Let me tell ya: this whole Ty Lawson saga just keeps getting weirder. After announcing he will enter the NBA Draft, he's had nothing but drama.
- He bitched about people saying he's testing the waters.
- He didn't like Tar Heels fans slamming him.
- He announced he'd come back to school if he wasn't guaranteed to go in the top twenty picks.
- After playing one game in the NBA's Pre-Draft camp, he sat the rest of the time with a hip pointer.
- He doesn't show up to a workout with the Nuggets, who hold the #20 pick.
- He gets arrested for drinking, playing loud music and other stuff.
Mind you, he still has a week to make a decision on whether or not to come back to North Carolina (he hasn't signed with an agent, keeping his eligibility), so lord knows what else could go wrong.
Well, add this to the list: Lawson rolled his ankle while working out for the Washington Wizards. The Wiz hold the #18 pick and ... let's just say ... they have a thing for UNC players (Antawn Jamison, Brendan Haywood, assistant coach Mike O'Koren).
Remember that Lawson has hurt his ankle during the past season at UNC.
Is this a trend that will scare off NBA teams? I'm sure it will. Lawson missed a lot of time last season due to hurting his wrist early in the season (causing him to miss some time) and his ankle late in the season (causing him to miss a month of action). Add the mysterious hip pointer at the pre-draft camp and this ankle injury ... and NBA teams have to be concerned.
After all, whomever drafts Lawson will do so because of his speed and quickness. Bad ankles and hips really take a bite out of those things -- as we saw from Lawson when he came back from his injury.
With the arrest (which isn't a huge deal, but it does show a lack of good judgement) and missing workouts (word now is that Lawson cancelled due to a minor injury which was before he was hurt in the workout with the Wizards), teams have to be scared off.
So, what is Lawson going to do? He seems to have his heart set on going pro, yet doesn't seem to be that highly regarded. If he stays in the draft, he runs the risk of being drafted very late, not getting a nice payday and missing on an opportunity to be on a great college team. If he goes back to UNC, he faces the wrath of Roy Williams' doghouse (he's been there before) and fans in opposing gyms in every ACC city. Do you think the Cameron Crazies will forget any of this?!?!?!
Again, he has one more week to figure this out. Judging by this past week, we have no idea what he may decide to do.




















Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
6-10-2008 @ 12:55PM
Austin Kent said...
This poor guy. It's supposed to be one of the most exciting times of his life, but it looks like he'll end up with a head full of gray hair by the end of it. Hoops Addict's Rashad Mobley caught up with Lawson after his workouts in Washington.
http://hoopsaddict.com/2008/06/10/in-the-scrum-with-ty-lawson/
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6-13-2008 @ 12:36PM
Todd Morris said...
Lawson seems not only to be prone to injury, but to be unwilling to play with discomfort. He was out much longer with the ankle injury last season than should have been necessary, leaving many of us to think that he doesn't have the toughness to play in the pros, or maybe even the great college program he is in.
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6-19-2008 @ 5:12PM
tom tanner said...
He's likeable but not durable and he knows the pros were skeptical that his ankles are durable enough ( he hurt both) Get ready Bobby: I think you are savy enough to take them all the way. Jeez, you would think the guy would spend the off season in a weight training program to strengthen his ankles. He needs to get some of Tylers toughness and active role in weight training. HELLO TY! ARE YOU THERE? A KENNY SMITH YOU ARE NOT AND ROY WON'T ADMIT IT, BUT KENNY COULD BLOW BY YOU AND TAKE A DRIBBLE AT HALF COURT, ONE, AND DUNK THAT MOTHER! THAT IS A PRO, BOY SO QUIT YOUR FRIGGIN' DREAMIN' AND GET YOUR A-- TO WORK!
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