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HOUSTON -- After vowing never to return to the
floundering Los Angeles Clippers, forward Maurice Taylor has
ended his offseason search for a new home.
Taylor signed with the Houston Rockets on Friday, thus ending what turned out to be an extended and disappointing stint as a free agent.
Terms were not disclosed, but ESPN is reporting that Taylor
accepted the team's salary cap exception of $2.25 million for
one year -- far less than what he and agent David Falk had been
seeking.
Taylor, 23, previously was rumored to be close to signing with
the Orlando Magic, New York Knicks and Seattle SuperSonics. He
even went so far as to tell the Orange County Register he was
signing with Orlando when the free agency period began August 1.
Taylor made $1.368 million last season, his third in the NBA. He
joins a Rockets team that went 34-48 last season and missed the
playoffs for the first time since 1992. They relied heavily on
young perimeter players Steve Francis and Cuttino Mobley.
"One thing I want to do is win basketball games," Taylor said.
"I feel that guys like Steve Francis, Cuttino Mobley, Walt
Williams and myself can contribute. Houston is used to making
the playoffs and we want to win a championship. My job is to
help them reach that goal."
Nearly shipped to the Knicks before the trade deadline, Taylor
averaged 17.1 points and 6.5 rebounds last season. He was the
Clippers' 1997 first-round pick out of Michigan and was an
All-Rookie Second Team selection.
When that proposed trade and others broke down, Taylor blasted
the Clippers and said he would never play for them again. Falk
touted his client as a player who should receive the maximum
deal -- $93 million over seven years.
In Houston, Taylor will help bolster a front line that features
fading center Hakeem Olajuwon and lost Charles Barkley to
retirement after a devastating knee injury.
"I think that if you watch Houston's team, you see they need
another presence in the post to help out guys on the perimeter,"
Taylor said.
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 Maurice Taylor feels he belongs in Houston.
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