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Bucher On Jefferson, Millsap, Josh Smith, White

February 14th, 2013 at 8:28am CST by Luke Adams

With a week remaining until this year's trade deadline, Ric Bucher of 95.7 The Game took to Sulia last night to discuss a few trade rumors, as well as the long-awaited debut of a much-discussed Rockets rookie. Here are the highlights from Bucher:

  • Although Bucher reported a few days ago that the Jazz are more likely to move Paul Millsap than Al Jefferson, he hears from a rival executive that there's more league-wide interest in Jefferson.
  • The same executive told Bucher that the Jazz aren't necessarily deciding between keeping one or the other — both Jefferson and Millsap could be dealt, or Utah could ultimately retain both guys.
  • One general manager believes the Hawks' motives for shopping Josh Smith involve showing Smith all his options and perhaps convincing him that re-signing in Atlanta for less than the maximum salary could be the most attractive one.
  • Bucher adds that if Smith is moved, there's still a good chance it could happen after the season rather than within the next week. That's a riskier approach for the Hawks though, since Smith wouldn't necessarily need to be part of a sign-and-trade to switch teams in July.
  • Although Royce White is back on the court for the Rockets' D-League affiliate, it appears that he's been more focused over the last few months on mental health advocacy rather than conditioning. According to Bucher, White is "woefully out of shape," which feeds the view of many people around the league who question the rookie's commitment to his NBA career.
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Southwest Links: White, Spurs, Prince, Mavs

February 13th, 2013 at 4:25pm CST by Luke Adams

As every Southwest team except the Grizzlies prepares for action tonight, let's check in on the latest notes out of the division….

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Southwest Rumors: Hollins, White, Ingles

February 8th, 2013 at 7:47pm CST by Chuck Myron

Four of the five Southwest Division teams are in action tonight, including the Rockets, who have a key clash with the Blazers, the team sitting just one game behind them for the last playoff spot in the Western Conference. The Rockets could be getting a boost from one of their lottery picks soon, as we examine along with other news from the Southwest:

Earlier updates:

  • Royce White has passed a physical with the Rockets, and everything is set for him to join the team's D-League affiliate next week, reports Mark Berman of Fox 26 Houston. White said there's no timetable for how long he'll stay with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, but added that he believes the Rockets want to make it a short stint.
  • In a series of dispatches on his Twitter account, Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal shared remarks from Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins, who insists he's on board with the front office and wants to return to coach the team next season. "I hope everything I say isn't taken as I hate management," said Hollins, who made earlier comments that appeared to indicate he opposed the Rudy Gay deal. "Am I emotional about the trade? Yes. But it is the business of basketball and i understand it."
  • Australian big man Joe Ingles, currently playing in Spain, drew interest from the Grizzlies in the wake of last month's three-for-one trade. While a signing didn't materialize, the 25-year-old has long dreamed of joining the NBA, as HoopsHype's Jorge Sierra examines. Ingles' deal with FC Barcelona is up at the end of the season. 
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Odds & Ends: Amare, White, Gee, Beasley

January 31st, 2013 at 10:09pm CST by Sean Highkin

The latest news and notes from around the NBA on Thursday evening:

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Latest On Royce White, Rockets

January 30th, 2013 at 10:01am CST by Luke Adams

After failing to report to the Rockets earlier this season as he fought to get the team to establish a mental health protocol, Royce White has been reinstated by the Rockets and is expected to report to the D-League's Rio Grande Valley Vipers on February 11th. Still, while the saga appears headed in the right direction at the moment, White still has plenty of opinions on the NBA's treatment of mental illness, and provides some very interesting quotes in a conversation with Grantland's Chuck Klosterman. The entire piece is worth a read, but here are a few of the highlights:

  • According to the National Institute of Mental Health, 26% of Americans over age 18 suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder in any given year, but White believes the amount of NBA players with some form of mental illness is "way over 26%."
  • In our recent poll asking whether the Rockets' selection of White was worth the risk, about two-thirds of you said no. GM Daryl Morey seems to disagree with the majority, pointing out to Klosterman that only about 20% of players drafted 16th overall have major NBA careers anyway.
  • White hasn't been playing much basketball since being drafted by the Rockets. "I work out very sparingly, to be honest," White said. "I probably shoot once a week."
  • White wants his own personal doctor to make the final decisions on his health rather than the Rockets' doctors, and believes that's a right every player should have: "It's a conflict of interest to have the team doctor paid by the team. What we need is a doctor who can look at a situation and say, 'Listen, I know the team wants you to do this, and I know their doctor is saying you should do this. But as a non-biased doctor with no interest in how you perform athletically, I recommend differently.' Right now, you have players pushing themselves back in three weeks who have three-month injuries."
  • If he were to join the Rockets immediately, White believes he could play for the team the rest of the season and handle the travel demands, but potentially at a cost. "I probably could do it," White said. "But what would the effect be? What would I have left at the end of the season? How good would I be for the team during the season?"
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Was Drafting Royce White Worth The Risk?

