Royce White refuses assignment to D-League (UPDATE: Rockets suspend him)

No, it's NOT that. I've battled anxiety. I've had panic attacks, I've went to the ER three times thinking my heart was going to explode. I've been where he is, and much much worse.

I struggled, I fought, I had my bad days and my weak moments. But I survived, and now I live a 100% great life.

What this IS about, is a man who CLAIMS he is struggling, and CLAIMS he wants help but has every excuse under the sun on why he won't get help. This is about a man who says he wants to bring more attention to anxiety sufferings, and the condition, yet all he is showing is when it gets tough...quit.

What do you think would help bring awareness to anxiety disorders. White never even TRYING to succeed, staying at home, becomes a what could have been....or a 3-4 time all star, leads the league in Assist for big men, a Sixth Man of the Year award?

If he went to the D league, stayed there a few weeks and had a meltdown, that's different. He tried. If he went to the Rockets and had panic attacks daily, that's different. He was fighting.

But to refuse a D League assignment based on the notion that his anxiety would suffer is COMPLETE AND UTTER BS. That's a cop out, that's an excuse for not wanting to pay his dues before he gets to the Rockets.

Take it from me, he will NEVER get better as long as he decides and expects everything to be centered around him, and catered to him because of his anxiety. The real world doesn't work like that. Any other employer would have fired him. What he doesn't understand, is the Rockets don't HAVE to cater to him. He doesn't HAVE to play in the NBA. He can go to China, to Japan, to Russia and play. Problem is, he won't make a 1/10th of what he makes here.

I want Royce White to succeed as a person first, Basketball player second. Problem is, he's failing at both. And making a mockery of a serious condition that WE have had to battle day in and day out, without the whole world being expected to bow down and cater to our every demand

 

There are plenty of people who go to work with anxiety disorders, most of them making significantly less money than Royce White. I highly doubt these people get "special treatment" from their work place. If they don't come to work, they get fired. Royce White works for the Rockets, the Rockets do not work for Royce White. These people don't have doctors with them every minute of every day. I would assume most are on some sort of anti-anxiety medication (xanax, etc.) to help them get through the day.

I still have yet to hear exactly what "protocol" the Rockets aren’t following. What are the Rockets SPECIFICALLY not doing to make it an unsafe workplace? Royce White never gives specific reasons. What does he expect people to think when he is so vague?

 

If you are handicapped and your job requires you to go out on the field, then they'd have you at a desk until they could accommodate you.

If you were afraid of confined spaces, then they would have you in an open area until they could accommodate you.

But Royce White can't do a damn thing? He can't come in and watch practice? Watch film? Help the coaches? Anything? I don't think the rockets would keep him from sitting out and just watching, so i have to believe Royce is saying he won't work at all until accommodated. Why? Because he's still getting paid anyway.


#contractualmillionaireproblems


Work or give up the money.

They stopped the fines once he showed up to the doctor visits...if they were still going Royce would have flipped beyond belief.

 

He may be having too much anticipatory anxiety about the tough pressure and travel schedule of being in a NBA team. The fact that all eyes (and media) are on him and his mental condition will add to the problem of his anxiety. Perhaps he should go back to college to finish his degree to take some pressure off from the basketball side of things. NBA may be too much a dream to pursue with his mental condition.

 

Great Post. Nailed it.

 

royce has brought a lot of attention regarding his mental illness. in the beginning, i thought it could be a positive thing.

but can this guy really handle all eyes on him now? he brought greater attention and criticism with his recent actions. it's not houston media now, everybody wants to know what is up. the spotlight has gotten even brighter and not everyone is on his side feeling sorry anymore

 

I think it's important to remember that we have no idea what is going through Royce White's mind - and as frustrated as we might be, we should be cautious about our reactions.

Well, I guess you don't have to be. Just saying the guy might actually have a major problem he's trying to deal with - no one really knows what his reality is like.

 

This might be insightful...from wikipedia (I know)

That might explain his feelings of being "unsafe" in the D League. Honestly, I think this kids issues run deeper than anxiety though.

