Ty Lawson Agent Confirms Suspension and Interesting Tidbit re: Trade Interest

It’s no secret Ty Lawson ended up as a Houston Rockets player following his second failed D.U.I. (Driving Under the Influence) in Denver last summer.

What is somewhat surprising was how long it took for the matter to come before the courts which it finally has and subsequently the Association has levied their own punishment of a 2-game suspension to Lawson which he’ll begin serving versus the Clippers tonight in Houston (Saturday, December 19th).

Looking back the trade which had been coveted by Houston virtually all summer had dragged on while Nuggets General Manager Tim Connelly asked for the sun, moon and stars to move the diminutive point guard. But, once he was arrested for his second D.U.I. it was like the Nuggets held a fire sale and wanted to get Lawson off their roster as fast as possible.

Enter Trader Daryl (Houston Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey) who banged out a quick trade sending 4 players who saw virtually zero time on the floor: Joey Dorsey, Nick Johnson, Pablo Prigioni and Kostas Papanikolaou. Ironically the only player from these 4 reserves who remains in Denver is Papanikolaou and even he isn’t seeing much valuable on court time.

In hindsight the fact the Rockets got Lawson as such a low cost was considered a real coup at the time, but now with Lawson not starting it’s probably a good thing Morey didn’t have to cough up much to get him. Over the past few games it appeared Lawson was finally rounding into form and gaining additional minutes on the court whether via the bench unit or in conjunction with James Harden.

What many pundits weren’t clear about was whether interim coach J.B. Bickerstaff was simply trying to work Lawson slowly into the system to eventually return him to the starting line-up or whether he would remain on the bench and only function in a reserve role.

So, when the above news about Lawson’s two game suspension was announced it was the additional new his agents slipped in with it that had me perking up my ears. As per Rick Kamla of NBA TV Game time this was the exact wording delivered Friday night (December 18) regarding Lawson:

“Rockets star Ty Lawson was suspended two games by the NBA on Friday for pleading guilty to driving while impaired in the state of Colorado. The suspension begins when the Rockets host the Clippers on Saturday. Per multiple sources the Rockets say they’re committed to Lawson, but his representatives are investigating his trade value with other teams.”

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The latter portion of that statement should have Clutch City fans wondering about Lawson’s tenure with Houston. Given how supportive the Rockets have been while Lawson has dealt with his addiction issues, it’s rather telling his representatives (read Agent) would be making a point to use this timing to get out publicly Lawson is seeking an alternative home.

If you don’t believe that’s what is being said then ask yourself why his agent would even bother mentioning it if Lawson didn’t want out! Otherwise, he’d be using this moment to either a) apologize and note his recovery or b) thank Houston for their support. Certainly the fact his agent said they are looking at his trade value speaks to them wanting to move Lawson now.

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