Welcome! Please take a few seconds to create your free account to post threads, make some friends, remove a few ads while surfing and much more. ClutchFans has been bringing fans together to talk Houston Sports since 1996. Join us!

Article about Royce White in the NYT

Discussion in 'NBA Dish' started by cytrynowa, Dec 10, 2013.

Tags:

Page 1 of 2

cytrynowa Member

Joined:

Nov 17, 2012

Messages:

974

Likes Received:

20

His house was so clean, so devoid of mess or clutter, that it was as if no one lived there at all — let alone a 22-year-old with a wife and two small children, aged 2 ½ and 6 months. The three of them were upstairs somewhere, White said, and certainly no noise gave them away; the only sign of children was a pair of tiny sneakers by the door and a plastic basketball hoop that came up to about White’s waist in the living room.

White’s own possessions are in strict order. His clothes are organized by “brands and color schemes, the way they would in the store,” he said.

His extensive DVD selection is alphabetized, according to a system he devised to deal with the vexing question of movies beginning with “The.” Under his scheme, “The Goonies” goes with the T’s, because “The” is integral to the title; “The Great Debaters,” about a college debate team, goes with the G’s, because “The” is ancillary (it makes sense to him).
Click to expand...

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/10/s...-cause-but-without-a-team.html?pagewanted=all

#1 cytrynowa, Dec 10, 2013

fallenphoenix Contributing Member

Joined:

Jun 20, 2009

Messages:

9,821

Likes Received:

1,619

sounds like he has a lot of free time

#2 fallenphoenix, Dec 10, 2013
daywalker02 Member

Joined:

Jul 17, 2006

Messages:

89,675

Likes Received:

43,187

Never draft those and if they turn alright (Metta) then trade for them but cautiously

#3 daywalker02, Dec 10, 2013
TheDr34m Contributing Member

Joined:

Jun 20, 2013

Messages:

1,279

Likes Received:

29

at least we know he isn't faking his mental disorder. What a shame a guy with so much physical talent wasted.

#4 TheDr34m, Dec 10, 2013
IzakDavid13 Contributing Member

Joined:

Jan 2, 2011

Messages:

9,958

Likes Received:

801

#5 IzakDavid13, Dec 10, 2013
daywalker02 Member

Joined:

Jul 17, 2006

Messages:

89,675

Likes Received:

43,187

But not much about White — unemployed after a brief juncture as the self-appointed, very public face of mental health issues in the N.B.A. — is what you might expect.

In 2012, White was the N.B.A.’s No. 16 draft pick, a star forward just off a great season with Iowa State and destined for even greater things. But he arrived at his new team, the Houston Rockets, with a medical diagnosis all but unheard-of in professional sports — generalized anxiety disorder — and he wore it almost as a badge of honor.

Charming, good-looking, articulate and fluent on the topic in a series of high-profile interviews, White made a formidable advocate for a problem he said was underdiagnosed and underdiscussed. He wanted, he said, for the N.B.A. to establish a leaguewide mental health protocol.

But his personal demands seemed to shift as he went along, and he noisily refused to sign his contract until the Rockets agreed to a series of conditions that included addressing one of his symptoms — fear of flying — by letting him travel by special bus to games, when possible. After some turbulent weeks, White and the Rockets appeared to reach an understanding, or at least an accommodation.

So it seemed a shame when the team sent him first to their N.B.A. Development League team, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, and then — amid some unpleasant back-and-forth during which White announced he was returning to Houston on the advice of his doctor — traded him to the Philadelphia 76ers. It seemed an additional shame when the 76ers waived him from their roster this fall before he had played a single nonexhibition game, leaving him to sit out the final days of his $1.7 million contract, which runs out at the end of the year.

Neither the Rockets nor the 76ers would discuss what happened in their short histories with White, and in a long conversation here recently, White seemed either unsure of, or unwilling to describe details of his dealings with the teams. He did say that while the endless negotiations around mental health concerns were almost certainly a factor in Houston’s decision to let him go, that was not necessarily the case in Philadelphia.