January 27th, 2013 at 10:34am CST by Chuck Myron

Royce White and the Rockets reached an agreement last night that will bring the rookie back on the court after a nearly three-month absence. The 6'8" forward will report February 11th to the D-League's Rio Grande Valley Vipers and ostensibly make his NBA debut shortly thereafter. Presumably, the 16th pick in this past year's draft is finally back on track after grappling with the team over how to handle his psychological ailments.

Still, there's not much reason to believe this is the last bump in the road for White, who has threatened retirement and misled the team about his fear of flying in the leadup to the draft, according to GM Daryl Morey. The GM admitted to Sports Illustrated's Chris Ballard that drafting White was a calculated risk, and that the club believed he had the talent of a top-five pick. He also knew White might not work out, though I'm not sure he anticipated quite the saga that's played out this season.

The Rockets had three first-round picks last year, and one of them, No. 12 selection Jeremy Lamb, was sent away as part of the trade that netted James Harden. The wealth of picks may have justified the team's willingness to go out on a limb with White, but as the Rockets collect assets in search of another star to accompany Harden, a draft bust wouldn't help matters.

Regardless of White's troubles thus far, Houston may have one of the most talented rookies in the league on its team soon. Does that justify the risks involved? Let us know. 

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Rockets Reinstate Royce White

January 26th, 2013 at 6:17pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle tweets that the Rockets have lifted their suspension on Royce White and expect him to join their D-League affiliate on February 11. This past week, we heard that White was close to an agreement which would allow him to begin his assignment with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers after being suspended earlier this month. 

Houston and White released a joint statement today (according to Rockets.com):

"The Houston Rockets and Royce White have today reached an agreement that addresses the major issues that they have been discussing, provides a new start, and gives Royce the best opportunity for long term success as a Houston Rocket. This has been a learning process for both parties. The NBA and the National Basketball Players Association have approved the settlement. Royce is no longer suspended and is re-instated effective immediately. He will report to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers on February 11, 2013."

Feigen also says that the rookie foward will be allowed to do conditioning work on his own or with Rockets staff before joining the Vipers (Twitter link).  

 

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White Close To Agreement To Return To Rockets

January 23rd, 2013 at 1:11pm CST by Luke Adams

The Rockets are close to reaching an agreement with Royce White that would see the rookie forward return to the team and reports to Houston's D-League affiliate, according to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. In a call to 97.9FM in Houston, White said he intends to report to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers on February 11th, pending paperwork on an agreement with the Rockets.

A source tells Feigen that the written agreement between White and the Rockets would include "key elements of the protocols that White wanted to have as an addendum to his contract." However, it would not cede the decision-making authority on White to an individual outside of the organization. Since failing to report to the Rockets this fall, White has been pushing the team and the league to improve mental health protocol, and wanted decision-making authority to lie with his own doctors, rather than the team's.

"Everybody wants to make it seem like wild, wild west standoff between me and the Rockets," White said this morning. "That’s not the case here. There has been an issue that’s been identified. Mental health is not descriptive enough in the CBA (collective bargaining agreement) and UPC (uniform player contract). It being so vague makes us make it up as we go. There’s no protocol. We need to rectify that to make sure the environment is safe. If we’re making it up as we go… that’s probably not the safest thing."

The agreement between the Rockets and White, which the 21-year-old indicated was close to being finalized, has also received input from the NBA and NBPA. It would see the Iowa State product resume workouts with an eye toward preparing for his D-League assignment.

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Morey: Royce White Misled Rockets Before Draft

January 20th, 2013 at 9:18am CST by Chuck Myron

In a letter to Royce White shortly after the rookie stopped attending games and practices in November, Rockets GM Daryl Morey recounted the back and forth that had taken place to that point and urged White to show up for work, "just like any other player." The letter also claims that before the Rockets drafted him 16th overall last June, White misled the team about his fear of flying, as Ben Golliver of SI.com reveals.

"To revisit from the beginning, before we drafted you, you told us that your fear of flying was not an issue and that you were ready to be an NBA player. Shortly after we drafted you, you apologized for having to mislead us," reads an excerpt of the letter.

David Barron of the Houston Chronicle shares more from the letter. The information comes via advance copies of White's interview on HBO's "Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel," set to air Tuesday. The televised feature uncovers a document that White wrote along with his doctor stating that mental health should be treated as a medical condition. White wants to have it made as an addendum to his contract, but that would violate the terms of the CBA.

White also reportedly wants the team to hire a doctor who would assess him before each game to determine whether he's fit to play through his mental illnesses. He suffers from mental health issues including generalized anxiety disorder and obsessive compulsive disorder, as well as a fear of flying. White, who has yet to make his regular season debut, has been away from the team for more than two months. Houston coach Kevin McHale said before last night's game that he hasn't seen or spoken to White in more than a month.

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Odds & Ends: LeBron, Miles, Harrington

January 19th, 2013 at 11:33pm CST by Ryan Raroque
With LeBron James currently slated to become a free agent in 2014, Mary Schmitt-Boyer of The Plain Dealer thinks that speculation about a possible return to the Cavaliers could become a hot topic over the next 18 months. Don't count former Cleveland guard Mo Williams among those who thinks about the notion much, telling Schmitt-Boyer when asked about the possibility of LeBron's homecoming: "I don't know, I don't know. I think that is a question for him only." Here's more links from the rest of the NBA tonight:  
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