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*Photo via AP
It's funny how the NBA works. Fans often forget this is a business. Every organization in the league is full of hungry sharks swimming in blood infested water. That was just proven to us again (like the DeAndre Jordan debacle wasn't a good enough reminder).
Just Friday, Denver Nuggets general manager, Tim Connelly, threw the organization's full support behind Ty Lawson. Lawson was arrested for suspected DUI in Los Angeles earlier this week and will be entering a 30 day alcohol rehab program. This was his second such arrest just this year.
According to CBS Sports, Connelly was quoted saying, "Ty is going through a rough time right now, but we’re all behind him." Connelly went on to say, "Ty’s a really good person. He’s a Nugget, so when one of our guys goes through issues, we support him as a family. We’re going to stand behind him."
These quotes came on the same day the point guard was in court for his first arrest from January. The judge ruled that Lawson would face his charges after he completes the treatment program.
"When any of our guys have an issue, we all have an issue," Connelly said. "We’re going to stand firmly behind him."
Sunday night while watching a summer league game on NBATV, I heard reports that Lawson would be traded to the Houston Rockets. I literally laughed out loud. Connelly's word means about as much as DeAndre Jordan's.
But let's ignore Connelly's change of heart for the time being. According to Yahoo Sports, Houston will send Kostas Papanikolaou, Pablo Prigioni, Joey Dorsey, Nick Johnson, and a protected 2016 first round pick to Denver for Lawson and a 2017 second-round pick.
Emmanuel Mudiay, the seventh pick in last month’s draft, has looked exceptional in summer league play. It's a good thing. Denver's plan is to turn the team over to the rookie point guard may come much sooner than later.
After Lawson's second DUI arrest in six months, his market interest was severely damaged. The Rockets are consistently struck out chasing big names like Chris Bosh, Carmelo Anthony, Pau Gasol, and LaMarcus Aldridge. The organization doesn't discriminate against players with issues on or off the court either. They did take on basket cases in Dwight Howard and Josh Smith, and made a run at Rajon Rondo this summer.
So it's no surprise the Rockets have had strong interest in Lawson and were willing to take the risk that comes with him. Let's be honest, it's worth it. The 2016 first-round pick, Papanikolaou and Johnson may deliver some legitimate value to Denver but that's not much to give up for a player with All-Star potential. So, let's assume the worst and say Lawson is stuck in a rehabilitation facility all next year, the Rockets didn't lose any real assets and they re-signed starting point guard Patrick Beverley.
Beverley is certainly a capable starting point guard if things go south with Lawson (the Rockets made the Western Conference Finals without Beverley). Beverley is a defensive menace but very inconsistent offensively and cannot create his own shot. Houston doesn't have many guys that can. If James Harden isn't scoring, Houston struggles to put the ball in the basket. Head coach Kevin McHale seems very open to a free-flowing, run-and-gun style of offense. An up-tempo team with Lawson next to Harden may serve as a natural fit.
Lawson's best days were in the fast-paced system of George Karl. Lawson thrived under Karl, who has always butted heads with stubborn stars. He did however, seem to be in constant search of a more aggressive Lawson. It's hard to believe the two North Carolina alums coexisted. The two won a lot of games together, including a very surprising 57 in 2013. That was good for a franchise record and the third seed in the tough Western Conference. One can easily argue Lawson should have been an All-Star that season (Denver had none).
The Nuggets' ran into a runaway freight train in the first round. The red hot Warriors ousted Denver in six games despite Lawson averaging 21.3 points, 8 assists, almost 2 steals, and only 2 turnovers per game. Despite a remarkable regular season, the disastrous loss to the six seed led to the departure of general manager Masai Ujiri and the firing of Karl.
There is a litany of factors that have led to the fermentation of Lawson's relationship with the Nuggets. The firing of Karl may have been the beginning of the downhill spiral.
