Royce White: Releases Statement - Wants Private Bus At Times

[QUOTE=ZeN]This is a great point.. If his concern is having proper accommodation because of health issues, he should have addressed this ASAP.. The time he chose and the way it's occurring, either some details are left out or there's ulterior motives.[/QUOTE]

Everybody knew about his disorder before this. The only reason he fell so low in the draft was because of this. The Rockets were the only ones willing to take a chance on him. I can't say if it's good or bad because his career hasn't really even started.

[QUOTE=Mr Exlax]I'm dead serious.

I mean bro this is just his first season. We aren't going all in on this kid in his first season. He's not the savior of the franchise right now.

I say let him take some time and get right. He's not being a distraction. He's not blowing up on teammates or raping bitches or getting his father killed by not paying gambling debts. He's simply missing training camp to deal with his mental health instead of waiting until something bad happens.[/QUOTE]

Taking a year off from the lifestyle and routine that would be required of him is not going to help him at all. He has to know what he's up against, and he can't do that if he's holed up at home away from everything. He needs to be in training camp right now. He needs to be with the team. He needs to be meeting this head on. He can get on Twitter all he wants and talk about how proactive he's being, but the fact remains that he's nowhere to be found right now. If that's proactive, I'd hate to see reactive.

[QUOTE=Mr Exlax]Everybody knew about his disorder before this. The only reason he fell so low in the draft was because of this. The Rockets were the only ones willing to take a chance on him. I can't say if it's good or bad because his career hasn't really even started.[/QUOTE]


Well im really not disputing the mental health claims and whether its fair or whatever.

Im simply stating that if everyone was aware as you say, including the Rockets.. and if White knew that he would need to make these adjustments.. Why hasnt it all been taken care of already? Why wait until training camp to seek these personal adjustments? Seems a bit suspect or maybe its just irresponsible behavior that is typical of people with mental issues. Either way its not good to have someone unstable being impulsive with their demands.

He knows he has these issues so its his responsibility to seek treatment and try to learn which adjustment methods need to be implemented. There are various ways to help curve his issues, he just has to put the effort and desire to actually make it happen. If he doesnt get motivated and try to progressively change.. he will either be riding buses his whole career while making less money than his potential or the teams that will be willing to deal with him, will start diminishing.

There is therapy for what he has.. but it takes a lot of hard work and a willing spirit. He has to suffer before he succeeds. Which is why hes making all these adjustments... hes not ready to face the facts yet.

The one thing about it is, it's actually his illness speaking for him when he says that he needs the bus in order for him to be healthy. It couldn't be further from the truth, but it's our tendency. Fear never happens in the present. It only happens when either anticipating some future disaster, or when remembering something that has happened in the past. In his case, it was anticipation. He initially said, "ok this is gonna be tough, but I can handle it." And then as the schedule came out he said "oh no, I have to be on a plane X____ amount of times, what if I can't handle it? What if I freak out on the plane? What if the schedule is too demanding for me? What if I can't handle playing in the NBA?"

Now, i'm not saying all of that justifies being back and forth in regards to the business aspect of it which is the NBA, i'm rather just explaining to you the irrational thoughts that go through the mind of someone with this problem and how real those thoughts and worries feel.

I have anxiety disorders and OCD and it can be hell. He probably has social anxiety too which makes him anxious around people. I would think he is on some kind of ssri or tricyclic antidepressant (the older ones before they came out with ssri's) that lean towards helping anxiety and ocd more so than depression. He could be on luvox, celexa, lexapro or what I was just put on was Clomipramine which is one of the older TCA's, but it is supposed to work better than the newer drugs for OCD and anxiety. I would think he would be on some kind of benzo too when he's really stressed out. I'm prescribed 60 2mg klonopin to take twice a day as needed.

People that say just smoke weed are stupid. I've smoked a lot of bud in my day, but when you have anxiety disorders the marijuana can only make it worse. You've heard of regular people who get paranoid or really anxious when they smoke. I've had that happen to me because of my anxiety disorders and it's only worse. Usually if i'm smoking in an comfortable situation it doesn't affect me that way but if I'm already anxious and I smoked it would just make it worse and make me extremely paranoid.

