Covington hopes to give Sixers help on D

SAN ANTONIO, Texas - In the 76ers' quest to uncover hidden talent, coach Brett Brown wants to see whether Robert Covington can make shots and guard.

"He's a shooter," Brown said. "So the challenge will be to get him to guard. He says he promises to. So that's a start."

Covington practiced with the Sixers (0-9) on Sunday at the AT&T Center after signing with the team on Saturday. He could make his Sixers debut in Monday's 8:30 p.m. game here against the Spurs (5-4).

It appears Covington has heeded Brown's instructions.

"First and foremost, I have to play defense," he said. "You're not going to get possessions on the offensive end if I don't get stops."

Covington was with the Grand Rapids Drive of the NBA Development League before signing a free-agent deal with the Sixers.

This is his second go-round in the NBA. After going undrafted out of Tennessee State, Covington signed with the Houston Rockets on July 15, 2013. The Rockets assigned him to the Rio Valley Grande Vipers of the D-League, where he flourished.

The Rockets, however, waived him on Oct. 27.

 Interest in Onuaka? According to a league source, the Sixers have been in contact with former Syracuse power forward Arinze Onuaku. However, the source didn't know how serious those discussions were.