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

@RoFloESPN Im trying to get my own personal airliner! #anxietytrooper Trying to set #protocol for my #benchinduced #anxiety.Im #streetsahead
1:11pm - 31 Dec 12

 

THat's possible, but it doesn't make any sense. You'd think someone with a sense of entitlement would want a lot more than "medical protocalls" and such.

Anyway, all we can do is see how it all plays out.

 

Benched induced anxiety?

Wtf does this protocol involve every player get equal playing time?

 

Ohh nvm that's the fake twitter lmaooooo

 

I want to echo what I wrote before:

His evasive answers might be due to him having no idea what is going on and just parroting his doctors/friends/family and/or being told by his agent/lawyer not to say anything in detail about the situation, but unfortunately, he, like many immature 21-year olds, went to Twitter as the first place to talk about this situation. In any case, he should lay off the computer.

 

It's not a matter of "can't" but "won't". This is similar to a contract negotiation holdout. The NBA CBA uses the strict rookie salary scale to avoid rookie holdouts. Now White is using mental health #protocol to do that, except that he already has a contract that is paying him.

 

Lol, I fooled him too.

 

But how long does an organization like the Rockets continue with the distractions caused by his vocal declarations about their lack of accomodations and his own battles against injustice before they decide to throw in the towel?

I think since it's uncharted territory, the Rockets are going to have to play this one with kid gloves to hopefully avoid a major lawsuit.

My concern now is for the rest of the team and how they are handling this. I imagine they are either blocking it out or they feel sympathetic towards Royce, but either way, it's got to be a distraction for them.

 

I agree with you but it leads me to wonder: who was counseling and giving him advice on declaring early for the draft? If he was so sure of himself that he can handle the rigors of NBA life, then why did he go into this "mode"? And this wasn't present during the Summer League when he was given playing time but it's come on full steam when he has to earn it? Like most of said on here, it all doesn't add up.

While I know he's getting fined I doubt it's enough to put him in the poor house. If he feels unsafe (and I can't doubt that since I'm not him), why doesn't he just ask for the Rockets to release him or work out a buy out so he can get his life in order? The man preaches that he wants to be an advocate for mental illness but all he's been doing is making attempts to hold this organization hostage.

I applaud the analogy but it doesn't fit because 1. I didn't declare myself eligible to take on snakes, spiders, and Komodo dragons akin to what White did when he declared for the draft and 2. ergo, I didn't put myself in the situation to handle such issues. Even has a college athlete, he knew what he was going to get into: long trips, playing time inconsistencies, etc. Sure the magnitude of it is ten fold greater in the NBA than in college, but it's not like the NBA, the Rockets, and Daryl Morey dropped a bomb on him after drafting him by saying "Royce, these are new waters you're gonna be treading on and here's a life raft"

 

That's up to the Rockets. They have to weigh the outcomes - the risk versus the rewards, etc.

 

+1 LMAO

 

If the rockets are paying him, I would make suffer for the full length of the contract. If they can get out of paying him and the cap hit, then dump him ASAP. He's a turd.

 

Ok, im going to put a disclaimer here- This OPINION below is pure speculation. Not sourced info that is anyway accurate.

I have a friend that works for the Rockets, and we went out the other night with some friends for my 30th BDay in the Heights. Had a great time, but had an interesting conversation about some Rockets things. First off, he has no idea about the Royce White situation. He said that he rarely sees front office officials in the TC this time of the year anyways due to scouting, and they are careful to keep matters like this in-house.

However this is his take on things. Hopefully he doesn't mind me referencing this-

First off, The PT situation came about a few weeks ago, but this doesn't seem to be the case right here and now. My friend thinks that it most likely has to do with the accommodations being consistent in the D-League that are there in the big leagues. Such as diet, lifestyle(apartment living situations), and travel. That's really the only thing that seems to make sense from his point of view.

Most likely Royce's doctors are probably agreeing with Royce that the lifestyle, travel arrangements, diet, etc. would cause anxiety for Royce. Well... sure. So would the NBA lifestyle, but with less accommodations they can control in the D-League... which is why he shouldn't put himself through the NBA lifestyle if its something he cannot handle. It seems like the Rockets are saying that they are willing to accommodate where they can, but when you go to the D-League, there is only so much we can do to accommodate your lifestyle.

This seems to be the only thing that makes sense for his doctors to agree with Royce on. That doesn't mean the doctors orders are for him to play in the NBA, but only that the D-League lifestyle would be difficult for someone with the large amount of lifestyle changes that would cause him anxiety.

So the Rockets are in a tough place. They know it would not be fair for him to be in the NBA when he really isn't developed enough not to play in the D-League, but the lifestyle down there isn't exactly the accommodating lifestyle that they can control better in the NBA.