 

Be that as it may, it was White's decision to leave college early to enter the NBA. Whether it was because he wanted a big payday or because he thought he was physically/mentally ready, he needs to be responsible for his decisions/actions. It's not like the Rockets (from the public's perspective) hasn't been accomodating and understanding of his situation. He's trying to make himself out to be some kind of martyr when, in fact, he's shooting himself in the foot time and time again due to his actions/tweets/rants/etc.

If he is/was as smart as he makes himself out to be, he would have showed up and played one game with the Vipers, and then say "I still have anxiety issues but at least I'm trying". That would have said more about who he is and what's really important to him (overcoming his illness to effectively work in society) than his ongoing twitter crusade

 

This stuff sounds so similar to his tone on his way out of Minnesota.

"I’m disappointed in how it turned out today. That’s it. … I think I’m probably going to withdraw from the University of Minnesota this week … I don’t feel safe … on campus, ’cause I really feel the police don’t have to answer anybody, so it makes me wonder what they’ll be allowed to do. … I feel they dealt with the situation irresponsibly.”

When things don't go the way he wants, he starts feeling 'unsafe' and everyone around him is dealing with his situation 'irresponsibly.' Maybe it's part of the anxiety disorder, but funny how it seems to just pop up when people want him to be accountable for his actions whether it's stealing or honoring a contract he's signed.

 

His reality is making millions for doing nothing. I wish I understood where he is coming from, I really do.

que Dire Straits "that ain't workin, that's the way you do it"

 

Just to push this post back to the top!

So true, the Rockets should definitely NOT cut White. They should simply fine him or withhold his pay until he starts meeting his contractual requirements. Since we don't need the capspace, it makes sense to keep his deal around until next season, where it becomes an expiring we could package with other expirings to get a deal done. It may also prove useful to meet 'minimum team salary' requirements?

But better to keep the bum contracted to us for 2 seasons at no cost (through fines/ pay withheld) and use his contract as an 'asset'. If he wants to step on a basketball court, it's at the Rockets discretion. Simple message for the tweeter: if you want to make a living from basketball, then do what is required, otherwise enjoy working at Walmart.

 

If he really cared about his health he would RETIRE. This job or any for that fact seems bad for his health.

If he doesn't then we all know exactly what this lying, conniving, deceitful, scheming, dishonest, fraudulent piece of shiet is doing. And he knows it too which means he is throwing the real mentally ill under the bus while getting paid.

He is a world class POS, the scum on the scum of the earth.

 

Sounds pretty familiar. Morey said just a few weeks ago that at every stop of his basketball career, he had a year or so of this type of thing, and the next go around he did just fine.

Im guessing that Morey was assuming that "next stop" will be next Summer going into training camp with the Rockets. Based on Morey's tone a few weeks ago, it sounded like they were willing to just lose this year with him, and not think twice about it.

Which is surprising that they would now at this point assign him to the D-League if they knew he would not report. You can make assumptions all day long about whats going on behind the scenes, but as of the current situation, and the Woj reports, it sounds like they are forcing Royce to now either play or retire.

So something else must be changing behind the scenes. Meaning they must now feel like they need that roster spot more than they thought they did before or Les has stepped in to overrule management.

 

On the flipside: the guy might have no problem at all other than a delusional sense of self entitlement?

Since we don't know either way, all we can go off is the evidence as presented. Quite simply: when Royce doesn't get exactly what he wants, Royce poops in his nappy and tweets about it.

RoyceRoyceRoyceRoyceRoyceRoyceRoyceRoyce. It's all about him

 

I'm never attending another Rockets game for the rest of my life.

Royce White has convinced me that basketball at the Toyota Center is unsafe.

 

What is reasonable to you and me may not be to him. We're making a mistake in applying what's logical to you and me to him. He has issues. Part of that issue is that he lives in a different world than us and there's a different reality on what is rational and what is not.

He clearly is not motivated by money all that much as he is losing money. He may genuinely feel "unsafe" or believe that he is.

Think of it this way, what if your employer wanted you to work in a pit filled with poisonous snakes, spiders, and Komodo dragons? Their might be other employees who go along with it and not complain, but you might insist on special protections be put in place. As far as we know, that's how he sees the current situation.

We really just don't know.