“They just told me they didn’t want to keep me at this point in time, and that’s pretty much the gist of it,” he said of the 76ers. “There was a lot being said in meetings, and all of it was contradictory — ‘You’re supertalented; you can play; you can be an excellent player in the league, but we don’t want to keep you at this time.’ ”

White is extremely relaxed in conversation and comes across as cheerful, open, friendly, smart. Remarkably, he also does not seem to be angry.
Click to expand...

But not much about White — unemployed after a brief juncture as the self-appointed, very public face of mental health issues in the N.B.A. — is what you might expect.

In 2012, White was the N.B.A.’s No. 16 draft pick, a star forward just off a great season with Iowa State and destined for even greater things. But he arrived at his new team, the Houston Rockets, with a medical diagnosis all but unheard-of in professional sports — generalized anxiety disorder — and he wore it almost as a badge of honor.

Charming, good-looking, articulate and fluent on the topic in a series of high-profile interviews, White made a formidable advocate for a problem he said was underdiagnosed and underdiscussed. He wanted, he said, for the N.B.A. to establish a leaguewide mental health protocol.

But his personal demands seemed to shift as he went along, and he noisily refused to sign his contract until the Rockets agreed to a series of conditions that included addressing one of his symptoms — fear of flying — by letting him travel by special bus to games, when possible. After some turbulent weeks, White and the Rockets appeared to reach an understanding, or at least an accommodation.

So it seemed a shame when the team sent him first to their N.B.A. Development League team, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, and then — amid some unpleasant back-and-forth during which White announced he was returning to Houston on the advice of his doctor — traded him to the Philadelphia 76ers. It seemed an additional shame when the 76ers waived him from their roster this fall before he had played a single nonexhibition game, leaving him to sit out the final days of his $1.7 million contract, which runs out at the end of the year.

Neither the Rockets nor the 76ers would discuss what happened in their short histories with White, and in a long conversation here recently, White seemed either unsure of, or unwilling to describe details of his dealings with the teams. He did say that while the endless negotiations around mental health concerns were almost certainly a factor in Houston’s decision to let him go, that was not necessarily the case in Philadelphia.

“They just told me they didn’t want to keep me at this point in time, and that’s pretty much the gist of it,” he said of the 76ers. “There was a lot being said in meetings, and all of it was contradictory — ‘You’re supertalented; you can play; you can be an excellent player in the league, but we don’t want to keep you at this time.’ ”

White is extremely relaxed in conversation and comes across as cheerful, open, friendly, smart. Remarkably, he also does not seem to be angry.
Click to expand...

“I never wanted to be the greatest basketball player in the world,” he said
Click to expand...

“I’m a free agent, I’m here, I’m ready to play and I want to play,” he said. “I have a lot to offer a team. I’m 22; I’ve never been injured; I still haven’t gotten a chance to prove what I can do on the court.”

Bass(agent) said in an interview that at least three teams were showing interest.

“We have to have complete and open communication about his anxiety — that’s the one thing everybody wants to talk about,” Bass said, “and I think it’s something we can overcome. He’ll have to prove himself, but I think his abilities on the court will outweigh the risk.”

White said he was looking for a team where the fit was right.

“At this point, we just want to find a team that is open-minded and takes mental health seriously enough to put some effort into it,” he said. “Not because I’m there and nagging them, but because it’s the right thing to do.”
Click to expand...

Philly was keeping it real.... 'You are a talent but we don't want you at this point.'
This was the way to go.

Unemployed and looking for a team

#6 daywalker02, Dec 10, 2013
Roc Paint Contributing Member

Joined:

Aug 12, 2001

Messages:

22,329

Likes Received:

12,438

I'm tired of talking about this kid with great upside, and a tremendous backside.

