Rockets agree to let Royce White be bussed to some games, pending league approval

and now he's a rocket scared to fly, much better :grin:

 

i wonder if he means the draft, or...

Hibbert has dealt with his own share of psychological issues while on the Pacers, btw. Nothing nearly as drastic as Royce, but..

 

As opposed to what alternative Roy??? Not give the go ahead, and let Royce & co. take legal action? Roy needs to just shut it since he obviously doesn't fully understand the situation.

If he did, its a no-brainer from the Rockets standpoint to come to an agreement. At this point, the Rockets still probably would have drafted Royce. The red flags are worse now, but its not like they were never NOT there to begin with.

 

Roy Hibbert is known for his legal and business prowess.

 

Actually it's not as a no brainier as it appears. What if White faces any accident in his bus trip? What if he suddenly has an anxiety attack on the bus or the plane? Is it required to have at least one more person to accompany him or is it okay if he travels alone? Would his bus traveling require extra insurance? Would his nba contract cover any accident on his own bus? There is a reason the league has strict regulations regarding players traveling.

 

I'm sure White knew what he was doing when he missed practice and did it intentionally to bring light to his situation. While I don't think it was the best decision, I'm sure he's going to work extra hard to make up for it. White is smart and he hasn't gotten to where he's at by letting his condition hold him back. He will do what it takes to earn a place on the team and I think his attitude is something we need. Can't wait to see him at practice on Monday. I'm sure the haters will forget all about this snafu once White starts to shine.

 

Hey is the NBA says no then the NBA can deal with the ADA.

 

Read this on the espn truehoop comments section and it made me laugh: "I see an endorsement deal with Greyhound in the future."

 

considering how much national media attention Royce White manages to get so far... Greyhound should've done it yesterday

 

I think the ADA issue is half-baked. Any decent lawyer could fight that in his sleep.

 

Maybe you could explain why that is?

 

If he was willing to sit out media day and training camp in his rookie year to negotiate road travel for trips to roughly 3-4 destinations, then I'm concerned about how he's going to actually handle the necessary air travel to the remaining 26 or so other NBA locations.

 

I mean its a no-brainer to work out a documented plan in his contract. Royce himself reported that he is assuming liability, and I guarantee you that hours were spent by the Rockets legal staff to make sure their butts are covered legally.

If the Rockets went the "tough it out" approach, or we will void your contract, it could have turned real ugly real quick, and thats when people start losing their jobs.

 

I'm at work so I can't give you a full run-down. But I did do a quick case law search in Westlaw - couldn't find ONE case where generalized anxiety disorder was found to impair "major life activities." Yes, its listed in DSM-IV and yes, I personally agree that it is a disability on its face (though honestly, I don't know enough about the specific details of White's day-to-day life to say definitively). But if the case law won't support that notion, I can't see how a judge could find otherwise. Maybe certain jurisdictions might have found otherwise in off-shoot cases I haven't been able to find (I don't know what jurisdiction White would have brought the case - if against NBA, 2nd circuit? If against Rockets, 5th?).

Even if that initial hurdle is passed, White would need to argue the "reasonable accomodation" point - very squishy and malleable.

 

That said, ADA is a useful PR tool. Can be used to make the Rockets/NBA looks insensitive/discriminatory. Royce seems to be very good at spinning his own story to the media (not judging the guy, complimenting his media savvy).

 

between Lin, White and Motiejunas, you guys are going to have the most distorted "media quotes" to "wins" ratio in the NBA history this year.

 

In another thread its says:

McALLEN – Royce White said he will join the Rockets for practice on Monday in Houston after he received the team’s blessing to travel to a large part of the season’s schedule by bus as part of his plan to manage his mental illness.

Fri, Oct 26 @ Orlando
Wed, Oct 31 @ Detroit
Fri, Nov 2 @ Atlanta
Fri, Nov 16 @ Portland
Sun, Nov 18 @ Los Angeles
Mon, Nov 19 @ Utah
Sun, Dec 16 @ Toronto
Mon, Dec 17 @ NY Knicks
Tue, Dec 25 @ Chicago
Wed, Dec 26 @ Minnesota
Fri, Jan 4 @ Milwaukee
Sat, Jan 5 @ Cleveland
Fri, Jan 11 @ Boston
Sat, Jan 12 @ Philadelphia
Fri, Jan 18 @ Indiana
Sat, Jan 19 @ Minnesota
Mon, Jan 21 @ Charlotte
Mon, Jan 28 @ Utah
Wed, Jan 30 @ Denver
Wed, Feb 6 @ Miami
Sun, Feb 10 @ Sacramento
Tue, Feb 12 @ Golden State
Wed, Feb 13 @ Los Angeles
Fri, Feb 22 @ Brooklyn
Sat, Feb 23 @ Washington
Fri, Mar 1 @ Orlando
Fri, Mar 8 @ Golden State
Sat, Mar 9 @ Phoenix
Wed, Apr 3 @ Sacramento
Fri, Apr 5 @ Portland
Sat, Apr 6 @ Denver
Mon, Apr 15 @ Phoenix
Wed, Apr 17 @ Los Angeles

Here are 33 dates that will be problematic if not impossible for a bus to be the answer. So how can a "large part" of the travel schedule be addressed by this plan?

So I am with you. I am very concerned about this. I am concerned the the picture being painted is not reality.

 

Give White credit for not being your typical uneducated jock. He knows that the NBA hates bad press, especially about discrimination. He's the John Amaechi of GAD sufferers

 

He meant NBDL games. Bus will do.