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Royce White Not Accepting D-League Assignment

December 30th, 2012 at 9:29pm CST by Luke Adams

9:29pm: According to a tweet from Yahoo! NBA reporter Adrian Wojnarowski, the Rockets have no intention of releasing White. 

2:19pm: Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld tweets that if the Rockets wanted to part ways with White, their best option would be simply to cut him and eat his salary. He notes that White has a considerable amount of leverage in any prospective buyout negotiation.

12:58pm: Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle has posted White's full statement on the Chronicle's blog.

12:41pm: Rockets rookie Royce White has issued a statement saying that he will not accept his assignment to the D-League, according to Mark Berman of FOX 26 Houston (via Twitter). White had been assigned to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers yesterday by the Rockets.

White's anxiety and fear of flying have been well-documented this season, as his mental health issues have postponed his NBA debut and perhaps even put his NBA career in jeopardy. When news broke yesterday that White would be sent to the D-League, Berman and TNT's David Aldridge both reported that the assignment was part of a "multi-week plan" for the first-round pick, with a D-League stint merely the first part of that plan.

However, according to Berman, White's publicist China Myers has indicated that the 6'8" forward will not report to Rio Grande "until a mental health protocol is in place" (Twitter link). According to Aldridge, White's statement indicates he wants to play, but is uncomfortable with team officials making mental health decisions, calling instead for "the collaboration and recommendation of trained professionals." (Twitter links).

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Rockets Assign Royce White To D-League

December 29th, 2012 at 8:30pm CST by Ryan Raroque

8:30pm: David Aldridge of NBA.com mentions that the D-League assignment is part of a "multi-week plan", and Berman clarifies that the workouts in Houston along with the stint in Rio Grande Valley represent steps one and two of that plan, respectively. 

8:02pm: The Rockets have sent rookie forward Royce White to their D-League affiliate, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers (according to a tweet by Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle). White is yet to appear in a regular season game for Houston this season and should have a better opportunity to develop more in the NBDL. 

Mark Berman of Fox 26 (via Twitter) mentions that the 6'8" forward had worked out with a member of the Rockets' organization this past week, and Feigen adds that the assignment is part of a plan in which White is on board with to ultimately get him ready for the NBA. 

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Western Notes: Thunder, Lin, Dwight

December 29th, 2012 at 6:22pm CST by Ryan Raroque

HoopsWorld's Susan Bible wonders whether Thunder sophomore Reggie Jackson, with an assist from extra playing time in the D-League, has surpassed Eric Maynor to become the primary backup to Russell Westbrook. Maynor will be a restricted free agent this summer, while Jackson's rookie deal isn't up until 2015. Jackson and Maynor's respective playing time over the last three games have definitely been worth noting, as the former Boston College product has averaged 16.3 MPG to Maynor's 1.3 (including two DNP-CDs). We have more tidbits to share from the Western Conference, and you can find them below:

  • Jeremy Lin is becoming a better fit next to James Harden, as Royce Young of CBSSports.com observes. The Rockets have gone 7-2 in their last nine games, with Lin averaging 14.1 PPG and 6.7 APG. 
  • The Mavericks are hoping that Dwight Howard will leave the Lakers in free agency next summer, tweets Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. As Chuck Myron outlined over the summer, signing Howard appears to be a risky strategy from a salary cap perspective, even if it's possible. 
  • Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune provides a fuller picture of Rockets coach Kevin McHale's recent comments about Royce White.
  • While former Kings second round draft pick Hassan Whiteside isn't currently under contract with an NBA team, Ryan Ripley of Ridiculous Upside highlights how the 7-footer's recent performances with the Sioux Falls Skyforce of the D-League has helped quell some past concerns about his play. 
  • Vincent Goodwill of the Detroit News thinks that Dan Fegan (the newly hired agent of DeMarcus Cousins) could be instrumental in forcing a trade out of Sacramento with Cousins' chance at a contract extension looming (Twitter link).

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

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Western Notes: Barnes, Douglas-Roberts, White

December 28th, 2012 at 11:00pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Clippers erased a 19-point deficit to the Jazz to win their 16th straight game tonight, but the NBA's best team still only has a one-game lead for the top spot in the Western Conference. The Thunder are tied in the loss column with the Clippers, and the Spurs are just a game and a half back of L.A. As usual, the West is stacked at the top. Here's more on the Clips and the teams trying to chase them down.

