Thats a possibility depending on what value we can get for them. I'm not convinced either guy is going to be here long-term.
He looks good, but Summer League can be false adverting. Hell, if Summer League success is an accurate measurement, Adam Morrison would be a franchise player and perennial all-star in the making. Despite some folks here proclaiming that he's a lock to make the final roster, I think him, Young, and Henriquez have an uphill battle because of their inexperience in training camp most importantly.... contract situation comes later on down the line. These undrafted rookies will not know the defensive rotations as well as the veterans, will not have the personal relationship & the TRUST that the veterans have with the coaches, and might have trouble adjusting to playing alongside players who are much more talented than they are to do the LITTLE THINGS they are looking for to earn an NBA spot. Also, unlike past years, I do believe McHale & the other coaches will have a much larger say so in who they want on the final roster.... the direction of the franchise has changed, and the front office will want to put prospect gambling as a secondary concern to winning as many games as possible. Sure they will want to develop some assets to upgrade the team in the future, but winning as many games as possible will take precedent this year. Im not saying he has not chance at all because Im not at all.... but I am realistic that if A. Nobody is traded B. None of the veterans suffer major injuries, and C. None of the veterans appear washed up or out of shape, its going to be a difficult battle for these undrafted rookies to win. Still, lots of things ARE going to happen in training camp & preseason before the final roster cuts come along to give these guys a shot.... we'll just have to see how things shake out.
I like Covington a lot and hope he makes it. He needs to bulk up a bit but looks to be a solid rotation player if he can improve and shine in camp. Damn, little things like this topic get me pumped for the season. Then I suddenly remember we got Howard and I am mindblown and have to calm myself down. Hurry up October!
Lin, Beverley, Brooks, Canaan, Harden, Garcia, Brewer, Parsons, Casspi, Smith, Jones, Motiejunas, Howard, Asik, Camby Are the set 15 in my mind, if Covington is really special then he would have to beat out Brooks, Casspi or Camby and that's highly unlikely. Also Smith is our most reliable 4 right now and Jones is set to be getting major mins, no way either of them is moved for a 4th string SF who will likely spend the whole season is the D league.
The simple reason why I say Covington will make the roster is because you want at least two guys in the d-league. Isaiah Canaan figures to spend most of the season in the d-league, barring a Jeremy Lin trade. Who is the second d-league guy? You can't put any of the non-rookies down there. You can't force Motiejunas to spend another season down there, it'll kill his trade value. Same deal with Jones. I expect Greg Smith to get traded for a projected high second round pick to a team that thinks he'll play big minutes for them (lots of candidates), Motiejunas to get traded for a lottery-protected first rounder, and for Reggie Williams and Jordan Henriquez to get cut. Which means I think both Covington and B.J. Young to be on the final fifteen man roster. The draft picks acquired for Motiejunas and Smith can later be offered with Lin and/or Asik along with maybe Houston's own 2014 first round pick for a big name guy if/when a big name guy becomes available, either before this year's trade deadline or next summer.
Lol so you think we go into the season with Jones being our only 4? A sophomore who barley played last season to take on a full starting roll with no back up what so ever? Just so we can sign a 4th string SF and SG?
In all probability he gets cut and signs with the Vipers. However he could surprise in training camp and if Canaan looks OK I would expect AB to be cut and both Covington and Canaan spend most of the season in the D-League unless an injury happens.
Casspi is a 4 in this system. Jones is a 4. We'll see some Howard-Asik twin towers lineups. We'll see some smallball lineups with Parsons at 4. And Covington is a 4 in this system. Plenty of depth and versatility here if/when Motiejunas and Smith get traded for draft picks. Jones would be given the starting role. Not sure about the starting roll, though.
MY BOY is just getting more and respect by people everyday, i have stated from Day 1 that he makes this team, he's so underrated and has NBA level potential.
Oh, you got me! Anyways Jones, Casspi, Covington is a awfully weak 4 spot, IMO. Covington will most likely be in the D league all season, Casspi a bench warmer and Jones (although i like him) is still just a unproven prospect right now. Though one with potential Could Jones become a solid starter, Covington turn into a steal and Casspi turn his career around? Maybe, but i don't think there's a chance in hell Morey takes that risk. Especially when we have a win now contending team. I'm scared about our 4 spot the way it is right now, regardless of your hypothetical trade idea's.
It doesn't work like that. Teams are filling up their rosters with around 18-20 players during preseason. Every team has to make a tough decision for the final cut and leave no room for additional player from another team. If Covington is cut, chances are he will NOT be picked up. Timing couldn't be worse for a player who is cut. By cutting Covington or any other undrafted rookies, Rockets automatically retains their d-league rights. It's a gamble but the risk is minimum. This is all based on the assumption that Covington doesn't tear it up during preseason. Remember Livingston? He had a pretty good preseason. Most thought he would make the final cut but we all know what happened. He wasn't picked up by Cavs until a couple of months later. Whoever gets that final ax, it's safe to assume he won't get picked up right away. If Morey can't find players qualified for D league, he will cut veterans. Outside of rotational players and draft picks, no one is safe from the final ax.
Shawn Livingston is not a good example. He was not a rookie, so he wasn't d-league material. And there was something about his contract (can't remember specifics) that all but assured that he would be cut. My point is that you can only carry thirteen guys on the active roster, and it's idiotic to stash marginal veterans on injured reserve. So two guys on the final roster will go to the d-league. You can't send a veteran like Aaron Brooks or Omri Casspi to the d-league. And if you send Motiejunas to the d-league then you are killing his trade value. Thus, the thing to do is to keep Covington and send him there, with Isaiah Canaan. It's the obvious move to make. Trade Motiejunas and Smith for draft picks since they are expendable, plus, now's the time to sell high on both of them.
Don't forget that Dwight and Asik probably play around 12 minutes/game together in the twin towers lineup and Parsons gets around 12 minutes/game in the smallball lineup. So you're only playing Jones 24 minutes/game at PF. Or Casspi, if Casspi outplays Jones. These are my projections, anyway. If the team can't get a big upgrade at PF via trade then this is what I think they'll do. Note that there is no room in the inn for Motiejunas, which is why I'm projecting a trade. I can see them keeping Smith because he is so undervalued. I'm not sure you can get anything remotely valuable for him, despite the fact that he's a good rotation guy for 2/3 of the league's teams.
Covington can shoot the 3 pointer from the 4 spot, can rebound the basketball, and can play defence. He'd be an absolute lock to make the team if he was less wiry, and 2 inches taller (in fact, he'd be a lottery pick). IMO he's right on the edge of the 15, so close he can almost smell it. We'll lose Henriquez, either Brewer or Williams, and Young. Then the final spot is TBD - if we trade either of Lin or Asik, I imagine we'll try to send out more players than we receive.
I used Livingston as reference that even a decent player didn't get picked up right away. The final roster doesn't have to be dictated by at least two who qualify for D League. You just don't dress two players during game time. Even if Covington becomes the only player who qualifies for DL, it doesn't guarantee him a spot.