Drinking would definitely help as you just don't care when intoxicated, but that is why so many people with these disorders become alcoholics. I've had my run in with alcoholism and am only getting out of it the last 6 months. Drinking is the worst possible self medication he could choose.

[QUOTE=C-Webb4]lol @ the people in this thread saying smoke weed and drink prior to or during a flight and problem solved. As someone who has what he has, I can tell you that smoking weed and drinking don't help. Especially weed. Weed is an anxiety sufferers worst nightmare. Drinking I guess when you drink enough does calm you down at least while under the influence but it's the same effect as taking a xanax or something. It'll calm you down for the moment but make you feel worse when it wears off.[/QUOTE]

I suffer from anxiety too and weed used to calm me down. Cocaine is what you should not take.

[QUOTE=Haymaker]I suffer from anxiety too and weed used to calm me down. Cocaine is what you should not take.[/QUOTE]
I guess it's different for different people, but at least in severe cases weed causes a lot of the symptoms that anxiety causes. Makes you paranoid and overthink about what's going on around you as well as inside your own body. But I guess no two people are alike so 2 people with the same overall problem could have the same drug but have different responses/reactions to it.

edit: but I actually know people who developed panic disorder and general anxiety disorder FROM smoking weed.

[QUOTE=niko]I agree. I have no problem with him needing help and telling you. But it feels like his problems were understated, and i have more problem (this will sound strange) with him asking for the private bus as opposed to him needing to miss time until he gets his mind working right. That to me feels like he wants special treatment, which is negative.

Wasn't a huge risk where you drafted him but the signs seem bad.[/QUOTE]


understated? i think hes been very open regarding his issues. hes done several pretty high profile interviews, and has revealed a lot of very personal things, that im sure many, if in his position, would have kept to themselves.

realistically, nobody is in position to judge him, since none of us know what hes truly going through

[QUOTE=C-Webb4]I guess it's different for different people, but at least in severe cases weed causes a lot of the symptoms that anxiety causes. Makes you paranoid and overthink about what's going on around you as well as inside your own body. But I guess no two people are alike so 2 people with the same overall problem could have the same drug but have different responses/reactions to it.

edit: but I actually know people who developed panic disorder and general anxiety disorder FROM smoking weed.[/QUOTE]

That being said, you're spot on with the observation that it was his anxiety asking for a bus. Seems like he needs CBT (Cognitive behavioral therapy) along with meditation to learn to separate himself from his anxiety thoughts. Medication is just a patch, therapy is more important. I took CBT and it took me out of the hole.

[QUOTE=CavaliersFTW]lol @ these weed and liquor "solutions" being presented by ISH's mental health disorder experts. [B]I'm sure weed and liquor would solve all of Royce's problems[/B] :facepalm :oldlol:[/QUOTE]
Well, I'm sure they couldn't hurt psychologically speaking ...... oh, wait.

[QUOTE=Nash]I remember soccer team Arsenal had similar problems with their star Dennis Bergkamp.[/QUOTE]
True but in sport where the vast majority of his games took place within one country (for most of his career a small country) where teams are transported by road, and with a less hectic schedule.

[QUOTE=2LeTTeRS][B]I have no problem with him wanting to get these accommodations, but why now?[/B] Why didn't he speak with the team when he first signed his contract? Sounds to me like he didn't want to go to training camp and he's using this as an excuse.[/QUOTE]
Bolded makes sense. It's not an excuse but this is coming out late in the day (not his anxiety and mental health issues, but specifics about not attending camp, intent to use buses). It does make worry whether there's a risk of him being found in breach of his contract. Obviously Houston don't want to cause trouble at this point, but if White isn't attending camp and especially [B]if[/B] has trouble getting to games (and we don't know the details at this time so some people are dismissing him prematurely) but if he doesn't do what he's obliged to then ... well I'd be concerned for him.

[QUOTE=Whoah10115]Wow, some people here are ridiculous.






