by Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz, USA TODAY Sports

The relationship between the Houston Rockets and rookie forward Royce White remains frayed, and it’s unclear whether the two sides can resolve their differences.

White’s absence from the Rockets is still ongoing two weeks after he claimed the team had not fulfilled its duty in assisting him with his anxiety disorder.

Bur Rockets GM Daryl Morey isn’t ready to sever ties with the No. 16 overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft. In a interview with Slate‘s Hang Up and Listen podcast, Morey said he believed White was an elite player worth taking a flier on.

Here’s Morey talking about White, from ProBasketballTalk.com:

“We think Royce is an elite talent—top five talent in this last draft, which was very deep. Obviously if we’re getting him at 16 in the draft, there’s going to be something wrong, or something that’s a gamble with the player, and really you’re just choosing the gamble. Maybe they’ve got an injury history. Maybe they’ve got a particular part of their game that could be an Achilles’ heel that would make them fail. Maybe they’ve never gone against that level of competition. So there’s going to be something wrong, so you’re really just picking among things that are potentially going to derail that player and which ones you’re most comfortable with.”

Morey continued:

“Royce was someone who played every game at Iowa State, played it well. So even with his issues, he showed that he is very functional. We knew going in that potentially there could be issues and right now obviously things are bumpy at this point, I’d say, but you know it takes a little time for him to get going at the various stops he’s had in his career to this point. We’re trying to work things through with Royce, and hopeful that we can. That’s sort of the current state.”

White was just one of the Rockets’ three first-round draft picks this year– Jeremy Lamb was flipped to Oklahoma City in the James Harden trade — so Houston had added flexibility when pondering its options in the past draft. As a player who didn’t require an … [For more on Rockets GM Daryl : Royce White worth drafting, click here.]