The Rockets started to trim their roster on Thursday, and the move is giving some answers as to who will play the backup 2-guard spot.
According to a local radio report, Houston waived guard Oscar Torres and backup center Steve Goodrich today.
Torres was a surprise pickup last season, making the team and excelling at times during the season, scoring a career-high 28 against the Cavs. He averaged a shade under 6 points a game on just under 40% shooting in 16 and a half minutes per game.
So why was Torres waived? The answer is probably Juaquin Hawkins. Hawkins has played well in camp, showing a very nice shooting touch, and has impressed Rocket brass. The team was impressed with how he stayed with Darrell Armstrong on defense against Orlando, and feel he can guard ones, twos and threes.
Interestingly, Hawkins played college ball at Long Beach State and was on a free agent team at the Summer Pro League at Long Beach this summer. The Rockets found out a lot of information on him from former Rockets Scotty Brooks and Earl Cureton, both of whom coached Hawkins.