I actually think this makes some sense. I don't know how bad the schedule will be for the Rockets (in the future, maybe the NBA takes tis into consideration) but this makese sense.


[B]And really, shame on his agent for not spreading the word. Common sense. Maybe even try to get him close to home. He was probably too scared of having the guy's stock and money drop. Should have been more concerned with the player and his needs.[/B][/QUOTE]
Not the agent's fault. At all. White interviewed with teams. White is the one who should have communicated any wishes he had to teams directly or to and through his agent. The agent is his employee and will have done what was asked of him. Only if agents hushed things up, gagged him from speaking freely and have placed him in a contract he'll have to end up breaking will/would it be the case that they were negligent. There's a lot of ifs there.


Anyway I wish him well with his NBA career and more importantly with his mental health issues.

[QUOTE=All Net]Maybe basketball isn't the ideal career for him....must be tough but still he's going to struggle if this is the case.[/QUOTE]
Right on the money.:applause:

[QUOTE=Haymaker]That being said, you're spot on with the observation that it was his anxiety asking for a bus. Seems like he needs CBT (Cognitive behavioral therapy) along with meditation to learn to separate himself from his anxiety thoughts. Medication is just a patch, therapy is more important. I took CBT and it took me out of the hole.[/QUOTE]
Agreed, i'm in process of CBT now so that's why I was saying I get what he's saying. At it's worst, my family would be like "hey come and do this, try this, do this or that it will help" and i'd be like "nah i'm not in a position to be able to handle that right now. I'll do it when I get better." But the irony is that it's the DOING that makes you better. One of the first things my own CBT therapist told me was that you have to die before you truly live. You have to do all those things that terrify you over and over (as you know) and it may suck at first while you're doing it until your brain gets retrained and you learn that it's not really something to be feared but rather understood. So taking time to build up to being able to handle going on the plane will not foster improvement in his ability to handle going on the plane. It rather reinforces his problem and is avoidance behavior. It's not like people think where you can actually beat your fears without facing them head on.

[url]http://www.myfoxhouston.com/story/19737112/2012/10/04/royce-white-says-agreement-in-place[/url]

[QUOTE=DuMa][url]http://www.myfoxhouston.com/story/19737112/2012/10/04/royce-white-says-agreement-in-place[/url][/QUOTE]
[QUOTE]White said it is fault he did not come to the Rockets sooner about getting his issues with travel resolved, but he pointed out his illness had a lot do with that as well.

"I will take full responsibility for that," White said. "You have to understand that with the disorder I have specifically, it was very worrisome, stressful for me to even make a decision to be able to ask for what I need.

"There was a certain amount of fear that went into me even stepping up and asking for what I need because, let's face it, the ramifications could have been a number of things, and one of those could have been me not being in the league come two years from now or even now.

"That was very scary for me personally. It came to a point where I really had to decide 'okay either you're going to step up and ask for what you need or deal with the consequences that may come if this isn't supported,' and I wasn't willing to do that in the end. So I felt the need to step up and ask.

White said he is looking forward to rejoining the Rockets.
[/QUOTE]

Read more: [url]http://www.myfoxhouston.com/story/19737112/2012/10/04/royce-white-says-agreement-in-place#ixzz28N8DMZS9[/url]

[QUOTE=Smoke117]I have anxiety disorders and OCD and it can be hell. He probably has social anxiety too which makes him anxious around people. I would think he is on some kind of ssri or tricyclic antidepressant (the older ones before they came out with ssri's) that lean towards helping anxiety and ocd more so than depression. He could be on luvox, celexa, lexapro or what I was just put on was Clomipramine which is one of the older TCA's, but it is supposed to work better than the newer drugs for OCD and anxiety. I would think he would be on some kind of benzo too when he's really stressed out. I'm prescribed 60 2mg klonopin to take twice a day as needed.

