7 2012-13 NBA Training Camp Invites Who Will Actually Stick

Every year, hardwood hopefuls with non-guaranteed contracts get invited to NBA team training camps, but only a select few make the roster and become a good fit for their respective teams.

Some clubs, such as the Houston Rockets, Indiana Pacers and New York Knicks, have a bushel of aspiring players competing for one or two roster spots. 

Undrafted rookies will be battling to prove they belong in the big time, while other young pros fight to maintain a place in the league, and perhaps a valued role on their team.

Players who want to be more than part-time NBA players must transfer their summer league and training camp success into the regular season. The ballers who can thrive in their role and fill team needs are the ones who will stick.

Josh Harrellson, Miami Heat

Former New York Knicks forward Josh Harrellson has been added to the Heat training camp roster for now, but he has a terrific opportunity to do a lot more than just mix it up in preseason.

Harrellson has scoring and rebounding skills that went largely unnoticed in 2011-12, as he notched just 14.6 minutes per game.

The Kentucky product is tough on the glass as a reserve, averaging 9.6 boards for every 36 minutes played.

Combine that with his strong defensive play and respectable jumper, and he'll compete for more than just garbage time in South Beach.

Look for Harrellson to crack the frontcourt lineup and be a consistent contributor throughout the season.

Scott Machado, Houston Rockets

If undrafted point guard Scott Machado builds on his promising Vegas Summer League performance, Rockets head coach Kevin McHale will certainly secure a spot for him throughout 2012-13.

Unimpressive athleticism and questions about the collegiate competition he faced prevented the Iona product from getting selected on draft night. At this point, Houston's glad he hopped aboard the summer league squad, as he excelled with eight points, 5.6 assists and 2.2 steals per night.

He does need to work on his long-range shooting and clean up the turnovers, but that is something that will drastically improve in the next few months as he becomes more comfortable with the NBA flow.

Much like Phoenix Suns draftee Kendall Marshall, Machado will earn his money almost solely from facilitating. He has a decent shot to get some substantial minutes behind Jeremy Lin in the Rockets backcourt.

Andray Blatche, Brooklyn Nets

The Brooklyn Nets announced their acquisition of Andray Blatche on September 12, and both parties hope that the 6'11" forward can earn all of his non-guaranteed money and give the frontcourt some offensive depth.

Moving to Brooklyn gives Blatche a chance for a fresh start, as his efforts, production and connection with the Washington Wizards had gradually skidded downward over the last couple years.

He's effective in pick-and-roll and pick-and-pop situations and can also drive to the bucket with either hand. The potential is there for him to provide a chunk of offense as a role player for the new-look club.

Blatche's skill set, along with the motivation to turn his career around, will ensure that he sticks as a key cog in Avery Johnson's rotation.

Chris Copeland, New York Knicks

The New York Knicks are holding a highly-competitive tryout for the last roster spot on the team, as seven camp invitees will duke it out to become a Knickerbocker.

Emerging from the rubble will be 28-year-old guard Chris Copeland, who has yet to play in the NBA after graduating from Colorado six years ago.

It's established that he's a top-tier pro over in Europe, and he was both productive and efficient in his five Vegas Summer League games. He converted 47 percent from the field, 42 percent from three-point range and 86 percent on free throws.

The next step for him is to make it as an NBA player.

This might be the best chance he ever has at getting his foot in the door and staying in the big boy clubhouse, so he will be in top form throughout the fall and into the winter.

Kris Joseph, Boston Celtics

Kris Joseph didn't go undrafted, and he's more than just a training camp invitee, but he enters Celtics camp with something to prove in order to remain in Boston for the duration of the winter.

Before he was a featured player in the Syracuse offense, he was a bench player for the Orange for two years.

The late-second-round draftee was one of the best role players in the Big East, and his experience as a slasher and open-court player will earn him a roster spot and some sporadic minutes for Boston.

In an ideal world, Joseph could use some regular playing time and polishing in the D-League, but his play in training camp will likely impress the coaching staff and give him a decidedly favorable chance to stick in Boston for good.

The key for him is to make the most of each cameo without overdribbling or taking off-balance shots. An extra 10 pounds of muscle would boost his productivity in the paint.

Sundiata Gaines, Indiana Pacers

The majority of Indiana's backcourt playing time will go to George Hill and D.J. Augustin, but young journeyman Sundiata Gaines will latch on as an effective reserve after training camp.

Gaines has been back and forth from the NBADL for much of his career and has been on four teams in just three seasons. However, his 2011-12 campaign in New Jersey gives the Pacers something to look forward to.

As a substitute seeing less than 14 minutes per game last season, Gaines managed to maintain an average of 5.1 points and 2.2 assists along with a PER of 15.

Both his offensive and defensive ratings have improved significantly over the past three seasons, showing that he has persevered through the turbulence involved with constantly changing clubs. His hard work will pay off as he carves out a role in Indy.

E'Twaun Moore, Orlando Magic

Due to the restructuring of the front office and reshuffling of the Orlando Magic roster, the entire organization is in a state of transition.

There are only a couple of certainties about the lineup and rotation, and the guard rotation isn't one of them. Former Celtics guard E'Twaun Moore will be given ample opportunity to build on his rookie season and summer league performances.

With Boston's summer league squad, Moore improved in the shooting department, but more importantly, in the assist-to-turnover department (started out with one assist to four turnovers in first game, improved to four assists and two turnovers).

Now he's on an Orlando squad that doesn't have a deep guard corps, which means that a strong training camp showing will lead to a valuable role on the regular-season roster.

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