Ty Lawson may still be on the road to recovery as far as his driving under the influence "DUI" issue is concerned; but on the hardwood, the NBA guard is looking forward to helping friend James Harden and the Houston Rockets in the coming season.
Lawson was acquired by the Rockets from the Denver Nuggets last July and his coming provides an added boost to the backcourt woes that the team suffered in the last NBA playoffs.
With Patrick Beverly taken out last season due to an injury, the Rockets found themselves shorthanded at the point guard position. Only Jason Terry was available at that time and at some point, head coach Kevin McHale was seen improvising a bit by using former Rockets forward Josh Smith at the point.
This coming season, however, Lawson's entry adds more depth to that issue. Aside from his arrival, the Rockets will have a healthy Beverly back plus Terry who has opted to remain in Houston.
As far as he is concerned, Lawson is aware of the load that Harden had to carry last season. But now he vows to help his friend in terms of scoring and playmaking, something that the Rockets badly lacked particularly in the playoffs.
But before looking forward to that, there is one thing that lingers in the air — can Lawson and Harden coexist particularly when it comes to ball touches? Will Lawson be content with simple playmaking and doing pick-and-rolls?
A couple of weeks ago, Harden did spend some time with Lawson and believes that the problematic guard will be a big impact to the coming NBA campaign of the team.
"He gives us that quickness, that speed, playmaking ability, something that we were missing, especially deep in the playoffs. We're going to welcome him with open arms. We're happy to have him," says Harden via the Houston Chronicle.
It should be an interesting season for the Rockets with more point guards at McHale's disposal. Will it be enough to stand against a competitive NBA Western Conference that includes the souped up San Antonio Spurs and Golden State Warriors?
