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Latest On Royce White, Rockets

November 16th, 2012 at 5:22pm CST by Luke Adams

5:22pm: White told ESPN that he intends to meet with Rockets GM Daryl Morey to discuss his future. He indicated that he is willing to walk away from the NBA if the situation cannot be resolved.

3:41pm: In the past 24 hours, Royce White has "started to fulfill some of his obligations" to the Rockets, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. It was reported earlier this week that White was away from the team and wasn't attending sessions with a therapist arranged by the Rockets.

While Wojnarowski is sympathetic to White's anxiety disorder, the Yahoo! scribe's column suggests that the rookie out of Iowa State is putting his NBA career in jeopardy with his recent actions, which include a dispute with the club over his playing time. The Rockets have already created a unique travel plan for White, who has a fear of flying, but he hasn't been fulfilling his end of the agreement so far, Wojnarowski writes. One general manager told Wojnarowski that his team wouldn't have given White the sort of special treatment he's received from the Rockets, and other GMs and owners around the league agree.

"He isn't good enough – and I'm not sure anyone would be good enough – to have a completely different set of guidelines for him," said one GM. "I would've already cut him."

Reports have indicated that the Rockets have no intention of trading or releasing White, but according to Wojnarowski, there are still people close to the forward "begging him to start cooperating with the Rockets again." Although White wants to be an advocate for mental illness, he needs to prioritize himself and saving his own basketball career before it slips away, says Wojnarowski.

Stein On Gasol, Hawks, Smith, Frank, Harden

November 16th, 2012 at 11:34am CST by Luke Adams

Leading off his Weekend Dime piece at ESPN.com, Marc Stein follows up on yesterday's tweet about the possibility of the Hornets and Matt Carroll reaching a buyout agreement. According to Stein, New Orleans "immediately commenced" buyout talks with Carroll upon acquiring him, meaning the ex-Bobcat should be on the open market soon. Here are the other highlights from Stein's Weekend Dime:

While some pundits, including Grantland's Bill Simmons, continue to speculate about the Lakers trading Pau Gasol to the Hawks, Atlanta has no interest in sending Josh Smith to Los Angeles in a deal for Gasol, says Stein. The Hawks have "not been in enticed in the least" by the prospect of moving Smith, and are telling interested teams that they value the 26-year-old highly.
Atlanta's stance doesn't mean that the Lakers haven't spoken internally about the possibility of making a run at Smith, adds Stein. But it looks like an unlikely fit unless another team or two gets involved.
Even if the Pistons hadn't snapped a winless streak that saw them open the season 0-8, head coach Lawrence Frank likely wouldn't have been in immediate danger, according to Stein. Detroit views this season as a developmental one for its young core, and player development is considered one of Frank's strengths.
Stein also passes along details on the final year of James Harden's max contract, via Mark Deeks of ShamSports. As we heard earlier this week, that fifth year is only 50% guaranteed. However, it would become fully guaranteed if Harden makes even one All-Star team from 2013/14 to 2016/17. There are other conditions related to personal statistical benchmarks and the Rockets' postseason performance that would also guarantee that final year for Harden. You can check out the complete details at ShamSports.

Western Notes: Lakers, Howard, Bell

November 15th, 2012 at 7:45pm CST by Ryan Raroque

During an interview at the Lakers practice facility today, Mike D'Antoni acknowledged that his job will be to compete for a championship this season and added, "I told the team if we're not averaging 110-115 points a game, we need to talk." Zach Harper of CBS Sports relayed a plethora of other notable quotes as the new Lakers coach touched upon the offensive freedom he plans to give his players, the promise he sees in the second unit, and the notion that maximizing the amount of possessions per game will help offset one bad shot or bad call affecting the final outcome. Here's more of what we've heard tonight out of the Western Conference:

Dwight Howard told reporters that he is playing at about "75-80%" and still needs to get his explosiveness back to where he can sustain it over longer stretches of the game (Arash Markazi of ESPN LA tweets).
Marc Stein of ESPN mentions that Raja Bell would naturally be a target for the Lakers to pursue at this point, but him still being under contract with the Jazz, Los Angeles' $100MM payroll and a full roster remain as the most significant obstacles in their way (Twitter link).
The Suns approach to rebuilding includes stockpiling assets and being prepared for circumstances in which a good player may become available via trade, similar to how Houston was able to acquire James Harden from Oklahoma City, writes Sean Deveney of the Sporting News.
Marcus Thompson of the Bay Area News Group (Sulia link) reports that Warriors center Andrew Bogut has received multiple injections of Regenokine in his left ankle to help with his overall recovery process.
Keith Schlosser of Ridiculous Upside explains why a trip to the D-League for Scott Machado will be a golden opportunity for him to garner attention as a strong talent, something that would have been difficult without any significant playing time on the Rockets.