  • Clippers forward Matt Barnes believes he was "stuck in a bad situation" under former Lakers coach Mike Brown, as Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times writes. "Last year, playing with the Lakers, I was told when I could shoot. If I made mistakes, I'd come out of the game," Barnes said. "This year Vinny (Del Negro) has installed a lot of trust in me.  He lets me go out there and play my game. If I mess up, he still sticks with me and that goes a long way with any player."
  • New Mavericks swingman Chris Douglas-Roberts, writing on his Tumblr account, chronicles his experiences in training camp with the Lakers this fall. He also reveals his decision to turn down a seven-figure contract from a team overseas to play in the D-League, which he felt offered the fastest route back to the NBA (hat tip to Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com).
  • Royce White's grandfather told Charley Walters of the St. Paul Pioneer Press that White expects to work out with the Rockets next week (Twitter link). It's unclear whether that means he'll be formally returning to the team. 
  • JaVale McGee is playing less than 20 minutes per game after re-signing with the Nuggets for four years and $44MM this summer, but coach George Karl said the team doesn't regret committing so much money to him, HoopsWorld's Bill Ingram tweets. 
  • Michael Scotto of RealGM.com chronicles the journey of Mavs rookie and former Air Force Staff Sergeant Bernard James, including his early experiences in the NBA. 
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Southwest Rumors: Mavericks, Gordon, White

December 26th, 2012 at 8:58pm CST by Chuck Myron

Four of five Southwest Division teams are in action tonight, and the Hornets started the evening off on a postive note by breaking their 11-game losing streak with a victory over the Magic. The Mavericks, in the midst of a three-day layoff surrounding Christmas, are probably in a festive mood, considering Dirk Nowitzki saw his first action of the season in Dallas' last outing. Here's more news on the Mavs and another star making his way back into the lineup.

  • The Mavs "will be listening to anybody and everybody who wants to make a move" between now and the trade deadline, and they're particularly interested in finding a point guard, according to Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News. Sefko chatted with readers about a litany of Mavs-related subjects, and says that although the team will look to make moves, it isn't ready to dismantle the core and give up on making the playoffs just yet.
  • Hornets coach Monty Williams believes Eric Gordon could make his debut this season as early as Saturday, as John Reid of the Times Picayune notes. Gordon has been out all year with a patella tendon disorder and a bone bruise in his right knee after a contentious back-and-forth between him and the team during restricted free agency this summer.
  • The Associated Press reports that Rockets coach Kevin McHale is "unsure" about Royce White's future with the team, though it sounds like McHale simply hasn't been briefed on the very latest concerning the 16th overall pick, who's yet to play for Houston as he works through his generalized anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorders.
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Odds & Ends: Batum, Gallinari, Kabongo, Lee

December 20th, 2012 at 10:08pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Jason Quick of the Oregonian looks at the friendly rivalry between the Trail Blazers' Nicolas Batum and the Nuggets' Danilo Gallinari that has stemmed from their days as young Euroleague stars hoping to make it into the NBA. Most notably, Quick mentions that Batum's salary negotiations this past summer were influenced by the type of deals that Gallinari, Marvin Williams, and Arron Afflalo had received with their respective teams. With that aside, here are a few more rumblings from around the Association tonight:

  • Derrick Rose took part in the non-contact portion of Bulls practice today, although coach Tom Thibodeau has not yet placed a timetable on the superstar's return (Seth Gruen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports).  
  • Despite a strong start to the season, the Warriors' upcoming stretch against teams that have a notable inside presence will help determine if their interior defensive struggles against the Kings were either minor or a sign of a major problem, writes Marcus Thompson II of MercuryNews.com.
  • Rookie Royce White is "hopeful" that he'll play for the Rockets again sometime this season (Mark Berman of Fox 26 tweets).
  • 1500 ESPN's Darren Wolfson confirms earlier speculation via a team source that Timberwolves guard  Malcolm Lee will be sidelined for the rest of the year (Twitter link). 
  • Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune tweeted that Chris Douglas-Roberts is another top option available for the Timberwolves in addition to Michael Redd. 
  • In his Nuggets Mailbag, Benjamin Hochman of The Denver Post discusses why he thinks Gallinari has shown the capability of being a clutch All-Star type of player, why Carmelo Anthony isn't necessarily the clear-cut MVP right now, and the Nuggets' decision to commit to a long-term deal with Ty Lawson.

