Houston Rockets: Royce White Shows Immaturity by Taking Shots at Kevin Durant
Royce White, here during his Iowa State days, talked trashed on Twitter on the Oklahoma City Thunder. It was a big mistake. (Photo Credit: GolowaState, Flickr.com)
The Houston Rockets are out of the NBA playoffs, battling it out in six games before losing to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The problem with the Rockets wasn’t the absence of Jeremy Lin. The issue at hand concerns immaturity of one player, Royce White.
Rookie Royce White called out Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder after the Rockets won Game 5. He posted the following tweet:
He followed that tweet with a comment directed at Durant himself: “@KDTrey5… Y’all are looking SHAAAKYY BAAABYY.”
White calling out Durant led to an explosive 27-point night from Durant. Thunder guard Kevin Martin also contributed 25 to the 103-94 win at Houston. Reggie Jackson, filling in for Russell Westbrook, scored 17. The Thunder dismantled the Rockets and White’s banter didn’t make an impact.
As a matter of fact, White didn’t play the entire series. He was stuck in the Developmental League playing for the Rockets’ Rio Grande Valley Vipers. In other words, White wasn’t even on the roster all season due to his anxiety disorder.
It’s within limits when a player calls out a team and faces them the next day but it’s a completely different thing when a player who isn’t on a team calls out another and does nothing. In Royce White’s case, his opinion matters as much as an angry fan on Twitter’s: not much.
Later on White did clarify that he did not insult Durant’s talent, just said they looked “shaky.” White did not apologize for the comments and backs up what he said. The problem lies with his immaturity.
It is a recognized fact that White has had his fair share of problems off the court. But his latest stunt proves he’s just not ready for the NBA. I’m sure White would have loved to back up his claims as a Houston Rocket. Until that ever happens, he’s just a fan. He’s not relevant.
Durant did address White after a shoot-around on May 3 in Houston. He stated in the report on NewsOK: “I haven’t seen him on the bench. So, I mean, I’m not worried about guys that’s not even in our series. Ain’t that the guy that’s afraid to fly? Well I wish him the best, man, and if I see him next year I’ll let him know who we are.”
Evidently, Durant read and listened to the tweet and cleverly used it for his motivation.
Royce White should learn his lesson. Hey Royce, regardless of whether you play for the Rockets or not, it’s wise not to poke the bear. The bear gets angry and fights back and in this case, the bear is a vindictive Kevin Durant.