Off season Rumors and Speculation

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  • hackashaq
    Member
    • Sep 2012
    • 1020

    Re: Off season Rumors and Speculation

    Originally posted by BRushWithDeath
    Attempting an NBA schedule by bus is simply not possible. Forgetting the fact that he'll miss nearly all in season practice time, which is few and far between to begin with, he will miss games. Regularly.

    Let's just look at the first month of their schedule.

    They end the preseason in Orlando on 10/26. He'll then miss practice and spend all of 10/27, 16 hours straight through, to get back to Houston presumably for practice on 10/28. He'll then have to miss practice on 10/29 & 10/30 to begin the 23 hour drive from Houston to Detroit for opening night.

    He's missed three practices before one game is played.

    He'll leave the night of the Detroit game and drive through to Atlanta arriving at approximately 1:00 on 11/1. I assume he'll miss that morning's practice but he'll be there for the game on 11/2. They have a back to back so if he leaves directly after the game he'll miss the following day's workout but could conceivably be back in Houston in the late afternoon for that night's game against Portland. They then have a few days off before another home game on 11/7 after which he will head to Memphis for their game on 11/9. If they move practice to late afternoon on 11/8 he should be okay for this stretch. However, that is another back to back so he'll have the same issue with the last one as far as the trip home is concerned but at least they have 3 straight home games. He should be able to get through the first 9 games without missing one but he'll basically miss 3 practices for every one he can go to.

    Now it gets tricky. After an 11/14 home game against N.O., they play 11/16 in Portland. It's basically a day and a half drive, at minimum, from Houston to Portland. It is conceivable he could make it there just before tip off but I doubt it. They then play in LA on 11/18 & Utah on 11/19. It's 16 hours from Portland to LA and 11 hours from LA to SLC. My guess is he doesn't go on this whole trip.

    The month ends with three homes games from 11/21-11/27 and ends with the second night of a back to back in Oklahoma City. He should be fine for these but he'll miss another practice.

    In the first month of the season, he'll miss three games and about 10 practice/walkthroughs. And this doesn't include any Eastern trip.

    The bottom line is, you can't be an NBA player if you won't get on airplane. He may have all the talent in the world and I really do feel for him that this issue is so bad but thank god my team didn't pick him.
    their idea is that he still uses the plane for most trips, but the number of those trips will be reduced as much as reasonably possible. Thus reducing the chances for his anxiety to flare up.

    He travels by bus to San Antonio and such, when it's not a back to back. And then some trips will be half by plane and half by bus. e.g., (not a real example, just how i understand it) Houston-Indianapolis by plane, they play a game, then his teammates fly to Chicago to play the Bulls and then Milwaukee, while he takes the bus in Indianapolis and makes those trips by bus. Then they all fly home.

    He supposedly won't miss practice time or shootarounds. What he'll miss, however, is bonding time with teammates and potentially any film/planning sessions on the plane, which some teams like to do.
    There's also the chance of a flat tire, engine issue, traffic jam...

    It's not perfect, but then again, that's why he dropped in the draft --- although he probably would've dropped much further if he didn't say flying is not a huge issue, prior to the draft.

    My bigger problem with this is the timing. He basically took that team hostage by doing it during the training camp and also making it so public. Imagine Plumlee not coming to the training camp and making public demands via any media outlet who would listen. Mental illness or not, that's not very cool.
    Also, add his non-illness issues. His reported bad shape / work ethic problems at times during his career, other off the court issues. It's pretty hard to separate what's mental illness and what's laziness and bad attitude. Will he start using his mental illness as an excuse for other things, at some point? Will he keep solving his issues so publicly? I wish him well with his health, but the way he handled the situation would leave a pretty bad taste in my mouth if I were the Rockets.

    Comment

    • Hicks
      Member
      • Jun 2004
      • 53117

      Re: Off season Rumors and Speculation

      Shouldn't we start a new thread? It's not the off season anymore.

      Comment

      • hackashaq
        Member
        • Sep 2012
        • 1020

        Re: Off season Rumors and Speculation

        Kstat wanted to start a season thread after the preseason.

        i think a preseason thread for October would make sense, though. things are heating up, and it's not really rumors or speculation or offseason, so this thread is misleading.

        Comment

        • Trader Joe
          DIET COKE!
          • Jan 2006
          • 46892

          Re: Off season Rumors and Speculation

          This get to games by bus idea is the dumbest thing I have ever heard. I get the guy has an anxiety issues and I sympathize with that, but maybe he should find a profession that better suits his travel needs.


          Comment

          • hackashaq
            Member
            • Sep 2012
            • 1020

            Re: Off season Rumors and Speculation

            well, he's not the first to do this, just (afaik) the first in the NBA. but there have been examples in other sports.
            it COULD work but he's starting off his career on a wrong foot.

            Comment

            • Trader Joe
              DIET COKE!
              • Jan 2006
              • 46892

              Re: Off season Rumors and Speculation

              If his anxiety is that bad, why can he fly on some flights but not on others?


              Comment

              • hackashaq
                Member
                • Sep 2012
                • 1020

                Re: Off season Rumors and Speculation

                apparently he can fly on all of them, a severe anxiety crisis isn't certain but there's a risk every time, so he wants to limit those chances.