People that say just smoke weed are stupid. I've smoked a lot of bud in my day, but when you have anxiety disorders the marijuana can only make it worse. You've heard of regular people who get paranoid or really anxious when they smoke. I've had that happen to me because of my anxiety disorders and it's only worse. Usually if i'm smoking in an comfortable situation it doesn't affect me that way but if I'm already anxious and I smoked it would just make it worse and make me extremely paranoid.

Drinking would definitely help as you just don't care when intoxicated, but that is why so many people with these disorders become alcoholics. I've had my run in with alcoholism and am only getting out of it the last 6 months. Drinking is the worst possible self medication he could choose.[/QUOTE]


First, fantastic post that offers a true insight to what Royce might be going through. I didn't see that anyone else really applauded you for sharing your own issues so openly, so thank you for that.

In response to this post:

[QUOTE]White said it is fault he did not come to the Rockets sooner about getting his issues with travel resolved, but he pointed out his illness had a lot do with that as well.

"I will take full responsibility for that," White said. "You have to understand that with the disorder I have specifically, it was very worrisome, stressful for me to even make a decision to be able to ask for what I need.

"There was a certain amount of fear that went into me even stepping up and asking for what I need because, let's face it, the ramifications could have been a number of things, and one of those could have been me not being in the league come two years from now or even now.

"That was very scary for me personally. It came to a point where I really had to decide 'okay either you're going to step up and ask for what you need or deal with the consequences that may come if this isn't supported,' and I wasn't willing to do that in the end. So I felt the need to step up and ask.

White said he is looking forward to rejoining the Rockets.
[/QUOTE]

I think it is kind of poor he didn't say anything. All i got from this article is that he was afraid someone would not draft him if they knew what he needed. Well, i hate to admit, he probably would of not been drafted and it's unfair to the team to not have all the proper information first hand.

Basically, what I think he is doing is fighting for "employee rights" when he was not upfront at first. If the Rockets were not afraid of the public backlash, they are probably within their rights to rescind their contract to him.

What Royce is trying to do here is get WHAT HE WANTS, even though it is what he needs, without being up front. Using your illness as an excuse for not being up front is just a stupid cop out. If there is one thing that bothers me it is when people use their own issues as a reason to not do what everyone else is required to do.

I hope this situation does get solved soon. He is incredibly talented but i hope it is worth all of the headaches.

[QUOTE=hipballinjigga]First, fantastic post that offers a true insight to what Royce might be going through. I didn't see that anyone else really applauded you for sharing your own issues so openly, so thank you for that.

In response to this post:

I think it is kind of poor he didn't say anything. All i got from this article is that he was afraid someone would not draft him if they knew what he needed. Well, i hate to admit, he probably would of not been drafted and it's unfair to the team to not have all the proper information first hand.

Basically, what I think he is doing is fighting for "employee rights" when he was not upfront at first. If the Rockets were not afraid of the public backlash, they are probably within their rights to rescind their contract to him.

What Royce is trying to do here is get WHAT HE WANTS, even though it is what he needs, without being up front. Using your illness as an excuse for not being up front is just a stupid cop out. If there is one thing that bothers me it is when people use their own issues as a reason to not do what everyone else is required to do.

I hope this situation does get solved soon. He is incredibly talented but i hope it is worth all of the headaches.[/QUOTE]
Completely disagree. As said in that very article it's not at all convenient to take an 8 hour bus ride vs. a 2 hour flight, and his offer is to cover the cost of the bus at his own expense. I don't think it has anything to do with employee rights even though he has mentioned that. What you may not understand about anxiety is that it has the tendency to make you doubt yourself. When he saw the schedule come out, he panicked. He was worried about the travel responsibilities he had and wondered if he'd be able to manage it. It's his fault in the sense that he backtracked on previous word given and told them at the last minute but in another sense it's not his fault because that's what anxiety does to you.

[QUOTE=Mr Exlax]I'm dead serious.

I mean bro this is just his first season. We aren't going all in on this kid in his first season. He's not the savior of the franchise right now.

I say let him take some time and get right. He's not being a distraction. He's not blowing up on teammates or raping bitches or getting his father killed by not paying gambling debts. He's simply missing training camp to deal with his mental health instead of waiting until something bad happens.[/QUOTE]

People with disorders of this magnitude don;t just "get their mind right". I don't think this is is something that goes away.

