Why Ty Lawson is an Idiot, and other NBA Draft News

-Ty Lawson is an idiot. He was one of the only players with a shot to be a first round pick that played in the NBA Pre-Draft camp, and he had such a good performance in his first game that he all-but locked-up a spot in the first round and didn't play the rest of the week. Draft Express reported that

talk continues to circulate that the Denver Nuggets have promised to select Ty Lawson with the 20th pick later this month. Lawson pulled out of the NBA pre-draft camp after just one day, citing a hip pointer, but was seen shooting around and looking absolutely fine just a few hours before he was supposed to play. He stated that if he were to be projected to be drafted outside the top-20, he will return to North Carolina, making the Nuggets precisely his cut-off point.

Less than a week after the camp concluded, Lawson got pulled over for violating the town's noise ordinance by playing music too loud from his car, and was subsequently arrested for driving while impaired. Driving drunk and risking a DWI (or worse) is always a dumb thing, especially when your possible future employer (the Denver Nuggets) are currently dealing with image problems as a result of their league-leading tattoo-per-player average and maturity problems, as well as Carmelo Anthony's April DUI. The last thing the Nuggets want to do is further alienate an already frustrated fan base.

Note: In Lawson's defense, he actually was behaving pretty responsibly. He only blew a 0.03, but the fact that he is under 21 meant that he got charged with driving after consuming alcohol. Still pretty dumb, but not as bad as the headlines made it out to be.

There are conflicting reports over what happened with the work out Lawson had scheduled with Denver this weekend. Hoopsworld reported that the team canceled the workout as a result of the arrest. The Denver Post reported that Lawson skipped the workout on his own, and that George Karl was surprised when he was not there. The UNC athletic department released a statement saying that it was a miscommunication and that the Heels simply called the wrong number. Whatever the reason, Lawson did not work out for the Nuggets, while Mario Chalmers did and impressed Karl with his defense. Lawson still seems like a better fit for the Nuggets, but they may not want to take the risk on him. Nice going Ty.

-Speaking of Chalmers, it looks like he will be staying in the draft, although he has yet to sign with an agent.

Other players look like they are leaning towards staying in the draft:
-JJ Hickson has said he is in the draft to stay, which may not be the smartest decision for someone that is not a first round lock, but is a potential 2009 lottery pick.
-Jamont Gordon has said that he is in the draft to stay, even if he is going to slip into the second round and has to fight for a roster spot.
-Marreese Speights has said he is most likely leaving school, and many reports also have Chase Budinger staying in the draft as well. Both are expected to be first rounders.
-Ronald Steele and Danny Green are both leaning towards coming back, although they are waiting to go through workouts until they make their decisions. Green has been beat up during this offseason (elbow, wrist, ankle and hip injuries) while Steele is trying to prove that his knees are healthy.
-Darrell Arthur will sign with an agent, which is probably a good thing for him even is he wasn't a potential lottery pick because of the spreading rumors about his eligibility and faked high school grades.