Western Notes: White, Bogut, D’Antoni, Gay

November 15th, 2012 at 1:46pm CST by Luke Adams

You'd be hard-pressed to argue that the undefeated Knicks and the defending champion Heat aren't currently the two best teams in the Eastern Conference. Both clubs head west tonight to take on a pair of Western Conference contenders, with the Knicks in San Antonio to face the Spurs, and the Heat playing the Nuggets in Denver. As we await what should be a great night of NBA action, let's round up the latest updates out of the West….

In a pair of columns for the Houston Chronicle, Jerome Solomon argues that the Rockets are handing the Royce White situation poorly, and that patience, not fines, should be central to the team's approach.
Discussing his ankle injury on KNBR in San Francisco, Andrew Bogut said the Warriors have been supportive and haven't pressured him since he arrived in Golden State, but that he still feels as if he's let people down. Brad Gagnon of Sports Radio Interviews has the quotes.
Timberwolves president David Kahn is expecting great things from his club when everyone starts getting healthy, as he tells Charley Walters of the St. Paul Pioneer Press.
It was Jerry Buss who had the final say on the Lakers hiring Mike D'Antoni over Phil Jackson, a source tells Joe McDonnell of FOX Sports West.
ESPN.com's five-man panel weighs in on how D'Antoni's arrival will affect the performances of the Lakers' stars, supporting cast, and defense.
The list of head coaches that Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld believes could be on the hot seat are mostly from Eastern Conference clubs, but Kyler identifies Keith Smart of the Kings as one coach who might be in trouble if his team continues to struggle.
In a piece for the New York Times, Beckley Mason asks whether Rudy Gay, the Grizzlies' highest-paid player, is the team's centerpiece or an expensive accessory.

Odds & Ends: Grizzlies, Raptors, White, Thunder

November 14th, 2012 at 11:15pm CST by Chuck Myron

Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun proposes a trade that would send Zach Randolph and Tony Wroten to the Raptors for Andrea Bargnani, Aaron Gray and a second-round pick. Wolstat wonders if the new Grizzlies owners will try to shed salary before the season to avoid paying luxury tax. Memphis is about $4MM above the tax line (Twitter links). I'm skeptical about this one, since trading the team's best player wouldn't exactly make Robert Pera and company the most popular people in Memphis, especially considering the Grizzlies are off to a hot start. While we wait to find out whether any such deal materializes this season, here are a few notes from around the Association.

High-level union officials are discussing whether they can make a credible case that the Rockets shouldn't be fining Royce White for his absences, but White's criticism of the team on Twitter makes the union's job more difficult, writes Ken Berger of CBSSports.com.
Kevin Martin isn't half the player James Harden is, opines Jarrod Rudolph of RealGM.com, who counts the deal as a mistake for the Thunder based on early results. (Twitter link).
Magic Johnson wanted Phil Jackson to coach the Lakers, and he lays the blame on executive vice president Jim Buss for what he believes is a mistake, as Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com observes. "I love (owner) Dr. (Jerry) Buss," Johnson said on ESPN's NBA Countdown show. "I don't believe in Jim Buss."
Bill Dwyre of the Los Angeles Times, conversely, is confident the decision to hire Mike D'Antoni came from Jerry Buss. Dwyre concludes D'Antoni must have been the Lakers' No. 1 choice all along, speculating that the team didn't want to embarrass agent Warren LeGarie by making it look like they had D'Antoni, his client, already lined up to replace Mike Brown, also LeGarie's client, when Brown was fired.

Western Rumors: Spurs, Wolves, Pekovic

November 14th, 2012 at 5:59pm CST by Chuck Myron

While it's not uncommon for several members of a team to butter up an opponent before a game, Knicks coach Mike Woodson delivered a theory on the success of the Spurs in advance of their matchup on Friday, as Dan McCarney of the San Antonio Express News documents. "So when young guys or any new player comes on their team, they have to buy in because those banners are up there for a reason," Woodson said. "So I think the transition for a lot of the players that come here is easier." The praise of San Antonio seems warranted as they sit on top of the Western Conference at 7-1. Here's the latest on a few of the teams trying to knock them off that pedestal.

An agent who is trying to get his player on the Wolves believes the team is trying to make some kind of trade, Darren Wolfson reveals via Twitter. Minnesota is looking for help on the perimeter, and Hoops Rumors readers have so far identified them as the team most in need of a new wing player.
HoopsWorld's Bill Ingram calls Nikola Pekovic "the best young traditional center in the NBA," and details his growth as a player as he takes on double-teams with so many of his Wolves teammates out with injury.
Phil Jackson's desire for significant organizational power was the stumbling block that kept him from becoming coach of the Lakers, just as it prevented the Knicks from pursuing him last spring, writes Frank Isola of the New York Daily News.
The Lakers put Mike D'Antoni in a no-win situation by reaching out to Jackson, thus forcing D'Antoni to deal with being seen as Plan B in addition to the heightened expectations that already surround the team, opines Sean Deveney of The Sporting News.
Deveney, in his wide-ranging piece, also questions the bargaining power of Royce White while noting the success of several other 2012 draftees.
Matt Moore of CBSSports.com has been supportive of White in the past, since they suffer from the same anxiety problems, but now Moore takes the rookie to task for his playing-time demands and Twitter outbursts.