[quote=Darius]People with disorders of this magnitude don;t just "get their mind right". I don't think this is is something that goes away.[/quote]

You do not have to live like that.
Proper counselling to correct root causes and changes to thought pattern and lifestyles will heal mental health.
This guy seems to have given up on that from my limited reading, and wants the world to revolve around his illness.
IMO that's a bad example for mental health sufferers.

shoulda made these demands before he signed his contract.

[QUOTE=G-train][b]You do not have to live like that.
Proper counselling to correct root causes and changes to thought pattern and lifestyles will heal mental health.
This guy seems to have given up on that from my limited reading, and wants the world to revolve around his illness.
[/B]IMO that's a bad example for mental health sufferers.[/QUOTE]

:biggums:

Please stop.

Actually what NGJS is saying is kind of true even though it came across in a harsh way. I've looked up some info before on what he does to treat his and it's pretty much that he manages with a combination of prescription pills and talk therapy from a psychiatrist. I don't think he really believes that it can be cured by his interviews and what he says and how he acts. I think that he feels that at best he can contain it by limiting certain activities, avoiding certain things altogether, and popping a pill before flights and things like that. That's totally the wrong way to go about it and I hope he gets more educated on it and meets some of the right people. Because I have made tremendous strides, and only have been able to do so by challenging myself and stepping outside of my comfort zone to not avoid or put limits on what I can or cannot do.

I'm sure Hoiberg and McHale have open lines of communication with regards to Royce and will do everything possible to get him what he needs to be comfortable. The fact he's not in camp worries me.

[QUOTE]Royce White has positive meeting with Rockets

By Brett Hein on Oct 4, 8:03a
Houston Rockets rookie forward Royce White met with team officials on Wednesday night, which is reported to have gone "well," according to FOX 26 in Houston. White has been absent from training camp in a continued battle with his widely publicized anxiety issues.

The station's report also says that White is not set to join the Rockets' training camp, but will try to join the team at a later date.

White, the no. 16 overall pick of the 2012 draft, also released a statement through his publicist in which he says he has asked for help and will continue to champion understanding for mental illness:

[I]"For me, hiding is no longer a healthy option in treating my anxiety or OCD, so I have asked for some help from the organization to ensure long-term health for myself ...

"It is regrettable that I cannot be currently present, but long term health obviously should be the most important thing. I will continue to champion the cause for mental illness being met with understanding; if not, the ramifications are dangerous."[/I]

A tweet from White even later in the night confirmed the report that the meeting went well:

There is nothing but very positive strides being taken right now between I and the @houstonrockets to support health. Thank You! #Rockets

— Royce White (@Highway_30) October 4, 2012[/QUOTE]

[url]http://www.sbnation.com/nba/2012/10/4/3452798/royce-white-rockets-meeting[/url]

First of all I don't even know who this dude is... secondly that means he isn't good enough to be making such demands for accommodations...

[QUOTE=HardwoodLegend]They need to just have him sedated before flights.

Dat ether.

[img]http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m0wf720EL91qlqqhoo1_500.jpg[/img][/QUOTE]
:roll:

Royce White the basketball player is a beast. I've seen a lot of the dude in college and he's solid. Great rebounder, agile, has a good array of paint moves. I'm unsure how it affects him on the court but I think if he can manage to work through it, he may be a worthwile risk in the long run. Plus it's not like he's on a contending team right now anyways.

[quote=Rowe]:biggums:

Please stop.[/quote]

I'm correct.

:coleman:

Best cure for depression and anxiety is to spend some time in Africa at missions centre for a few weeks or months.
Then your mind grasps real problems to be sad about or worried about.
Sounds harsh but it actually works.

[QUOTE=G-train]Best cure for depression and anxiety is to spend some time in Africa at missions centre for a few weeks or months.
Then your mind grasps real problems to be sad about or worried about.
Sounds harsh but it actually works.[/QUOTE]:facepalm

Any college basketball/draft experts here, how much did his OCD/Anxiety issues hurt his draft stock compared to where he was picked at 16?

