Classy Houston quietly bids adieu

Jeff Van Gundy fielded eight questions from the media last Wednesday during a conference call for NBA coaches. There were questions about Yao Ming. There were questions about the Rockets' newcomers, specifically Rafer Alston. There were even two questions about Marcus Camby.

There wasn't a single one about Allan Houston.

''I was surprised, but, the more I thought about it, that was typical. That is how his career went -- overlooked," said Van Gundy, the current Rockets and former Knicks coach. ''He was as misunderstood and unappreciated as any player I had in New York."

Houston officially retired last Monday, finally surrendering to the nagging knee discomfort that was a constant for the past few years. He didn't want to leave. He tried valiantly to stay on. He simply couldn't.

But the announcement pretty much became instant back burner stuff amid the silly to-and-fro over the commissioner's dress code and the tragedy in Atlanta that took Jason Collier at the age of 28. Houston deserved a better sendoff, but, as Van Gundy noted, the lack of attention was entirely fitting for an All-Star who seemed to always play in the shadows.

''When he came to the Knicks, we had John Starks, who was loved by the fans," Van Gundy said. ''Then we got Latrell [Sprewell], who was loved by the fans. And Allan's laidback personality got labeled, unfortunately, as him being soft. Nothing could be further from the truth. Until the last couple of years, he was unbelievably durable, never missing a practice, and helping us when and where we needed it."

While Houston was often unavailable the last two years (70 games total), in his first seven years with the Knicks, he missed only 10 games. He had a consecutive-game streak of 258 from March 1997 into December 2000. Said former Knicks and Madison Square Garden honcho Dave Checketts, ''I loved the guy. All he did was show up and play, every day. But I think more than that, he was one of the highest-caliber character guys in the league. There was no player I trusted more or respected more."

Indeed, that is Houston's legacy. As good a player as he was -- he was an All-Star and an Olympian -- he was an even better individual off the court. Current Knicks boss Isiah Thomas said he could think of only one other player who rivaled Houston for class, dignity, and elegance: David Robinson. That is pretty good company.

''I can't say that I've ever met a more classier individual in the NBA since I've been a part of it," Thomas said. ''When you talk about class, professionalism, and what people really stand for in the NBA, those two guys set themselves apart from the rest of the pack."

Madison Square Garden boss Steve Mills revealed that, years ago, Houston donated $100,000 to a charity for after-school activities in New York. The donation was unsolicited and carried one string: It would not be publicized. Mills felt the statute of limitations had passed, so he let the cat out of the bag last Monday.

Houston probably will best be remembered for his floating game-winner against Miami in Game 5 of the first-round playoffs in 1999. I wasn't at that game. I was fortunate to witness his 32-point barrage in Game 6 of the conference finals that year, a performance that enabled the Knicks to get to the NBA Finals. He simply willed the Knicks to victory that night and was unstoppable in the second half, making 8 of 9 shots. The next day, his first daughter was born.

''I don't remember much about the game," Houston said, ''but I remember the fans' reaction after the game. I remember hugging my teammates, hugging Jeff. Then my daughter was born. It was a pretty special time for me."

The Knicks want Houston to stay in the organization, and Houston said that sounded fine to him.

''I still want to be a part of the Knicks," he said.

He had talked earlier about desperately wanting to play this season, about exhausting every avenue, but, reluctantly, he yielded to his body.

''There's a time for everything," he said. ''Last year, it wasn't time. I wasn't ready to accept it."

Asked how he wanted to be remembered, Houston said, ''As someone who gave it his all, every day. Someone who was consistent, who you could count on, and who was dependable, especially when you needed it the most."

He also said it was more important to be remembered for being a good person.

''That," he said, ''is eternal."

Troubling memories

The shocking death of Collier -- autopsy results still have not been made public -- resonated throughout the league, particularly in Boston. And not just because of Reggie Lewis. The first thought of Celtics coach Doc Rivers when he heard the sad news was to remember Conrad McRae, the former Syracuse star who died at the age of 29 during a conditioning drill while playing for the Orlando Magic Summer League team in 2000. ''He passed out, right in front of the team," said Rivers, who was the coach of the Magic at the time and was en route to the gym when McRae went down. ''It really affected me. That drill we did, and it was a good one for conditioning, I didn't want to do it anymore because of that. When I saw that we had it in our book for camp that year, I asked the assistants, 'Are you crazy? You want to do that drill?' I mean, I knew it wasn't the drill that killed him. But that's how much it got to me." . . . As for all the blithering blather concerning the dress code, Dallas owner Mark Cuban was on target with his take. Cuban pointed out that all the talk about the code overshadowed the NBA's new and ambitious public service campaign, NBA Cares. Unfortunately, in an age when perception is reality, talk about what Allen Iverson might wear to a game is going to take center stage. Cuban also said he has no intention of abandoning his game-day attire of Mavericks replica jerseys ''unless someone pays me to wear something else." Van Gundy said he, too, quickly grew tired of all the talk, saying it ''has obscured the real issue, which is the behavior issue. That's what it comes down to -- how you act." Then there's Phil Jackson. Talking about do-rags, sunglasses, and bringing kids to news conferences, Jackson said, ''It sends out an image that represents, you know, I don't know, prison garb or thuggery or whatever it is. It smells of defiance in a way. And I think that there's a code that's necessary." Meanwhile, an online gambling concern, bodog.com, has announced it will pay any fines incurred by Iverson or any other player who gets whacked for violating Stern's new fashion rules. In addition, bodog.com will make an equal donation to a charity of the player's choice. Bodog founder and CEO Calvin Ayre feels the players' pain. ''I can understand the frustration felt by the many basketball players who feel that they have been forced to conform with the league's new dress code," he said.

