Seems the Rockets are paying for everything: http://blog.chron.com/ultimaterockets/2012/10/royce-white-hits-the-road-to-new-orleans/ My guess is that the fact that the Rockets are providing travel arrangements is part of what the League took a while to approve it-- i.e. the League had to decide that this extra cost isn't an extra payment to White. Morey is smart. Paying for the bus and driver is chump change and doesn't count against the salary cap. Now he has a grateful Royce White and is counting on Royce White giving the Rockets a "gratitude discount" when he hits free agency. Also, I am sure Les is now going to seek a sponsor for the bus and pocket that bus sponsorship money.
You are assuming another team is going to want him in free agency and that the Rockets will want him back.
I am not assuming anything. But it is at least a distinct possibility that a mid-first round pick will be a desirable FA in 4 years. It may not happen, but you prepare for that possibility (as well as other possibilities). If Royce White is a bust, the Rockets lost nothing but chump change travel cost (in comparison with scaled rookie salary). If Royce White works out as a legitimate NBA player, then the mental illness gratitude discount is nice to have.
I have no problem with this. I doubt it's that much money. And like Carl Herrera has mentioned, the Rockets organization will make the money back by tapping into the mentally ill market. But Royce MUST make every game. He needs to understand the importance of that. Missing games here and there is unacceptable, only because the team cannot succeed with a regular rotation player missing games like that.
I love this video of Royce. It shows how real his anxiety problems are. It shows how appreciative he is of being drafted. It shows him waiting to be drafted. One of his immediate reactions to being drafted is how thankful he is to the Rockets for taking a chance on him. This is after someone on the phone tells him nobody in the first round really wants to touch him (at least not with the earlier picks) - they add that McHale would be willing to take a flyer on him at 18.... and then BAM! ... they make him the 16th pick. He never hid his problem. He knew his stock would drop because of his illness. To say he's holding the Rockets hostage somehow is asinine - everyone and their mother knew of his issues before the draft. Watch the video if you haven't already. *** Audio possibly NSFW due to a couple of cuss words *** <iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/BRUS6QBiViQ" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
^^ 16th pick actually. And my problem was missing training camp when he wasn't having anxiety. He should have worked out things while at camp. Now he is behind and out of shape. But that's all over now, and I hope he can catch up.
how about this one? If I was a home team, and the Rockets were visiting, Royce White would see his face photoshopped over Rosie.
