So for anyone who's been keeping track of Royce's first minutes in the D-league, it was pretty clear that he started out in pretty terrible shape. His numbers have been consistently low across the board - he's been getting on the court but not much else. From watching games, it's almost impossible to find an example of him sprinting downcourt, and his leaping ability is not what it once was. The guy has put on some weight, to say the least.

Anyway, it looks like all might not be lost. Through his first 6 games, Royce averaged 19.3 minutes, 5 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 3.2 assists. Last night (Tuesday the 5th of March), he managed 10 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists, 3 blocks, and 2 turnovers in 36 minutes. One game in the D-league does not a career in the NBA make, but let's hope that most of the problems that were holding Royce back were due to conditioning and that he may be getting in better shape. Keep an eye on his minutes and especially his rebounding numbers, which seemed to really suffer as a result of his energy level in the (admittedly) one game that I watched.

I know a lot of people on this blog have it in for Royce because they feel that they have been personally insulted by his childish holdout. Remember that the best-case scenario for Royce is actually a best-case scenario for us as fans, too, and that his growth as a basketball player will almost certainly be accompanied by increased trust in the Rockets organization and personal growth. I for one haven't given up.