"Troubled Houston Rockets forward Eddie Griffin has sought professional help here for "a lot of emotional problems," his attorney said Tuesday night."

Scott Padgett, who was cut by Portland last week, has signed with the Houston Rockets.

He replaces Eddie Griffin, who is on the Suspended list, on the active roster.

The blood on the driveway and shell casings in front of Houston Rockets forward Eddie Griffin's home early Saturday spelled further troubles for an already precarious career.

A well-profiled fight with a teammate at Seton Hall, a marijuana possession arrest in April and indefinite suspension from the Rockets for conduct detrimental to the team have now been overshadowed by yet another incident -- a woman's claims that Griffin, 21, beat her and shot at her at his home in a gated community in southwest Houston.

"Do I have a line or date? I don't," Van Gundy said. "I'm thinking more about how we handled a 2-2-1 zone today.

"Eddie's an important piece to the future of the franchise. I don't think this in any way diminishes that. Like I said many times before, this is a guy (who) in my short time here, I like. He's incapable of saying anything but the truth, so he tells you the truth. I love that about him. I find him easy to talk to. I think he understands his responsibilities, not only to himself but to his team."

The Orlando Magic gave the Atlanta Hawks permission to speak with coach Doc Rivers this offseason.

"Rivers, though, says there was a phone call from the Hawks "that I never got involved in." He said he never considered leaving -- or listening to people who recommended he bail on this jinxed franchise. "I'm going to see this out [in Orlando]," he said. ". . . no matter how hard this has to be to get this right."

The Houston Rockets were also interested but Rivers wasn't.

"Rockets general manager Carroll Dawson announced the team released Peter Cornell and Jameel Watkins."

"As expected, the Rockets signed forward/center Anthony "Pig" Miller to a non-guaranteed contract. Miller has played for seven NBA teams, including the Rockets, but played last season for the Yakima Sun Kings, who won the Continental Basketball Association title."

"The Rockets are still targeting forward Maurice Taylor for a return in the days leading up to the Oct. 30 regular-season opener. Taylor said he feels as if he is ahead of schedule."

A day after being suspended two games by coach Jeff Van Gundy for missing Tuesday's preseason game in Sacramento, Eddie Griffin skipped Thursday's morning practice and was then suspended indefinitely.

"When I met with him last night, I told him, `You're suspended for two additional games,' " Van Gundy said. "We talked through it and had a good talk. He didn't show up again today, so we suspended him indefinitely for conduct detrimental to the team. Hopefully, he'll get himself together and get back and rejoin us soon, because he is an integral part of what we're trying to do."

After missing this weeks' road trip, Eddie Griffin was suspended for two games by Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy. After failing to report to practice again today, his suspension has been made "indefinite".

"When I met with him last night, I told him you're suspended for two additional games," Van Gundy said. "We talked through it and had a good talk. He didn't show up again today so we suspended him indefinitely for conduct detrimental to the team. Hopefully, he'll get himself together and get back and rejoin us soon because he is an integral part of what we're trying to do."