So it looks like(in both of our OPINIONS) that the Rockets are going to tough love route forcing him to go to the D-League anyways to face the challenging lifestyle that awaits him down there. Some might argue that facing his fears down there in the D-League might actually benefit him more in the long run by facing his fears and actually dealing with his issues rather than avoiding them with the millions of accommodations him and the doctors think he needs to NOT have an episode.

Still, it seems like the doctors do agree with Royce that the D-League lifestyle would trigger an episode at this point. I actually do agree with that assessment regardless of what would actually be best for him and the Rockets long term.... which is for him to spend the year in the D-League, and face his fears head on.

 

Why would we want to even bring this cat into the fold? Even if he succeeds initially, it is obvious he will blow a fuse every time things don't go his way. Do you really want to depend on that type of person in game 7 of the Western Conference finals when he is mad that the coach didn't call enough plays for him in game 6?

I don't want him ever stepping foot on the court as a Rocket no matter how THIS particular saga ends.

 

Probably had good mentorship at Iowa - someone who made him feel "safe" and that he could do these things. Now on his own a bit more, he's struggling. I honestly think that is a big part of his problem, is that he's in a world now he doesn't know how to handle.

He may see it as the organization trying to hold him hostage. Notice he said that "I never refused not to play".

Again, I don't know what's going through his mind, but whatever it is, it's probably irrational to us and very rational to him. He's willing to play in the Toyota Center - clearly he feels "safe" there. But sometime about going to the D League doesn't sit with him well. We can only speculate. It could be that he really does feel it's "unsafe" or it could be he's convinced himself of that as a way to deal with the perceived slight of it being a demotion - something he can't accept.

We simply do not know. This kid has problems. We made a mistake in drafting him. The Rockets organization is in a tough spot because they knowingly drafted someone with mental issue at the promise of his talent. Now, if they mishandle this - they are going to look like fools at best, and at worst, really the epitome of what's wrong with the way normal society deals with the mentally ill.

So I don't feel sorry for the Rockets, I thought it was a mistake to draft the guy in the first place. They did. And here is your result.

We're never going to figure out a rational as to what makes Royce White ticks because there probably isn't one. Not one that a lot of time and help that he seems to need. Maybe in 5 years from now.

The best thing the Rockets can do for him is to help him find someone he feels comfortable talking to and trusts. I think he's probably a lost cause but at this point you might as well try by finding someone he can connect to and be the bridge between him and the organization.

 

This is it. He lives in a different world and sees the world differently. As Batman Jones pointed out: it looks crazy to us because it is crazy. White needs professional, qualified help and the Rockets are trying to help him get it.

He is not losing money anymore. The daily fines outstripped his income. He is not so crazy as not to realize this point. That is why he is seeing the team doctors after having a twitter fit about being forced to see anyone other than his usual primary care provider.

According to the CBA, he will be fined unless he either shows up for work or meets with the team doctor. White gave in to seeing the doc. I have no doubt that if the Rockets could fine his ass into the D-League, White would go. He can do basic math just fine.

No doubt he sees this as life or death, but that is the problem isn't it? He sees things that aren't there. Physical analogies are nice, but don't quite capture White's need to face his fears and deal with his anxiety head on. He has been enabled his whole life and wants more enabling.

I gave him the benefit of the doubt until his continued twitter b****-rests made me notice that he absolutely refuses to be specific about "protocol." Combine that with the Feigen and Woj. pieces from a while back, and we have a guy who is mad he did not make the rotation. This looks more and more about trying to get a promise of regular minutes to help him control his environment (OCD?), something no sports team should do.

 

If that's true then I would like to see the accodomations he had when he was just an NCAA athlete. Surely D-League players have the same (but most likely better) facilities than those college players. If so, then his claims are even more BS.

 

Could this really be as simple as him demanding a handicapped sign for his spot on the bench?

 

This does make some sense whether true or not. At least it fits the picture. But what White seems to be saying is he will go to D league if he gets his "protocols". What on blazes could the Rockets or the D league give him that would change the situation noticeably? I dont get why he wont just say what he needs. These vague assertions make things more muddy not more clear. Perhaps he has spelled it out to the Rockets front office. If this is the case, one can only assume what the specifics are cant be met or the Rockets dont want to meet them.

 

Its all speculation on this end, but it seems like it has to do with the diet, and his living situation. They apparently college campus like apartments that he has to stay in. With his OCD, he wouldn't be able to control a consistent living environment, and would be away from his family more than if he was based in Houston. Plus keep in mind that he has a child as well that he might be involving in his accommodations as well.

Im not making excuses for the guy. He needs to be in the D-League for at least the rest of the year IMO to both work on his game, and face the NBA lifestyle head on. It just SEEMS like the doctors are only saying that the lifestyle could trigger an anxiety attack... which would be true. Still even with all the accommodations in the NBA, he's still not immune to them there either.