Read more

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Berger On Lakers, White, Thunder, Fisher

December 5th, 2012 at 5:25pm CST by Sean Highkin

Ken Berger of CBSSports.com has a new column dealing with several high-profile topics from around the NBA. Here are the highlights:

  • Berger writes that if the Lakers choose to trade Pau Gasol, they should look for wing defenders and bench depth.
  • The Rockets and Royce White appear to be making progress in working through the issues that have prevented the rookie from seeing playing time. Berger reports that White has begun seeing the therapist the team assigned to him to assist with his anxiety disorder.
  • Kevin Martin is having a fantastic season for the Thunder, who Berger believes have been vindicated for their decision to trade James Harden.
  • Thunder guard Russell Westbrook praised the Mavericks' signing of Derek Fisher, citing the veteran point guard's impact on the Oklahoma City locker room last season.
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Daryl Morey Talks D-League, Rookies

November 24th, 2012 at 9:25am CST by Sean Highkin

Houston Rockets GM Daryl Morey attended a Rio Grande Vipers game this week to scout the talent on his team's D-League squad, and talked to Yannis Kotroupis of HoopsWorld.com. Among the topics he discussed was the importance of the D-League to the Rockets' player-development system:

“We consider it one of our key assets,” Morey said to HOOPSWORLD. “We have a great partnership. I think overtime people are going to see minor league basketball like Triple A baseball. It’s not much different than Major League Baseball where most players are one step away from the pros. The first three or four guys on every D-League bench are really not different from guys 11-15 on NBA benches. The quality of basketball is super high, way higher than college basketball. Pretty much every D-League team would have a chance to challenge for a NCAA title. These are really great teams playing every night and I think over time people are going to see how high the quality is.”

Among the players on the Vipers who impressed Morey the most was Lithuanian big man Donatas Motiejunas:

“[Motiejuans] a very skilled offensive player so we’re hoping shows that and I think he really did show that in the first half here,” Morey said. “We’re focused on him a getting a lot of minutes so he can get his game shape up cause we want to see him impact in transition at our level and this level. We want to see him as he gets tired continue to impact the game defensively, rebounding wise and be solid on defense without fouling. And, it’s overtime. It’s not overnight. We want him to get stronger, deal with stronger guys in the NBA. There’s quite a few bigs down here like a Jeff Adrien on his own team, but on other teams where he can get a real good sense going against these bigger, stronger guys than he’s faced in the past.”

Morey was also happy with what he saw from undrafted rookie point guard Scott Machado, and touched on the team's plans for him:

“Scott is a guy we really believe in,” Morey said. “The highest assist guy I think in 20 years in college basketball. Really skilled passer. Obviously he has has, we look for a guy with an elite skill in one area and then see if they can round it out in other areas. I think his time with the Vipers were really going to see can he take that passing an elite skill and add to it defense, rebounding and getting his own offense, things like that. Overtime we’ll see that but we really think he’s a great prospect for us going forward.”

Morey also denied reports that the team had intended to send embattled rookie forward Royce White to the D-League, saying he's optimistic the two parties can sort out their issues.

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Rockets Never Meant To Send White To D-League

November 23rd, 2012 at 9:32pm CST by Chuck Myron

Rockets GM Daryl Morey told Yannis Koutroupis of HoopsWorld that the team never intended to send Royce White to the D-League, despite earlier indications to the contrary, and said he's optimistic about White's situation (Twitter link). The rookie has been away from the team for two weeks, and there's still no timetable for his return, according to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. 

When the report that the team would send White down surfaced, it came along with the news that the Rockets were also farming out Scott Machado and Donatas Motiejunas. That seemed to run counter to the CBA rule that an NBA team can only assign two players to the D-League at once. White went on his current leave of absence before the team could officially demote him, and now it appears such a move wasn't in the works, after all.

Feigen notes the team is expected to recall Motiejunas this weekend. That would allow the the Rockets to send White down, but it's unclear whether that would happen. White reportedly has misgivings about how playing in the D-League would jibe with his illness, and the fact that White addressed the specter of a D-League assignment suggests the team at least broached the subject with him.

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Rockets Notes: White, Lin, Harden

November 19th, 2012 at 2:48pm CST by Luke Adams

The Rockets lost their second consecutive game last night in Los Angeles against the Lakers, but they'll have a chance to get back in the win column tonight in Utah. As we await that game, we'll round up a few notes out of Houston:

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