The Prodigal Son Returns

Von Wafer is coming back to Houston. According to the Rockets, he bought out his contract with Olympiakis (Greece) for $1.2 million to return to the NBA. His greek contract was for $1.8 mil per year. European League sources, however, say that after playing in only three games, Wafer was being ditched by Olympiakis because he did not fit in with the European style of play, i.e., fundamentals over athleticism. Wafer wanted to hold out for his entire contract amount, but apparently realized that was not going to happen.

"This is great," Wafer told Fox Houston's Mark Berman on Tuesday evening. "Oh my goodness, I'm so happy, I'm about to start crying. I want to play in the NBA. I want to play for the Rockets. I love Houston and I love their fans." If that's true, why did he first negotiate to come back to the NBA with Memphis? When that fell through, he decided on Houston. Adelman and Wafer had words last season in the playoffs. Did Wafer come back with hat in hand? If he has any sense at all, he did.

This has implications for the Rockets beyond just adding depth, Rick Adelman's reasoning for the signing. Some of the possibilities:

• The team is not that high on Jermaine Taylor. He may either be outa here or a candidate for the Vipers.
• Tracy McGrady is not in their long-term plans.
• Chase Budinger is not perceived as the answer for the 1st or 2nd guy off the bench.
• Management doesn't see this Rockets basketball team as a title contender.

Readers may remember that I shed no tears when Von left after last season. I felt that he and Ron Artest were everything that was wrong with the Rockets. They were both uncoachable ball hogs. The team won some games, but it was a hard team to love. This year's team is imminently lovable because of their share-the-wealth attitude. If Wafer can get into the right frame of mind, listen to the coaches and do the little things that help a team win, he could be a positive factor for the Rockets. He is definitely fun to watch and has skills that will fit in with the Rockets' new style. It will be great to see Wafer and Kyle Lowry running the break off the bench.

Wafer will sign with the Rockets for much less than his Greek contract. This could be his last chance. If he doesn't adapt to the Rockets new team-first style, his career may be over.