11:54am: White responded to Feigen's column (linked below) on his Twitter account, suggesting in a series of tweets that not all of the info was accurate, and that he has spoken to the therapist appointed by the Rockets.
WEDNESDAY, 10:07am: Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle has the latest details on the gulf between the Rockets and White, reporting that the rookie is being fined by the team for each day he remains away from the club or fails to attend sessions with a therapist arranged by the Rockets.
According to Feigen, White and the Rockets are at odds over his playing time, with the team saying that other players have earned minutes over him, while White believes he hasn't been given the opportunity to show he could earn a place in the rotation.
In spite of the situation, the Rockets have no plans to trade or release White, says Feigen.
TUESDAY, 9:41pm: White says via Twitter that he's "most definitely not AWOL" and that his problem with the Rockets goes back long before the D-League assignment (Twitter links; hat tip to Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld).
8:32pm: White released a statement criticizing the team's handling of his anxiety. According to TNT's David Aldridge, he said the team has been "inconsistent" in sticking to their agreement to accomodate his disorders, and says the lack of support will make him unhealthy, "and that is not a consequence that I am willing to accept to play any sport" (Twitter links). Mark Berman of Fox 26 recounted the statement via a lengthy Twitter burst.
"In hindsight, perhaps it was not a good idea to be open and honest about my anxiety disorder, due to the current situations at hand that involve the nature of actions from the Houston Rockets," White said, adding that the team is aware of the reason for his absence.
6:34pm: Rockets forward Marcus Morris said White has missed "three or four" practices, Feigen writes. "We haven’t seen him," Morris said. "I text him all the time, make sure he’s doing fine, but he hasn’t texted back."
5:56pm: Rockets owner Leslie Alexander said there were "internal repercussions" for White's absences, Feigen tweets, presumably referring to his absences from the Rockets' game last night and practices yesterday and today. "If he doesn’t work out, well, it’s tough to lose a draft choice," Alexander said, according to Feigen (Twitter link).
5:32pm: A day after reports that he would be sent to the Rockets' D-League affiliate, Royce White is "not available" to the Rockets, GM Daryl Morey announced via press release. "We are committed to his long term success and we will continue to support him now and going forward," the release stated. The brief release doesn't state whether White's absence from Monday's practice and game against the Heat was excused or related to his D-League assignment, notes Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link). White was also not present at Rockets practice Tuesday, tweets Mark Berman of Fox 26.
White missed the first week of training camp while negotiating a travel plan that would allow him to bus to some of the team's games, since White has a fear of flying. The rookie forward has yet to make his regular season debut, though he saw action in four preseason games, averaging 2.3 points in 12.3 minutes per contest. The Rockets selected him with the 16th overall pick this past June.
Last night's report had White going to the Rockets' D-League affiliate along with teammates Donatas Motiejunas and Scott Machado, though the Rockets have yet to officially announce the assignments. It is believed the maximum number of its players a team can have in the D-League at a time is two. It's unclear if that's related to White's situation or whether the rule has changed.
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hes 1 and done in the NBA. I don’t see how any team would offer him a contract if he can’t travel to the games. He has some talent and skill but in the end he still a undersize 4. His best chance now is to go play in Europe where they take the bus to their games.
Yeah? 2 words: Eddy. Curry.
Is he gonna take a bus from here to Europe..?