he would have been a 1st rounder.

I REALLY hope he makes the team.

 

So when is Sura coming back?

 

its not like he is a real Knick. The guy just went to their camp first

 

... and more important, he had no connection to Van Gundy until he became a Rocket!

 

Doesn't matter, as long as you had any remote association with the Knicks, you are in.

 

He wasn't competing against Moochie, he was competing against Moochie's big, unmovable, Rudy T created contract.

The Knicks also already have Marbury, Crawford, and Moochie....so its kind of like when we had Steve almost every point guard we ever had got cut. ( Tierre Brown/Damon Jones)