Well, if what you say is true, then the Rockets management screwed up. Like I said, either one of the sides or both should have gotten this settled way before now. What benefit does the team get by delaying?
I would say added insurance on the bus is more a factor than benefits. Benefits (if it qualifies as one) could fit within the rookie scale by White taking less than max scale, no? I recall a section about non-monetary benefits counting as salary. But the rookie scale is not a fixed number. It's negotiable within a % range...I think 10% or something like that.
Unsigned players cannot play in the Summer League. Note Donatas signed quickly partly because of this. Plus, Carl Herrera would have corrected me by now.
So White plans to take bus to Toronto too? Call me ignorant, but I think being able to travel is part of the job description in the nba. To accommodate this is like asking a travel company to accommodate a tour guide who is not able to travel. This won't go well.
I'm willing to bet tou did not see any tweets of informal meetings on one hour flights. They can't get out of their seats for more than 30 minutes. You are talking about 3 hours flights that he said he'd attend. Please think this through. On non red-eye flights (presumably no game that day), your argument is even weaker. They face lines at the airport and he gets an even larger head-start because he's freer to leave at anytime. I'm pretty sure they do not practice on travel days, nor is he suggesting missing formal practices, video sessions or anything. My read is he would travel with the team in the event he'd miss practice or shootarounds, etc if he took the bus.
Then what is the difference? I would think that if you can get on the plane to fly to Toronto, sure you can do the same for a Dallas trip too, no?
His anxiety is definitely a lot more severe than he let on before the draft. He never made it sound like flying was something he just wouldn't be able to do…Instead you heard about how he was flying to every single pre-draft workout and that once he was in the NBA flying would get easier since he’d be with his teammates…. Tough spot for the Rockets if they've gotten themselves into a lot more complicated of a situation than what they thought. At least Royce’s tweets sound pretty positive, so hopefully they can all find a workable solution to this pretty soon.
U act like these guys wait in baggage lines and fly commercial. There will not be a head start. The players don't go home and pack and then meet at the airport. They shower up,get on the team bus, get on team plane,and their gone. This royce head start thing isn't idealistic
My quote was responding to RV6 referring to a flight NOT after a game. One conversation was red-eyes after a game (where he clearly gets more sleep than the team), this new one was me answering his scenario of a travel day without a game, where he again misses no practice and arrives with plenty of rest at a reasonable hour. And possibly can leave well before the team, if it's a travel day with nothing scheduled before the flight. I do believe the team is allowed quality time with their family so some travel days have little schedule but to just rendevous at the airport. Instead, Royce just takes off well ahead of the flight plans. Please read again. Tell me what scenario he missing a practice, shootaround, etc, and I will point to his quote where he says he'd fly with the team instead.
"just wouldn't be able to do" He's not saying that now either. He's talking about short flights where he'd prefer bus accommodations in situations where he could leave and arrive without missing any required team meetings; otherwise, he will fly with the team.
wait a minute, if it's waiting part that gives him anxiety, wouldn't waiting for a train also give him anxiety. And come to think of it, why only shorter trips. I mean the waiting time for a long flight and short flight are pretty much the same.
yeah probably. But airports (and flying) are more stressful for me, for sure, versus trains. So I assume trains are less for him, as well. Because those are the only ones he can avoid that don't cause him to miss required team meetings/practices. He seems to say he will fly (and "face his fears") in situations where he'd miss meetings/practices
Just a question, does he also need a "written agreement" to be allowed to travel by bus if he's with the D League team? Or we are not allowed to send him to D League because it would give him an unfamiliar environment that possibly caused his anxiety?
One thing to remember: the NBA is really anal about how teams travel (for safety and other reasons). When a team's hotel is literally across the street from the arena, the NBA makes the team get on a bus to go to the arena and forbids it from just walking. When a team takes public transit (the Rockets took a ferry to go across the SF Bay one year due to traffic, I thinki), it has to get the NBA's permission first. So Royce's request will need league clearance most likely. I am thinking the team isn't that bothered by it. But it takes some time and effort to deal with NBA red tape (which I think has a legitimate purpose... One concern about bus travel is that it is less safe than air travel).
i would think they are highly concerned with it b/c there could be no end to the special exception requests and new ones could unexpectly pop up at any time and most likely under the least convenient circumstances (which are often the most stressful for a player). morey must feel like he just got dowsed from above in a bucket of hot sticky melted bubble gum that's about to harden and les must be PISSED.
Wasn't there a recent quote about Royce that said he did fine on a recent flight and should be fine on future flights because it was first class and he never flown first class before?