In the 2013 offseason, the Nuggets hired Brian Shaw, claiming they wanted to play at a much slower pace. Nevertheless, they brought back the exact same young, athletic team that had thrived in a run and gun offense. Puzzling. Recently that’s all the Nuggets have been. Puzzling.
Under Shaw, Lawson didn't really change much. He was the same player he had been under Karl, but you could see disconnect between the two and the dissatisfaction in Lawson's eyes. His game falls in the same category as Joe Johnson, as he portrays a very cool, laid back demeanor. Players like this have to be engaged mentally or that easy going exterior can easily become a lack of heart. Well, he hasn't been engaged for quite some time.
His off the court decisions show just how disengaged he's been. Lawson was arrested on suspicion of DUI in January, the same night the team had a charity event. I have no proof he was drunk at the event, but it is an easy assumption to make. He missed the Nuggets morning shoot around and game the next day. Then after the All-Star Break, Lawson literally didn't come back. He blamed it on travel issues, saying he couldn't get a flight back in time for a morning practice.
Just two weeks after Lawson had returned to the team, the players broke an end-practice huddle with a chant of "1-2-3 ... Six weeks (until the offseason)." Who usually leads the team's huddle break? You got it, the point guard.
The Nuggets limped to the finish line and finally put the Shaw-era out of its misery, firing him in early March. The team went 10-13 under interim coach Melvin Hunt. However, neither Lawson's play nor attitude seemed to improve after Shaw's departure.
Then last week, a Dallas Mavericks fan asked Lawson to come play for the Mavs on Instagram. Lawson replied, "I wish," according to the Denver Post. Lawson quickly deleted the post but you can't hide those things in today's world. The comment had been screenshot and went viral right away. As if that weren't enough to bring about more questions regarding Lawson's future with the organization, later that same week came his second DUI arrest. All of these events probably played key roles in him being shipped out of Denver Sunday night.
Despite all his baggage, I believe Houston got considerably better with the Lawson addition. Even with all the controversy last season, Lawson still showed how good he can be; averaging 15.2 points, 9.6 assists, and 1.2 steals per game. According to a recent CBS Sports article, Ty Lawson ranked seventh in the league last year in "points produced." It's not an advanced stat coming from a complex formula. It's simply "points per game plus points produced by assists per game." Crazy simple right? Well it may be just as telling as it is simple. The only six names ranked ahead of Lawson in this category, Russell Westbrook, James Harden, LeBron James, Chris Paul, Stephen Curry, and John Wall. Not bad company. The stat may not factor pace, turnovers, field goal attempts, percentages or anything else, but it does show pure offensive production. Anytime you are on a list with those six guys, you have something to brag about.
If you take his career highs in each individual category and combine them into one season you'd be looking at averages of 17.6 points, 9.6 assists, 1.6 steals, 52 percent from the field, and 41 percent from three. Not so shabby. In the golden age of point guards, Lawson has never garnered the recognition he deserves.
He's ridiculously underrated considering talent at the position is overflowing. Some of the lack of recognition is partly due to self-inflicted mishaps. But for as many problems as Lawson has with decision making off the court, on the court he's actually a smart player. There's no lack of question marks: aggressiveness, attitude, defense, and of course, the off the court issues. But he's in elite offensive company as a scorer and facilitator.
Obviously, I can't speak on the legal ramifications that lie ahead for Lawson, but being in a different environment with a patient head coach and surrounded by two other All-Stars will prove to be the best thing for him, as long as he stays on the court and not in the courtroom. With all the moves made at the top of the Western Conference, Houston could have been at risk of being the forgotten team after reaching the conference finals last season. Now they will join the Warriors, Spurs, Clippers, Thunder, and Grizzlies in what may prove to be a bloodbath in the wild, wild West.
Stats courtesy of Basketball Reference
Transaction information courtesy of Yahoo Sports and CBS Sports and NBA.com
Follow Kyle Goff on Twitter: @KG5433