#7 Roc Paint, Dec 10, 2013

1 person likes this.

nolimitnp Contributing Member

Joined:

Dec 21, 2007

Messages:

3,487

Likes Received:

285

All that talent gone to waste. Wonder how long he keeps collecting an NBA salary based on potential?

#8 nolimitnp, Dec 10, 2013
atomicanderz Member

Joined:

Jan 19, 2010

Messages:

1,175

Likes Received:

69

Done hating on the guy... Good luck to him in whatever he does with his life.

#9 atomicanderz, Dec 10, 2013
nolimitnp Contributing Member

Joined:

Dec 21, 2007

Messages:

3,487

Likes Received:

285

Roc Paint said: ↑

I'm tired of talking about this kid with great upside, and a tremendous backside.
Click to expand...

That so did not come out right. Downside would have been a better word choice. Heh

#10 nolimitnp, Dec 10, 2013
vator Contributing Member

Joined:

Jun 30, 2006

Messages:

6,574

Likes Received:

13,918

When did he get married?

#11 vator, Dec 10, 2013
shastarocket Contributing Member

Joined:

Jul 18, 2006

Messages:

13,773

Likes Received:

1,082

nolimitnp said: ↑

That so did not come out right. Downside would have been a better word choice. Heh
Click to expand...

#12 shastarocket, Dec 10, 2013
The Real Shady Contributing Member

Joined:

Jun 8, 2000

Messages:

17,170

Likes Received:

3,966

Roc Paint said: ↑

I'm tired of talking about this kid with great upside, and a tremendous backside.
Click to expand...

#13 The Real Shady, Dec 10, 2013

smr6 Member

Joined:

Jun 11, 2012

Messages:

1,972

Likes Received:

210

I really don't think he will ever play again. We saw how little effort he made to stay in shape when he wasn't with the team. He is only going to keep losing what he had physically and teams will see that.

#14 smr6, Dec 10, 2013
lean Member

Joined:

Nov 29, 2010

Messages:

1,482

Likes Received:

140

Obligatory #BeWell

#15 lean, Dec 10, 2013
TheRealAllpro Morey only fan

Joined:

Jul 22, 2012

Messages:

5,842

Likes Received:

4,999

pisses me off he would have been such a great piece for this team. if he was our 7th or 8th the best player, the rockets could have been dominate for years

#16 TheRealAllpro, Dec 10, 2013
dragician Member

Joined:

Feb 27, 2011

Messages:

3,990

Likes Received:

131

cytrynowa said: ↑

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/10/s...-cause-but-without-a-team.html?pagewanted=all
Click to expand...

sounds like a dustin hoffman movie.

#17 dragician, Dec 10, 2013
YallMean Member

Joined:

Mar 20, 2003

Messages:

14,277

Likes Received:

3,807

Sigh ... I am not sure what more we could accommodate for him. The disorder aside ... it is kinda ... that "he wears the 'disorder' as badge of honor" and then talks about how NBA and basketball in general is not a career end. The attitude, is that a part of the disorder?
After all, basketball is a team sport. Many professions just can't have people like that, maybe basketball is one of those professions.

#18 YallMean, Dec 10, 2013

emcitymisfit Member

Joined:

Apr 18, 2009

Messages:

1,258

Likes Received:

129

He's a con artist that never articulated exactly what his demands were, yet made them vague enough in an attempt to vilify the Rockets, Daryl Morey, and the entire NBA. He wanted to be off the hook for any behavior, have a get out of jail free card, and a blank check for his bad behavior.

He's a dodgy, shady thief, a pretentious cretin with delusions of grandeur, and there's no way he'll play a minute in an NBA game.

#19 emcitymisfit, Dec 10, 2013

2 people like this.
hooroo Member

Joined:

Oct 16, 2003

Messages:

18,912

Likes Received:

1,504

Only skimmed the article. Did the writer skip over the parts about baby mommas, mexican prostitutes, gangbangs, and drugs?

#20 hooroo, Dec 10, 2013

(You must log in or sign up to post here.)

Page 1 of 2

Share This Page