Posts tagged Ty Lawson at FanHouse

All around Tar Heel Nation, there are smiles. Ever since April, it has been rare to see such an occassion (with the obvious exception of Player of the Year Tyler Hansbrough's decision to not go into the NBA Draft). There was the blowout to Kansas in the Final Four, Roy Williams wearing a KU sticker during the title game and the defection of four players from a team that would've been favored next season.

Today, Ty Lawson, Wayne Ellington and Danny Green all decided to come back to North Carolina next season. While Ellington and Green aren't total surprises, there was a point that it felt both would actually leave. Lawson returning is a huge surprise since (a) he didn't seem like he really wanted to come back, (b) the arrest in Chapel Hill would mean consequences from Williams and (c) his stock actually seemed to rise into easy first round status.

This is a huge get for Williams and Tar Heel fans. The only two non-returning players (that mattered) from a 36-3 Final Four team are Quentin Thomas (graduation) and Alex Stepheson (transfer) -- both reserves.

The starting lineup will probably stay the exact same: Lawson, Ellington, Hansbrough, Marcus Ginyard and Deon Thompson. The bench will consist of Green (one of the best sixth men in the nation), Bobby Frasor (injured last year, a smart, steady player with a defensive presence), freshman Ed Davis (who will fill the defensive/rebounder role that Stepheson left), William Graves (long range shooter), freshman Tyler Zeller (a 7-foot guy who loves to run) and freshman Larry Drew (solid PG that won't be relied on too much).

"They are all going back to school," one source said. "None of them were 100 percent sure they would be taken in the first round."

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.

A Chapel Hill police officer arrested Lawson, 20, at 2:33 a.m. on North Columbia St., in the heart of town. The officer stopped Lawson in a 2005 four-door Chevrolet with Maryland plates after hearing loud music coming from the car, said police Capt. Chris Blue.

The officer suspected that Lawson had been drinking, conducted a field sobriety test and found probable cause to charge him, Blue said.

Understand that this isn't a true DUI because it isn't stated that Lawson was drunk. However, he is under the legal drinking age and the law falls under the same statute. Lawson will appear in court on July 8th.

This is really bad timing for Lawson. He is currently "testing the draft waters" by working out for NBA teams. He played pretty well in his only game during the NBA's Pre-Draft camp ... but sat the next two days with a hip pointer. Lawson did state that he'd stay in the draft if he was a top twenty pick, which seems to be higher than experts have him projected -- and that was before this incident.

This arrested really puts the pressure on Lawson as it may hurt his draft status a bit. Now, it isn't the end of the world that a 20-year old drank some alcohol (again, the report didn't say he was drunk) and was playing his stereo loud. However, NBA teams really want their point guards to be good decision makers ... and Lawson sure didn't show that.