No Way-fer

Cancel the last post. Von Wafer failed his physical and will not sign with the Rockets. Von first tried to sign on with Memphis, but according to the Memphis Commercial Appeal, the Grizzlies opted not to sign him after a physical revealed pre-existing back and hip injuries . Apparently, the Rockets found the same problems. I will not lose any sleep over Wafer not returning to the Houston Rockets, but I do wish him the best in his struggles against his injuries and his future career.

To fill the open roster spot created by Chase Budinger's ankle injury, the Rockets have signed Mike Harris of the Rio Grande Valley Vipers. Harris is a former Rice University star that has bounced around through training camps and the NBADL since he went undrafted in 2005. He played in 17 regular season games and 3 playoff games with the Rockets in 2008. A 6' 6", 240 pound forward, he averaged 25.3 ppg and 7.1 rpg in ten games this season for the Vipers.

The signing is considered a "Gatorade Call-up", under which any D-League player can cancel his NBADL contract to sign with an NBA team. Only players that are in their first or second season may be kept under contract with the parent NBA team while playing for their minor league affiliate. This is an excellent example of why the Rockets entered into the first "hybrid" affiliation with a minor-league team. They have a stable of players available for fill-in duty that can be closely monitored and are being coached in the same style as the Rockets. For more on the Vipers and their NBA affiliation, see their web site at http://www.nba.com/dleague/riograndevalley/index_main.html?hp+1