<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>NBA sources: Rockets will sign forward Akil Mitchell, an undrafted free agent from Virginia who was on Rockets Summer League teams.6-8/235</p>— Mark Berman (@MarkBermanFox26) <a href="https://twitter.com/MarkBermanFox26/status/514849175515959296">September 24, 2014</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
It'sHappening.gif! Roster rounded out at 20. Adrien Ariza Beverley Black Canaan Capela Covington Daniels Dorsey Garcia Harden Howard Johnson Jones Mitchell Motiejunas Papanikolaou Powell Smith Terry
Denver signed Joe Alexander. Yes, THAT Joe Alexander. I wish we could have signed him just so I could watch him dunk all over the D League
OK, whatever, but there are enough young players to make this the most interesting Rockets' training camp in years.
Looks like he was brought in for his defense and rebounding, because he is very limited on the scoring end and a terrible FT shooter.
This was a signing for the Vipers. He will be here for training camp, then cut, so that we will have his rights for our D-League team. The same thing happened last year with Troy Daniels and Jordan Henriquez.
While I know much of the commentary is sarcastic, you HAD to know that the 20th roster spot would inevitably be filled by a not-ready-for-NBA-basketball player who would be a warm body in practices and eventually assigned to the RGV Vipers. NBA D-League rules allow for up to three (3) players cut from any NBA training camp to be assigned to that team's D-League affiliate. (This right is trumped only if the player cut had previously played on another D-League team in the past two years without being waived by the D-League team.) It is quite obvious that the Rockets would rather utilize this benefit with its 20th roster spot than give more guaranteed money to another player who would not make the final 15-man roster. Those three (3) players will likely be Tarik Black, Akil Mitchell and (unless he steps up his game next month) Robert Covington.
Is anybody else digging the Vipers jersey design? I.love the font, the simple design and the colours! The signing is good, at least we have 20 now. Too bad him, Black, Covington are waiting to be cut.
Actually, they changed the protected list to 4 players this coming season because of the huge expansion of 1 to 1 affiliated D league teams this year.
Also, in Covington's case, I am not quite sure he will be one of the 4 D-league protected players and how will this work. He is currently under a guaranteed NBA contract with the Rockets, if the Rockets will move him out of the 15 men roster and sign him to a new D-league contract, doesn't it mean he need to clear the waiver first? Maybe we have seen enough of him but there is a chance teams like the 76ers or Magic could pick him up? I think you know the contract situation much better than most of us, maybe you can share some info on this.
