Rockets trade point guard Alston to Magic
Houston acquires forward, guard in three-team deal
By JONATHAN FEIGEN Copyright 2009 Houston Chronicle
Feb. 19, 2009, 5:35PM
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Chronicle files
The Rockets are getting Brian Cook, left, from the Magic and Kyle Lowry from the Grizzlies.
<!-- END GALLERY MODULE --><!-- BEGIN SHARING MODULE -->The Rockets reached an agreement to trade point guard Rafer Alston to the Orlando Magic, an individual with knowledge of the deal said Thursday.
The Rockets will receive forward Brian Cook from Orlando and guard Kyle Lowry from the Memphis Grizzlies in the trade.
Rockets officials would not comment until the deal was approved by the NBA and made official.
Memphis will receive Orlando's first-round pick as part of the trade.
The Magic, meanwhile, needed an experienced point guard after Jameer Nelson suffered a potentially season-ending shoulder injury Feb. 2.
The 6-foot-2 Alston practiced with the Rockets on Thursday but left before the session was opened to the media. He was averaging 11.5 points and 5.4 assists this season and had 24 assists in Houston’s last two games, both Rockets victories.
The Rockets are 33-21, second in the Southwest Division, but sixth overall in the Western Conference.
The loss of Alston likely pushes Aaron Brooks into the starting point-guard role. Brooks is averaging 10.3 points and 2.6 assists in 52 games, but he’s only made seven starts.
Alston was due to make $4.9 million this season and $5.25 million next season, the last year of his contract with Houston. The Rockets acquired him in an October 2005 trade with Toronto.
The move reunites Alston with Coach Stan Van Gundy, who led Miami when Alston played for the Heat in 2003-04. Alston played for Jeff Van Gundy, Stan’s brother, in his first two seasons with the Rockets.
The 6-foot Lowry is averaging 7.6 points and 3.6 assists in 49 games. The former Villanova star was the Grizzlies’ first-round pick (24th overall) in the 2006 draft.
The 6-9 Cook is averaging only 3 points and 1.3 rebounds in 21 games for the Magic this season.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
jonathan.feigen@chron.com
Story first posted at 2:09 p.m.
Houston acquires forward, guard in three-team deal
By JONATHAN FEIGEN Copyright 2009 Houston Chronicle
Feb. 19, 2009, 5:35PM
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<!-- BEGIN GALLERY MODULE -->
Chronicle files
The Rockets are getting Brian Cook, left, from the Magic and Kyle Lowry from the Grizzlies.
<!-- END GALLERY MODULE --><!-- BEGIN SHARING MODULE -->The Rockets reached an agreement to trade point guard Rafer Alston to the Orlando Magic, an individual with knowledge of the deal said Thursday.
The Rockets will receive forward Brian Cook from Orlando and guard Kyle Lowry from the Memphis Grizzlies in the trade.
Rockets officials would not comment until the deal was approved by the NBA and made official.
Memphis will receive Orlando's first-round pick as part of the trade.
The Magic, meanwhile, needed an experienced point guard after Jameer Nelson suffered a potentially season-ending shoulder injury Feb. 2.
The 6-foot-2 Alston practiced with the Rockets on Thursday but left before the session was opened to the media. He was averaging 11.5 points and 5.4 assists this season and had 24 assists in Houston’s last two games, both Rockets victories.
The Rockets are 33-21, second in the Southwest Division, but sixth overall in the Western Conference.
The loss of Alston likely pushes Aaron Brooks into the starting point-guard role. Brooks is averaging 10.3 points and 2.6 assists in 52 games, but he’s only made seven starts.
Alston was due to make $4.9 million this season and $5.25 million next season, the last year of his contract with Houston. The Rockets acquired him in an October 2005 trade with Toronto.
The move reunites Alston with Coach Stan Van Gundy, who led Miami when Alston played for the Heat in 2003-04. Alston played for Jeff Van Gundy, Stan’s brother, in his first two seasons with the Rockets.
The 6-foot Lowry is averaging 7.6 points and 3.6 assists in 49 games. The former Villanova star was the Grizzlies’ first-round pick (24th overall) in the 2006 draft.
The 6-9 Cook is averaging only 3 points and 1.3 rebounds in 21 games for the Magic this season.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
jonathan.feigen@chron.com
Story first posted at 2:09 p.m.
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