Rockets Rookie Afraid to Fly...

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Better Than Most
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:55PM EST October 4. 2012 - On the court, Houston Rockets rookie Royce White is a whirling dervish: powerful, fast and talented. In the air, he's a nervous wreck.

White has an anxiety disorder that's plagued him for years, and it heightens when he's forced to board a jet airplane. The disorder, which played a role in his leaving the University of Minnesota for Iowa State after one year, is severe enough that he hasn't reported to Rockets training camp. Instead, he's working out an agreement that would allow him to bus to some road games, ESPN.com reported.

"What it's going to look like is every game that's drivable," White told ESPN.com. "I'm going to get a bus for myself. And I'm going to make that bus feel like home so that there's a level of consistency in a job where inconsistency is very apparent because of the schedule."

In the interview, White calls his disorder "a mental illness" and shows the kind of self-awareness that should help him lead a productive career. His ability can't be questioned: White averaged 13.4 points, 9.3 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 1.2 steals a game for Iowa State. The Rockets have a logjam at forward, but White's versatility could make him an asset.

But the no-flying thing could define him. Grantland and ESPN columnist Bill Simmons dubbed White "The Guy Who's Afraid To Fly" while lauding his upside during the weeks leading up to the draft.

White says he hopes to report in the next week, and the Rockets are willing to support him, general manager Daryl Morey said in a statement.

Now we wait for the wheels on the bus deal to go 'round.
 

Better Than Most
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This is a major team fail in my opinion. You spend all this money on a guy and you don't know this? This doesn't seem to be new news. I see this as a major problem. Feel a little bad for the kid, but I also think he's kind of a bitch.
 

Rx God
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So he drives to some games and flies to more distant ones ?

If you can fly coast to coast, you can fly 500 miles.
 

And if the Road Warrior says it, it must be true..
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he has had the problem since college....fuckin Rockets shouldn't have drafted him
 

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he has had the problem since college....fuckin Rockets shouldn't have drafted him

Max, I assume they knew about this. Makes no sense to draft a guy who is afraid to fly. And Doug is right, why can he fly to some? WTF is the difference.
 

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So he drives to some games and flies to more distant ones ?

If you can fly coast to coast, you can fly 500 miles.

I imagine his disorder revolves around him losing oxygen and plunging to a fiery death. So if he can limit the amount of times he feels that sensation it would be a lot easier on his mental state. I don't think the travel distance factors in, it is the amount of times he has to take off and land. I don't have a phobia so I don't know what that can be like on ones mental state but from what I hear is giving someone your bone marrow is a long and painful procedure where they stick these long needles in your bones and suck out your marrow one by one. I am sure if you ask somebody who went through this procedure how much of a relief it would be on them if the doctor only needed to it 5 times as opposed to 10 times.
 

Rx God
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Maybe he is a basket case after the flight and can't play well.

Scout this stuff before signing the guy.
 

And if the Road Warrior says it, it must be true..
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Rockets working with Royce White


Updated: October 4, 2012, 6:46 PM ET
Associated Press



McALLEN, Texas -- Houston Rockets first-round draft pick Royce White is a no-show at training camp and said he and the team are working on a plan to address his fear of flying.
The 6-foot-8 White was the 16th overall pick after one season at Iowa State. White suffers from anxiety and fear of flying. He says on Twitter that he's working with the team on an "innovative plan" to balance treatment with the NBA schedule.
i
Here's how it goes. I'm scared (going) to the airport, I'm scared going up, I'm uncomfortable in the air and I feel like a million bucks when we hit the runway.
” -- Royce White on flying​
"Anxiety isn't keeping me from camp," White wrote, "taking a Proactive approach to my mental illness instead of reactive is.(hash)StayingAheadOfMyDisorder."
White said he has an agreement with the team to take a bus to select games. KRIV-TV reported that the agreement is pending league approval. The Rockets would not comment beyond a statement that said they "are committed to Royce's long term success and we will continue to support him now and going forward."
White said he offered to buy the bus himself.
"I will not travel every game via bus," he wrote on Twitter. "It was decided that the less flying the less stress."
The Rockets opened training camp this week in McAllen, near the Texas-Mexico border, the home of their development league affiliate.
White averaged 13.4 points, 9.3 rebounds and five assists at Iowa State last season. He initially enrolled at Minnesota, then left the program last year and eventually transferred after pleading guilty to theft and disorderly conduct in an incident at the Mall of America.
He's been open about his anxiety throughout his career and bluntly broke it down for reporters at his introductory press conference in Houston in June.
"Here's how it goes," White said. "I'm scared (going) to the airport, I'm scared going up, I'm uncomfortable in the air and I feel like a million bucks when we hit the runway."
White was also absent from the Rockets' media day Monday. The team made the short flight to McAllen later that day, and White started tweeting about his discussions with the team Wednesday night.
"There is nothing but very positive strides being taken right now between I and the Houston Rockets to support health," he wrote. "This innovative plan is being well thought out by both parties, when it's done I think an executable plan will be there...A Healthy plan."
White added that "my health now is great, the best its ever been." He said "the long term is the goal here."
The Rockets and White did not give a timetable for his return. Houston plays its first preseason game next Wednesday night, against Oklahoma City in McAllen.
 

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I like the kid - as the article says, he's self-aware, this is a rare attribute for young people in general, yet alone a young nba player. This has been an issue for him a long time, everyone knew about it going in.
 

And if the Road Warrior says it, it must be true..
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I like the kid - as the article says, he's self-aware, this is a rare attribute for young people in general, yet alone a young nba player. This has been an issue for him a long time, everyone knew about it going in.

+1
 

Rx God
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These guys must fly on a comfy private team jet, so the whole boarding process should be easy. White can probably get the team Doc to prescribe him some stuff that will knock him out good for the flight....He won't even need know how he got from one city to the next.
 

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Would have been a Top 3 draft pick this past year without the disorder. Rockets knew that, and were willing to take the chance that he'd be a bust in hopes that he wouldn't.
 
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The Rockets probably figure they can cure his phobia, which is why they drafted him. When he sees his first paycheck, they can poinrt out that he'd be making dirt wages elsewhere instead of millions in the NBA. If that doesn't cure his fear then they should get him a place near an airport where he can watch planes take off and land all day; that will probably do it.
 

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I haven't got it that bad but I fukkin hate flying, absolutely detest it, so have some sympathy here. Team Doctor should be able to prescribe a suitable potion for this.
 

Rx God
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I don't fear flying at all, but I don't like it either, main reason is the tight seating.
 

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