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New Knick Norris looks forward to fresh startHOUSTON (AP) The newest New York Knick, Moochie Norris, is disappointed to be leaving Houston but thrilled to play for one of his idols, Isiah Thomas. ``Just to go up there and be around him, I'm sure he'll come down and show me some things,'' Norris said Wednesday before boarding a plane to New York. ``He's one of my favorite point guards of all time _ him and John Stockton.'' Norris, who played five seasons for the Rockets, was dealt Tuesday along with center John Amaechi, who is expected to be waived. In exchange, the Rockets received forward Clarence Weatherspoon. It's the first deal for Thomas, the former Detroit Pistons star, since he replaced the fired Scott Layden last week as Knicks president. ``I was a little disappointed about leaving Houston because it's home,'' Norris told TV station KRIV. Norris was averaging 2.7 points and 1.6 assists for Houston this season. He was a second-round pick by Milwaukee in the 1996 draft. New York Knicks, Houston Rockets Read the Full Story Discuss Send Feedback Buy Tickets Knicks' turnaround coincides with Thomas' arrivalNEW YORK (AP) The new boss watches home games from the tunnel near center court, standing only a few feet from the seats occupied for several years by Woody Allen. Isiah Thomas has been a strong presence since becoming president of the New York Knicks, who needed a jolt to turn things around. A change at the top apparently was the answer. ``You've got to give him some credit for bringing some accountability. You have to give him credit for challenging us,'' guard Allan Houston said after New York extended its winning streak to four games _ the team's longest in 23 months _ with a 29-point victory over the Miami Heat on Tuesday night. New York's last three victories have all been by at least 20 points, something the Knicks haven't done since 1997. ``I definitely think we're playing different,'' said Keith Van Horn, whose offensive production has picked up considerably the past six games _ five of which came after the Knicks fired Scott Layden and replaced him with Thomas. Many of the players credited a renewed commitment to defense as the primary reason, though they grudgingly acknowledge the change in atmosphere has made a difference. While Layden was nonconfrontational and low key, Thomas has challenged players to their faces and in the newspapers. Layden was rarely seen during games. Thomas is hard to miss standing a few steps behind the scorer's table. Layden shied away from saying anything of substance. Thomas shies away from shying away. ``Isiah spoke to us about supporting each other, trusting each other and having confidence in each other, and I think we took that to heart,'' Van Horn said. ``We took what he said and have really brought that to the court. He definitely helped our mind-set going into games.'' Though the change at the top drew most of the attention, other recent but more subtle moves have contributed to the turnaround. Coach Don Chaney has installed second-year guard Frank Williams as the starter at the point, reinserted Kurt Thomas into the starting power forward spot and began bringing Antonio McDyess off the bench. Williams is more of a penetrator and creator than the player he replaced, Howard Eisley, and Kurt Thomas has settled back into a comfort zone after temporarily being replaced by McDyess in the starting five. ``It's been almost a flip-flop because what I wanted for the second unit was what I hoped Kurt would get for us, but McDyess is giving it to us. The second unit comes in very solid now,'' Chaney said. Isiah Thomas, a Hall of Famer who helped lead the Detroit Pistons to NBA titles in 1989 and 1990, has been proactive in making roster changes. He jettisoned one of Layden's projects, 7-foot-5 center Slavko Vranes, taking lottery pick Michael Sweetney off the injured list and trading one of Layden's favorites, forward Clarence Weatherspoon, to the Houston Rockets for Moochie Norris. Thomas is well aware his players may wonder who's next to go. ``Until we turn this around, they'll speculate about everything,'' he said. ``One of the costs of playing poorly is you're subjected to that.'' Thomas' next move could be a deal involving one of the team's four point guards, with the most likely candidate being Charlie Ward since his contract expires after this season and can be bought out immediately. ``We have to be a team that's very unconventional and very creative in going out and getting players,'' Thomas said. In the meantime, he hopes his new team can continue to win during a part of the schedule that is not particularly daunting. The Knicks play Chicago on Friday, New Jersey on Sunday and Cleveland on Tuesday before former coach Jeff Van Gundy returns to Madison Square Garden next Thursday with the Houston Rockets Tuesday's victory began a stretch in which the Knicks will play nine of 10 games at home. The four-game winning streak has moved them within five games of .500, and they are only 3{ games behind the first-place Nets in the league's weakest division, the Atlantic. ``We're right there, we're not that far behind,'' Van Horn said. ``We just have to keep reminding ourselves of what brought us to this point of winning four in a row.'' Read the Full Story Discuss Send Feedback Buy Tickets New York acquires Norris from HoustonNEW YORK (AP) Reserve forward Clarence Weatherspoon was traded Tuesday from the New York Knicks to the Houston Rockets for point guard Moochie Norris and center John Amaechi. It was the first trade engineered by Isiah Thomas, coming just eight days after he took over for fired Knicks team president Scott Layden. The Knicks had been in buyout talks with Weatherspoon, who is signed for two more seasons for $12.2 million. Instead, Thomas found a trading partner in need of frontcourt depth ever since suspending and then releasing forward Eddie Griffin. Houston coach Jeff Van Gundy criticized his team Monday night after a loss to Seattle, pointing out the lack of rebounding as one of the team's main flaws. ``I'm just thinking about how we can get better. Obviously, we're not good enough,'' Van Gundy said. Weatherspoon, an 11-year veteran, averaged at least five rebounds in every season before this one. He appeared in 15 games for the Knicks before being placed on the injured list shortly after Thomas was hired. He averaged 3.8 points and 3.3 rebounds. In Norris, the Knicks are adding another point guard to a roster that already includes three _ newly installed starter Frank Williams and veterans Howard Eisley and Charlie Ward. Norris was the backup to Steve Francis in Houston, where he averaged 2.7 points and 1.6 assists this season. Norris' career averages are 6.2 points and 3.5 assists for Houston, Seattle and Vancouver. ``It means added help. With the way Don (Chaney) wants to play, we want to give him the luxury of having different guys that can play a different tempo,'' Thomas said. ``As we continue to shuffle and retool our roster, at some point in time we may have an overload at one spot.'' Amaechi, acquired by the Rockets during the preseason for Glen Rice, has been on Houston's injured list all season. Although Amaechi has two more years remaining on his contract, the Knicks plan to waive him, Thomas said. The Knicks made two other roster moves, placing forward Michael Sweetney (knee tendinitis) and backup center Michael Doleac (back spasms) on the injured list. The Knicks also are considering signing forward Leon Smith of the CBA's Gary Steelheads. Smith, who was at Madison Square Garden before Tuesday night's game against Miami, was the last first-round pick of the 1999 draft straight out of high school and was waived by the Dallas Mavericks. He played briefly for Knicks assistant Lon Kruger with the Atlanta Hawks. ``We looked at him and had a chance to talk to him, and later on down the road we'll probably revisit that,'' Thomas said. New York Knicks, Houston Rockets Read the Full Story Discuss Send Feedback Buy Tickets Knicks Dec 2003 Archive
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