He is probably the best NBA journalist out there currently. He certainly knocks the socks off any ESPN coverage of anything NBA-related.
He'll even call you at home and challenge you to a fist fight to make his point!
But seriously, what about that Windhorst guy? Wojo can rant, but Windhorst can write.
Not that people didn't see this coming, but it seems things are getting rough down in Houston. Too lazy to summarize everything but basically: White got pissed about the way in which the Rox were handling him (playing time, doctor visits, etc) and after meeting with Morey last week, things seem to have came to a head over the past few days. Rox were gonna send him down to the D-League but he bailed on practices and Dr. visits, so is now being fined for everything he misses. He's spent much of the day going off on twitter ( https://twitter.com/Highway_30/with_replies ).
Honestly, I think he has a serious case of entitlement and a me-first attitude. Yes, he has anxiety issues. But you don't earn playing time because of that; you earn it because of what you do on the court. A lot of the Rockets rookies have hardly played so it's not like he's even being singled out anyway. The Rockets have been more than accommodating...he doesn't even have to travel with the team most of the time ffs.
The Doctor stuff is a little more complicated. But I don't see why he wouldn't try things with the Dr. the team arranged - he/she is likely much more qualified than the person White has been seeing.
Anyway, it looks like the situation is going to get even more interesting.
uh, i said the doctor they chose is likely to be much more qualified than the person white has been seeing.Yeah, that's bulllshit.
I think White has a right to be leery of a doctor the team hand-picked for him to see. For one thing, there's probably a level of trust that White has developed with his own doctor, one that he doesn't have with this new person. And two, we see doctors that work for teams all the time just relay what the franchise wants for the player, and that's not always what's best. To just say that because the Rockets picked him/her out makes him/her more qualified is ignorant.
(Now, I'm more than willing to change my stance on this if we find out the qualifications of both this doctor and White's, but we don't have that.)
also, just because white currently trusts one more than the other absolutely does not mean he/she is more qualified or the better long-term choice.
The one problem I have in this whole thing with White is that beyond all the doctor stuff, White's more or less made it clear that these issues wouldn't be there (or at least as severe) if he was playing regularly.
It sure sounds like a mixture of anxiety and hurt feelings about being a DNP:CD every game.
Nobody should be able to or even attempt to make that determination, except for Royce White.
Royce White should be allowed do see whichever doctor he pleases for his anxiety, attempting to remove him from what might be a comfort zone(his current doctor's care) could be immensely detrimental to nay progress he has made over the years.
how can white determine which doctor is best when he's only experienced one? obv he'll side with familiarity, because he isn't aware of how different he'd feel had he been seeing the rockets doctor for a long enough period. just because one is helping doesn't mean the other isn't able to produce even better results.Nobody should be able to or even attempt to make that determination, except for Royce White.
Royce White should be allowed do see whichever doctor he pleases for his anxiety, attempting to remove him from what might be a comfort zone(his current doctor's care) could be immensely detrimental to nay progress he has made over the years.
By Eric Freeman | Ball Don't Lie – 7 hours ago
Daryl Morey talks about the Rockets’ relationship with Royce White
Two weeks ago, the Houston Rockets' relationship with rookie Royce White hit very hard times. White, who suffers from anxiety disorder, lashed out at the franchise on Twitter for not supporting his efforts to deal with his condition. However, those methods included what the team calls unexcused absences from games and practices, as well as an ongoing failure to accept his assignment to the team's D-League affiliate.
The situation has gotten no better. White continues to claim improper treatment from the Rockets in regular tweets, and he's also criticized various media reports and commentaries, including one from Yahoo!'s own Adrian Wojnarowski.
The Rockets have been relatively quiet during that same period. On Monday, as part of an interview with Slate.com's Hang Up and Listen podcast, general manager Daryl Morey spoke about the current state of the team's relationship with White. Here's the transcription (via PBT):
We think Royce is an elite talent — top five talent in this last draft, which was very deep. Obviously if we're getting him at 16 in the draft, there's going to be something wrong, or something that's a gamble with the player, and really you're just choosing the gamble. Maybe they've got an injury history. Maybe they've got a particular part of their game that could be an Achilles' heel that would make them fail. Maybe they've never gone against that level of competition. So there's going to be something wrong, so you're really just picking among things that are potentially going to derail that player and which ones you're most comfortable with.
