The New York Knicks have acquired Patrick Ewing, Jr. in a trade with Houston in exchange for the draft rights to center Frederic Weis.

"Patrick Ewing will have an opportunity here to compete for a spot on our roster," said Donnie Walsh. "He is a solid defensive player and a very good athlete."

Ewing, Jr. was originally drafted by Sacramento in the 2008 NBA Draft as the 43rd overall selection.  He was traded to the Rockets on Aug. 14 as part of a multi-player deal that included Ron Artest.

"Coming to the Knicks, and hopefully being able to contribute, means a lot to me. It has always been my dream to play for this team," Ewing, Jr. said. "My goal is to show the coaches that I can play and do all that I can to help the team win some games."

Weis was New York?s first-round draft choice (15th overall) in 1999 and became controversial because they passed on Artest, who was known locally from playing at St. John's and growing up in Queensbridge.

The Rockets have indicated that their intention is to re-sign both forward Carl Landry and center Dikembe Mutombo, according to Houston Chronicle.

Landry is a restricted free agent while Mutombo is an unrestricted free agent.

Rockets' forward Chuck Hayes will be out of action for 4 to 6 weeks after sustaining a broken nose during a workout on Thursday afternoon, the Houston Chronicle is reporting.

Hayes could be cleared in time for the opening of the Rockets' training camp Sept. 29 at Toyota Center but could miss all of the workouts leading up to the start of the preseason schedule Oct. 7 against the Memphis Grizzlies.

Monday's trade in which Phoenix sent D.J. Strawberry to Houston for Sean Singletary will save the Suns about $540,000, including projected luxury-tax savings.

Strawberry was due to make $711,517, assuming he made the Phoenix roster while Singletary will make the rookie minimum of $442,114. Singletary's deal is partially guaranteed but will be fully guaranteed if he is on the Suns' opening-night roster, which the team expects him to be.

Ron Artest was welcomed in Houston by 500 fans on Monday.

"It just showed what type of city Houston is," Artest said after the rally at Toyota Center. "It just showed me I'm definitely going to be in an arena that's full of energy, full of excitement. Having a chance to have those fans on my side, instead of against me, is going to help me play better."

"It was special. It's only August. When we start winning a whole bunch of games, I can imagine how it's going to be."

The Phoenix Suns have acquired Sean Singletary from the Houston Rockets in exchange for D.J. Strawberry, according to NBA.com.

"Sean gives us depth at the point guard spot," said Suns' President of Basketball Operations and General Manager Steve Kerr. "We like his instincts and his ability to run a team. He also puts a lot of pressure on the ball defensively. We thank D.J. for his contributions and wish him well."

In Singletary, the Suns acquire a dynamic 6-0, 185-point rookie guard, who was the 42nd overall selection (second round) of the Sacramento Kings in the 2008 NBA Draft.

Yao Ming played in the Olympics despite his health being far from 100 percent and hobbled off the floor at the end of the final game.

?Did I get everyone in Houston worried with the limp?? asked Yao to David Barron of the Houston Chronicle. ?The bone in the foot is fine. I just had some blisters.?

Yao Ming, Yi Juilian, and the Chinese National Team officially ended their Olympic campaign on Tuesday night when they were bombarded from long range by a determined Lithuania, eventually losing the game 94-68.

Former Pacer Sarunas Jasikevius was 5-6 from behind the arc on his way to 23 points to pace the Lithuanians, who will now play Spain for the right to challenge for the gold medal.

Yao Ming had 19 points and 7 boards while New Jersey Net forward Yi Jianlian had 11 points and 9 rebounds.

Former Memphis forward Joey Dorsey claims that he'll officially become a member of the Rockets by the time training camp opens in October, according to My Eyewitness News.

"We're negotiating my contract right now," Dorsey said. "So I'll be in Houston for sure coming up to training camp. I'll be down in Houston signing my contract at the end of August."

Dorsey was the 33rd pick by Portland in this June's draft, but his rights were almost immediately sent to Houston.

Ron Artest is extremely excited about officially becoming a member of the Houston Rockets and has called the trade the 'high point' of his career, according to The Associated Press.

"This is definitely the high point of my career," Artest said in a conference call on Thursday. "It's the biggest opportunity I've ever had playing basketball."

Artest averaged 20.5 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.5 assists for the Kings last season.

"He's a different person than he was years ago," Rockets owner Leslie Alexander said. "He cares about his on-court performance more than he ever has in his life."