Jailbird's number is up

Here's a sure sign that the apocalypse is upon us. A 27-year-old man in Oklahoma received a 30-year jail sentence after being convicted on two counts of shooting with intent to kill and robbery. The man, Eric James Torpy, requested that the sentence be increased to 33 years, to match the jersey number of his favorite player, Larry Bird. We are not making this up. ''I've never seen anything like this in 26 years in the courthouse," said the district judge in the case. Quipped WEEI's Pete Sheppard, ''It's a good thing his favorite player isn't [Wayne] Gretzky." The Great One, of course, wore No. 99 . . . Gotta love LA main man Jackson. Speaking on a conference call, the old/new Lakers coach lamented his team's training camp situation in Hawaii (which Jackson referred to as ''overseas") and wondered why the league wouldn't allow the Lakers to start early or have extra days. ''[That is] one of the reasons we petitioned the league about being able to start practice a little bit early," Jackson said. ''I feel a little bit behind the gun as a coach." League information czar Tim Frank said, ''I'm not aware of any request like that." Nonetheless, Jackson said, ''I do anticipate that we'll find our stride in the middle of the month of November and start to play with the kind of fluid action and reactions that this type of offensive system takes." . . . Apologies to the many Shawn Marion fans who were rightfully indignant that I omitted the Matrix from last week's column about the change in the Suns' starting lineup. Then again, the last time I saw Marion, or someone who looked a lot like him, he was doing a decent Invisible Man imitation against the Spurs in last spring's Western Conference Finals. But, seriously, he is a big part of what the Suns do.

Braced for Wright

Bracey Wright, a second-round pick of the Timberwolves last June, is making a serious bid to crack the roster for Opening Night. He averaged 26 minutes in Minnesota's first three exhibition games and new coach Dwane Casey is a big fan of the former Hoosier. ''His shooting is unbelievable and he has an excellent feel for the game," Casey said. ''Unlike a lot of rookies, he plays like he belongs. His father was an excellent player [Carl, who played at Southern Methodist]. He played at an excellent high school. He played in a nice program at Indiana. He comes into the NBA playing like he belongs and not like he's trying to make it. And that's a big advantage for him. He can really stretch the defense. We look for good things out of him." . . . The Timberwolves also may have the first ''test case" for sending players down to the developmental league. They would like Ndudi Ebi, who is entering his third year in the NBA, to get seasoning in the D-League. Given that his two seasons of NBA experience have yielded only 86 minutes, Ebi would seem to be an ideal candidate -- except that under the new rules, players are eligible to be ''sent down" only if they're in the first two years of their career. According to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, the Timberwolves have petitioned the NBA for an exception. If it's not granted, they may have to waive the kid, who was taken 26th overall in 2003 by the Wolves, one pick ahead of Kendrick Perkins . . . This might be a good time for Danny Ainge to take a run at Robert Swift. The Sonics center is a big favorite of the Celtics' executive director of basketball operations. (Attention Danny: You can download your own Robert Swift wallpaper from the Sonics' website.) But Swift has not exactly dazzled new coach Bob Weiss, who last year was an assistant to Nate McMillan. Weiss said he saw some encouraging stretches late last season from Swift (who was not on Seattle's playoff roster) but that hasn't carried over. ''He does not seem to be playing in the games with that kind of confidence this year," Weiss said. ''I'm a little disappointed in his outcome. His effort is there, but the results are lagging a little bit from what I had wanted." Swift, who played 72 minutes last season, averaged 11.7 minutes in Seattle's first three exhibition games before not playing in the fourth. His averages: 1 rebound, 1 block and 0.7 points a game. Yup, that would appear to be ''lagging." Material from personal interviews, wire services, other beat writers, and league and team sources was used in this report.