                Comment

                • BRushWithDeath
                  Play McRoberts and Price!
                  • Dec 2008
                  • 5911

                  Re: Off season Rumors and Speculation

                  Originally posted by hackashaq
                  well, he's not the first to do this, just (afaik) the first in the NBA. but there have been examples in other sports.
                  it COULD work but he's starting off his career on a wrong foot.
                  Who?

                  The only semi-example I could think of was John Madden. And he flew his entire coaching career. The bus only started after he retired and moved to the broadcasting booth.

                  I suppose a baseball starting pitcher could do it but I really can't think of any other way it could be feasible.
                  Last edited by BRushWithDeath; 10-05-2012, 02:50 PM.
                  "I had to take her down like Chris Brown."

                  -Lance Stephenson

                  Comment

                  • hackashaq
                    Member
                    • Sep 2012
                    • 1020

                    Re: Off season Rumors and Speculation

                    Originally posted by BRushWithDeath
                    Who?

                    The only semi-example I could think of was John Madden. And he flew his entire coaching career. The bus only started after he retired and moved to the broadcasting booth.

                    I suppose a baseball starting pitcher could do it but I really can't think of any other way it could be feasible.
                    I was thinking of Dennis Bergkamp and Alex Mogilnyj. Bergkamp never overcame it, he never flew in his prime afaik. He even missed many important matches. Alex Mogilnyj (hockey) had it at the start of his NHL career and asked to travel by bus but he eased into it by year 2. i'm sure i don't know many cases, but there have been a lot of athletes with the problem, i just don't know if and how they dealt with it without putting in a lot of research.

                    Comment

                    • King Tuts Tomb
                      Member
                      • Dec 2006
                      • 2419

                      Re: Off season Rumors and Speculation

                      Originally posted by Trader Joe
                      If his anxiety is that bad, why can he fly on some flights but not on others?
                      I'm assuming he is able to fly from time to time, with great distress and possibly by taking prescription drugs, but the repeated stress of it doing it nearly every day would be too much.

                      Comment

                      • Strummer
                        Death or Glory
                        • Jun 2010
                        • 5537

                        Re: Off season Rumors and Speculation

                        Originally posted by King Tuts Tomb
                        I'm assuming he is able to fly from time to time, with great distress and possibly by taking prescription drugs, but the repeated stress of it doing it nearly every day would be too much.
                        I agree.

                        And the stress probably doesn't just kick in when he gets on the plane. As the season approached and he looked at all the travel upcoming he probably became stressed. He may have been losing sleep, losing his appetite, etc. And if he's having those problems now, he knows he's likely to suffer like that throughout the season as road trips approach so that he's affected even when he's playing at home.

                        Knowing that the bus option will be available when possible is probably helping to ease his stress now and allow him to cope with the coming season. And as someone said, if he flies Houston to Indy, has the bus meet him in Indy and then buses to Chicago, Milwaukee, Detroit, Cleveland, and Philly, then flies home, then he's cut out 5 of 7 flights during that road trip. That's a load off his mind now, in the days leading up to the road trip and during the road trip.

                        Comment

                        • rexnom
                          Headband and Rec Specs
                          • Dec 2005
                          • 8726

                          Re: Off season Rumors and Speculation

                          Originally posted by Strummer
                          I agree.

                          And the stress probably doesn't just kick in when he gets on the plane. As the season approached and he looked at all the travel upcoming he probably became stressed. He may have been losing sleep, losing his appetite, etc. And if he's having those problems now, he knows he's likely to suffer like that throughout the season as road trips approach so that he's affected even when he's playing at home.

                          Knowing that the bus option will be available when possible is probably helping to ease his stress now and allow him to cope with the coming season. And as someone said, if he flies Houston to Indy, has the bus meet him in Indy and then buses to Chicago, Milwaukee, Detroit, Cleveland, and Philly, then flies home, then he's cut out 5 of 7 flights during that road trip. That's a load off his mind now, in the days leading up to the road trip and during the road trip.
                          Yeah, I'm guessing that that's what his people are busy figuring out right now.

                          Comment

                          • Lance George
                            Banned
                            • Jun 2009
                            • 3657

                            Re: Off season Rumors and Speculation

                            1. Knock him out.
                            2. Place him on the plane.
                            3. Wake him once it lands.
                            4. Profit.

                            Comment

                            • cdash
                              Whale Shepherd
                              • Jun 2009
                              • 32259

                              Re: Off season Rumors and Speculation

                              Originally posted by GrangeRusHibbert
                              1. Knock him out.
                              2. Place him on the plane.
                              3. Wake him once it lands.
                              4. Profit.
                              Ahh, yes, the Charlie Kelly treatment.

                              Comment

                              • Sandman21
                                SABONIS! :(
                                • Jul 2007
                                • 8556

                                Re: Off season Rumors and Speculation

                                Originally posted by cdash
                                Ahh, yes, the Charlie Kelly treatment.
                                I was thinking more like BA Baracus myself.
                                "Nobody wants to play against Tyler Hansbrough NO BODY!" ~ Frank Vogel

                                "And David put his hand in the bag and took out a stone and slung it. And it struck the Philistine on the head and he fell to the ground. Amen. "

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