[QUOTE=G-train]Best cure for depression and anxiety is to spend some time in Africa at missions centre for a few weeks or months.
Then your mind grasps real problems to be sad about or worried about.
Sounds harsh but it actually works.[/QUOTE]

Wrong, it makes you more depressed to live in such a world.

[IMG]http://images.wikia.com/edfanon/images/7/79/Ed_Edd_N_Eddy_Monster_by_TheRealTDAGeena.gif[/IMG]

Health is the greatest gift, contentment the greatest wealth, faithfulness the best relationship
- Buddha

[QUOTE=UtahJazzFan88]Any college basketball/draft experts here, how much did his OCD/Anxiety issues hurt his draft stock compared to where he was picked at 16?[/QUOTE]
First of all I don't think you could call anyone here an expert. But as someone who did follow his basketball career he was a definite top 10 perhaps even a top 5 prospect. People have compared him to a guy cut out of the mold of a Charles Barkley but taller and more properly filled out.

edit: in doing a quick google search I found that it seems he actually did ask teams about whether they would accomodate him or not with the whole bus thing prior to the draft. I'm unsure though of what exactly he told the rockets organization.

[QUOTE]In sit-downs with White, however, NBA officials have warned that the pros will be less accommodating. The Heat told him that he wouldn't be allowed to drive even the four hours to Orlando. "It's understandable," White says. "But in my head, I'm going, You want me to drive. You're paying me millions of dollars to perform.... We're not all alike."[/QUOTE]

So that does makes sense to me why he would be emphasizing the disability part of it. For them to not even give him the option.

[QUOTE=CavaliersFTW]I say do whatever it takes to let the man play esp since he's willing to front the money for some of his needs. His openness about his disorder could help raise mental health disorder awareness for NBA players and fans alike[/QUOTE]

I understand this point, but this isn't just an ordinary job.

If his mental disease is this serious, then he shouldn't be in the NBA. Imagine the trouble that he'll cause for his players, fans and organization?

I wish him the best, but this is a business at the end of the day, and he'll hurt it.

he was upfront with his condition from the beginning so houston knew the risks involved. he was taken off many draft boards altogether because of it. who's to say he wasn't trying to work around the whole bus thing but realized he's not ready yet? some days are better than others and it's not something that gets put behind him overnight.

it's better he tells them now than have a panic attack at an airport and miss the game because of it, right? like someone said, it's plausible he freaked out after seeing the schedule. when it comes to these things, it's better to get it over with. otherwise, you just stew over it and let the anxiety fester and grow. the same would apply to media day. just hearing 'media day' would be enough to set someone struggling with anxiety on edge.

the only thing he can really do is keep going to therapy so that he can attack the problem head on and know what to do when he feels an anxiety attack coming on. once he gets over the initial fear, it becomes more and more approachable. for now, it's something both royce and houston have to work with together to see success...and they both knew this.

this is going to be a process but i'm pulling for him.

If i had depression, Million Dollar paychecks would make my depression go away instantly.

[IMG]http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mbamb24HTF1rpx6m6.gif[/IMG]

Just the amount of separation from his team and practices he'd have to miss makes it a nonstarter. There's like 4 cities a bus trip from Dallas makes any kind of sense for. What's he going to do when Houston's in LA then Portland the next night then Utah two days after that or something?

The dude went and hid in his coach's office at a year end awards banquet which is obviously full of nothing but people that adore the guy and he still couldn't face them. I hope he can get past it, but he's in the wrong career path.

Xanax.

Next?

[QUOTE=LosBulls]He needs to smoke some weed before every flight. I bet it would solve his problem.

Petition for the NBA to legalize weed for him plz.[/QUOTE]

I can tell you haven't smoked weed before..

You really think that'll calm him down? Weed makes you paranoid bro, try smoking weed before going on a rollercoaster and tell me if you suddenly grow a pair of baIIs