NBA rookie Royce White (pictured above), who suffers from a serious anxiety disorder, has been using Twitter since Tuesday to blast the Houston Rockets over their handling of his illness.

The Rockets demoted him to the NBA Development League — basketball's minor league — this week after a string of unexcused practice absences, according to the Houston Chronicle. But in a barrage of tweets that were still continuing at the time of this writing Wednesday night, White said that all of his absences were cleared prior, and that the team has not been respectful of his mental condition and need for regular doctors' visits:

I'm not saying anything negative about @houstonrockets Im saying what I will and won't stand for. Last Thing: #Mentalillness look it up. — Royce White (@Highway_30) November 14, 2012



White has also implied that the Rockets have misrepresented the situation in the media, and added that Twitter is his best outlet for spreading his side of the story to the public:

I'm not saying anything inappropriate or anything thats wasn't said or OMITTED by the organization, they have their media, this is mine. — Royce White (@Highway_30) November 14, 2012



White has long battled anxiety problems, which hamper his ability to fly to road games with his teammates. Nonetheless, the Rockets chose him with the 16th pick of the 2012 NBA Draft, and said on Wednesday that they were committed to sticking with him despite the friction.

The basketball player tweeted more than 40 times to his 102,000 followers since the Rockets demoted him Tuesday, and fans have replied with messages of both criticism and support. White's a talented player, and seems to be a thoughtful, humble man dealing with a tough situation, so hopefully this drama resolves itself soon and he can resume his NBA career.

Do you think White is right to air his grievances on Twitter, or should he deal with the situation another way? Give us your take in the comments.

Thumbnail image courtesy Flickr, GoIowaState