Royce was someone who played every game at Iowa State, played it well. So even with his issues, he showed that he is very functional. We knew going in that potentially there could be issues and right now obviously things are bumpy at this point, I'd say, but you know it takes a little time for him to get going at the various stops he's had in his career to this point. We're trying to work things through with Royce, and hopeful that we can. That's sort of the current state.
In short, the Rockets still believe in White's talent and hope that he can return to the team and start working on becoming an important part of their long-term plans. They haven't given up on him, because they realize his career might progress at a different rate than those of other players. It's a sensible approach to a very complicated situation. In their cost-benefit analysis, White's talent still outweighs all else.
Of course, Morey's comments also give the sense that the Rockets aren't going to make any more concessions to accomodate White. They're willing to help him as best they can, but they also need to see movement from White that shows he's willing to fulfill a few common expectations for NBA players. Both sides have to engage in the give and take for the relationship to work.
However, the longer this situation fails to change, the more likely it becomes that the Rockets will consider White's talent less important than the fact that they're seeing no production from one of 15 players they're allowed to have on the roster. White's leverage will decrease with every passing day that the Rockets don't get results. And while he has the right to desire a positive work environment, he also chose to enter a business that needs certain things from its employees. The paying party typically holds the power in these situations. If he can't do the job, he might not have it much longer.
That is a valid point, but accounting for his other actions, it appears to be more posturing more than anything. Houston has been more than accommodating for Royce. They have given him an inch and Royce is asking for a mile.
He has tried to use his condition as an excuse for Houston to give him playing time. That, in my opinion, voids any credibility he may have had. You aren't given playing time, you earn it. Any attempt to skirt this means you aren't a professional,regardless of what mental issues he may have.
A day after the Rockets assigned rookie forward Royce White to the NBA Development League affiliate, a move they considered the next step in bringing him back to the team, White has refused to accept the assignment.
White was to report to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers on Monday, after the team returned from a game in Bakersfield, Calif.
A person with knowledge of the team’s thinking said that the assignment was the second part of a plan to bring him back to the team that began with White working out with a basketball staff intern last week at Toyota Center.
White, however, issued a statement indicating that the Rockets have not followed the recommendations of medical professionals working with White to manage his generalized anxiety disorder. White, the 16th player taken in the draft, has not played this season.
White issued a statement to explain his position.
“We say there is such an unknown element to mental health in this country, due to the number of people who are not diagnosed. This element also makes it a tough demographic to support.
I agree.
However, it saddens and frightens me to know that in this situation all the decision makers involved have been informed of all the medical dynamics, and yet still refuse to adhere to medical sensibility. In hindsight of the recent tragedies in this country, that had mental illness variables, you would think it would encourage people to act more proactively in that arena. You would think that decision makers who are not well informed about mental health, would take the consultation and recommendation of those who are. You would think we would start to do everything possible to not let the tragic consequences befall us first, before we ask the logical question, “why?”, “who knew?” “how could we have helped?. Why not take a proactive approach of “who knows?” “how can we listen?”, “how can we support now?”
I do wish to play, but I only intend to do so with the collaboration and recommendation of trained professionals. The purpose of a doctor’s confirmation is to ensure that health decisions are made in the sole interest of health and not conflicted with business. My only hope is that decision makers involved realize that doctors are the only logical source to decide action.
There is an admitted lack of knowledge on behalf of the Rockets and the NBA, it becomes transparent as they choose to forego the knowledge of trained professionals and make independent decisions for something as complex as mental health without consulting any doctors. The Rockets have told me in recent conversations that it is their right to decline even their own doctors’ recommendations. The concept of not listening to medical consultants in medical situations is alarming. It is also alarming that a player is susceptible to fines for simply adhering to the recommendation of doctors.
It is true that accommodating mental health can be very tough and complex, however, sometimes the only reasonable solution to doing what is right is doing what is tough. To portray that the Rockets have been supportive to me is fundamentally incorrect.
The information that the Houston Rockets have publicly presented about this situation has been extremely misleading and a lot of times totally inaccurate. An image of support has been presented by the Rockets, but the only logical support here would be listening to the recommendation of the medical professionals involved. That has not totally happened here. I have chosen to not play, because the doctors and I believe it to be unsafe for unqualified Rockets front office personnel to make medical decisions, as they are not mental health professionals.”