UPDATED: Rockets' Alston Arrested. Again.

This time, the weapon wasn't just spittle. Less than a month after being arrested in Houston for allegedly spitting on a parking attendent, Rockets point guard Rafer Alston is facing more serious charges in New York after an altercation in a club last night. According to the police report, Alston slashed another man's neck at the club; he has been charged with felony assault. The New York tabloids have all the gory details, which can be found here.

Alston disputes that this is the case, and was released without bail this morning. Regardless, two assault charges in thirty days is a busy month for a professional criminal, much less a professional basketball player. Given the log-jam that the Rockets have at point, it's possible that this could be the end of the road for Alston in Houston.

The Rockets have yet to release a statement, but we imagine it'll say something about "waiting for the facts" and "rush to judgement", unless of course they release him. In that case, the smart money is on "inexcusable lapse of character". Houstonist will update this article whenever that press release comes out.

Update: Rockets GM Daryl Morey released a statement this afternoon. An excerpt is below; the full release can be found here:

We take these matters very seriously - the Rockets expect all employees to represent the organization in a first-class manner. Until more facts are gathered from all parties, it would be inappropriate for me to comment further.

Yeah, that sounds about right. Skip To My Lou had better hope that this was all a misunderstanding if he wants to be the Rockets starting PG this fall.