Odds & Ends: Lin, Crawford, Heat, Cavaliers

November 14th, 2012 at 1:55pm CST by Luke Adams

As the Pistons and Wizards hit the road in search of their first wins of the season, let's round up the latest odds and ends from around the NBA:

After his time with the Knicks came to an unexpected and disappointing end, Jeremy Lin is building a better relationship with the Rockets, as Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports writes.
When he was navigating free agency this summer, Jamal Crawford was advised to take his time and consider all his options. But, as he tells Arash Markazi of ESPNLosAngeles.com, Crawford had his eye on the Clippers from the start: "When I came here, I don’t know if I should say this or not, but they told me I was their first option at lunch. And I told them at the same lunch that they were my first option. My agent didn’t want me to say that, but I was just being honest and we made it happen."
In his latest mailbag for the South Florida Sun Sentinel, Ira Winderman fields questions on the possibility of the Heat signing Kenyon Martin and trading Mike Miller.
If the Cavaliers hope to contend for the playoffs this season, they may need to trade for outside bench help at some point, says Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio.
Yesterday's trade between the Bobcats and Hornets that sent Matt Carroll to New Orleans wasn't overlooked in Dallas by the Mavericks, writes Jeff Caplan of NBA.com.
Within his NBA AM piece at HoopsWorld, Lang Greene speaks to Ian Mahinmi about the sign-and-trade deal that sent him from the Mavericks to the Pacers.
Chad Ford of ESPN.com discussed the Lakers, Royce White, the 2013 draft, and plenty more in a chat with fans earlier this afternoon.

Royce White ‘Not Available’ For Rockets

November 14th, 2012 at 11:54am CST by Chuck Myron

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.

Rockets Assign Motiejunas, Machado To D-League

November 14th, 2012 at 10:02am CST by Zachary Links

WEDNESDAY, 10:02am: The Rockets have assigned Motiejunas and Machado to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, according to RealGM.com's transactions log. Given White's uncertain status, it appears he hasn't been officially signed to Houston's D-League affiliate at this point. As Hoops Rumors' Chuck Myron pointed out last night, NBA teams were previously limited to assigning two players at a time to D-League affiliates, so it's not clear whether that affects White's situation or if the rule has changed.

MONDAY, 10:47pm: The Rockets are sending Royce White, Donatas Motiejunas, and Scott Machado to their NBA D-League affiliate, according to Mark Berman of FOX 26 (via Twitter). Of the three players, Motiejunas is the only one to have logged NBA minutes with five minutes of play last night against the Pistons.

White, the 16th overall pick in the 2012 draft, picked up national attention for his unexpected absence from Rockets training camp over the summer. It turns out that the forward was struggling with anxiety issues, including a fear of flying. Later in the week, the two sides worked out an agreement in which White could travel to a portion of road games via bus rather than fly with the team.

Western Notes: Rockets, Lakers, Clippers, Harden

November 13th, 2012 at 11:05pm CST by Chuck Myron

When Hoops Rumors unveiled its predictions for this season, all of us picked either the Lakers, Thunder or Spurs to come out of the Western Conference, and tonight two of those teams clash as the Spurs look to down the Lakers and run their early-season record to 2-0 against other Western contenders. The Spurs were a conference-best 6-1 coming into tonight, their only blemish a loss to the Clippers, who would love to leapfrog their L.A. rivals into the contending group. Here's the latest on the Tinseltown rivalry and other items out of the West.

Joseph Goodman of the Miami Herald lays the blame for Royce White's latest absence on Rockets executives, tweeting that the team is led by "a bush league front office without a soul."
The notion that Phil Jackson will wind up with the Clippers is a "conspiracy theory you can expect to now hear a zillion times this season," tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com, though sources tell Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports that the rise of the Clippers played a role in the Lakers' decision to fire Mike Brown.
Rockets owner Leslie Alexander hopes new star James Harden will attract others to Houston, writes Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. “I know it helps," Alexander said. "Even in the brief time I’ve been around him, he always talks, I just spoke to that guy, I just spoke to that guy. He speaks to a lot of major players in the league. It’s a big plus. How big, you really don’t know.”
Perry Jone s III admits he isn't as comfortable now as he was in the preseason, but Thunder coach Scott Brooks isn't alarmed by the rookie's subpar performance in his limited regular season minutes, as The Oklahoman's Darnell Mayberry chronicles.
Mavs coach Rick Carlisle is "very pleased" with what he's seen out of recent signee Troy Murphy so far, observes Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.