Unique Circumstances

While it may not be fair, or it may not be ethical, there are some things in the world that we just have to accept. This is true in all different sorts of ways. If two people competing for a TV news anchor position have equal qualifications but one is more physically attractive than the other, it is highly likely that the more attractive candidate will be offered the position. If someone is trying to decide between two restaurants in which to eat dinner, but one advertises better than the other, potential customers are probably more likely to choose the restaurant that does the better job in advertising.

This is many times even more evident in the sports world. If two baseball pitchers are available to a team in free agency, but one throws a 98 MPH fastball, and the other throws a 90 MPH fastball, it is likely that the pitcher with the 98 MPH fastball will be more coveted. If a football team needs to draft a running back, and they are forced to decide between two backs with equal size but different speeds, the faster back is the likely choice.

Basketball is a sport in which some of these seemingly unfair comparisons are not only common, but they are actually quite prevalent. Before even looking at a scouting report for a center, the first thing we look at is the size of the player. If someone is listed at 6'9" as a center, and another is listed at 7'0" as a center, the seven-footer immediately has the advantage. It may not be fair to the 6'9" player, and it may in some cases be the difference between signing a bigger contract or being drafted in a higher position, but it is just the flat-out truth.

That is why when Royce White entered the draft, it brought about an extremely unique set of circumstances that could have a tremendous impact on both him and the team that drafted him in the future. White went to Iowa State University, and as only a sophomore he led the team in points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks. I don't care what team you may play for, if you lead in all five of those categories, that is ultra-impressive. Despite only being a sophomore, scouting reports had him labeled high pretty much across the board, and he seemed absolutely ready to make the jump to the NBA. However, there was one thing that overshadowed his immense potential, and it could be something that determines whether he succeeds or fails as a professional basketball player.

Reports surfaced that he passed up a shot to play at Baylor and decided to instead play at Iowa State because of a fear of flying. At the moment, Baylor is in the midst of a nice run as a successful basketball program, and White likely would have been able to gain more national exposure playing in Waco, Texas as opposed to Ames, Iowa. The reports of his fear of flying therefore seemed to make sense, as Iowa is closer to Minnesota (White's home state) than Texas is.

White ended up being drafted 16th overall by the Houston Rockets, and he recently confirmed that he does indeed have an anxiety disorder that leads to his fear of flying. Not long ago, White asked the Rockets' organization if it would be acceptable for him to travel by bus to some of the team's games, as opposed to traveling on an airplane with the rest of the team. For someone with a fear of flying, this is a completely realistic request. However, because of the profession that he has chosen, it will absolutely be a hindrance, and that is a fact that cannot be avoided. The team announced that it would be willing to allow White to travel by bus for certain trips, and I commend the organization for attempting to work with White to adhere to his unique needs. However, it is undeniable that this will have an impact on both White and the team throughout the season. The Rockets did not say when White will travel by bus and when he will travel by plane, but taking a look at their schedule for the upcoming season, this dilemma will absolutely come into play many times.

On Wednesday, November 14th, the Rockets will play a home game against the New Orleans Hornets at 7:00 PM local time. Two days later, on the 16th of November, the Rockets will play on the road against the Portland Trail Blazers at 7:00 PM (9:00 PM local time in Houston). NBA games usually last about two and a half hours, so that means that the game with the Hornets will probably be over around 9:30. I'm not familiar with the travel schedules of NBA teams, but I would assume that the earliest the team would leave to travel to Portland would be about 11:00 PM (although, like I said, I have no idea what travel schedules are like so that is just a guess). The trip from Houston to Portland is over 1,800 miles. An average flight for that distance is about four hours. An average bus ride for that distance is over two days. That is an unbelievably big difference.

Now I'm sure on long trips like that, White will be forced to ride along with the team on a plane, because if he were to take a bus for that trip, he would not get to Portland in time to actually play in the game. The difference is still very large though.

Following that game in Portland, the Rockets will play in Los Angeles against the Lakers. The distance between those two cities is about 800 miles. For an NBA road trip that would be considered relatively short. The travel time via airplane in that case is about an hour and a half. The average time between Portland and Los Angeles on a bus? Just under 24 hours. That is still an enormous difference when you have only about 48 hours between games.

We have already seen the effects of White's fear of flying in training camp. Coach Kevin McHale remarked yesterday that White is already behind in terms of his conditioning and his familiarity with the Rockets' schemes. White has said that his first practices with the teams went "as good as it could go." That is not exactly convincing me that he is fully in tune with the team and where it is at this point in camp, but it already demonstrates how his anxiety disorder has caused him problems because he is unable to keep up with the rest of the team in terms of travel times.

So, to get back to my original point, this seems to be one of those cases where we can try to look at something objectively, but it is probably impossible to do so. White's potential and skill at this point are still undeniable. If it were not for his fear of flying, it is pretty much a consensus that he would have been drafted earlier than 16th overall. However, many teams saw a huge red flag when they learned about his fear of flying. An 82 game NBA schedule demands a huge amount of travel; much more so than in most other professions. When we look at White on the surface, he seems to have the potential to be a very good NBA player. However, when all things are considered, it appears that this is not a situation that can be looked at objectively, and one of those rare characteristics could possibly be the downfall of a person that could be highly qualified to succeed within his chosen profession.

Daily Giants Update: I will provide a full Week 5 NFL recap shortly, but all that needs to be said is we got a win last week. The Eagles and Redskins also lost, while the Cowboys had a bye, so that is great news all around for the defending Super Bowl champs.

And since I just went through a full story about the NBA, I have to say that I am now about 95% aboard the bandwagon of the "new" Brooklyn Nets. There are a number of reasons for this. First, I have never really had a favorite NBA team. I have usually just cheered for teams with players that I like. This past season I was a Miami Heat fan because I really wanted to see LeBron James shut up all of his critics and win a title. However, I also like guys such as Kevin Love, Kevin Durant, and Rudy Gay, so I cheered for the Timberwolves, Thunder, and Grizzlies as well.
Second, I am now living in Brooklyn, and with the Nets moving to Brooklyn while also being a team with a few guys that I have always liked (Deron Williams, Brook Lopez, and Joe Johnson), it now seems like I have a team I can support.
Third, and possibly most important, is the fact that I cannot stand the New York Knicks and their overzealous, swollen-headed fans who believe that their team is deserving of attention that it doesn't deserve. Any team that embarrasses the Knicks is a good team in my eyes, and I now have a team in New York to root for that will hopefully do just that. The Nets' first preseason game is October 13th against the 76ers, so let the new era in Brooklyn begin!