Knicks · Ty Lawson definitely on the market - Rockets working with Lawson's reps to find a trade (page 1)

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Sources: Rockets looking to move Ty Lawson, who's expected to be suspended

In what increasingly has become a fruitless experiment, the Houston Rockets are engaging in trade scenarios to move guard Ty Lawson, league sources told Yahoo Sports.

After a recent resolution in his court case for a DUI charge in 2014, the NBA plans to suspend Lawson for two games as soon as Friday, league sources told Yahoo Sports. Since arriving in Houston this summer, Lawson has met his requirements off the floor and has had no new incidents. The push to trade him has been based on a poor basketball fit.

The Rockets’ front office has been cooperating with Lawson’s representatives in exploring possible deals to bring back some measure of return on the organization’s original investment in Lawson, league sources said.

Lawson relinquished the $13.2 million player option on his 2016-17 contract to clear the way for Houston to acquire him from the Denver Nuggets in July. Because Lawson has struggled to find a way to play off the ball with star James Harden on the floor, the organization and Lawson’s representatives are moving toward cutting short this experiment, league sources said.

Lawson, 28, has dropped to career lows in virtually every offensive category, averaging 5.9 points and 4.2 assists in 25 minutes a game with Houston. Across his seven-year career, which includes six seasons in Denver, Lawson has averaged 13.7 points and 6.5 assists.

Houston gave up four players and a future draft pick in the deal with Denver, although the Nuggets ultimately released all four players. Because of protections on the 2016 conditional first-round pick sent to the Nuggets, the selection would turn into a second-rounder in 2016 should the Rockets miss the playoffs. The Rockets also sent a 2017 second-round pick as part of the deal.

The Rockets are 13-14, holding onto seventh place in the Western Conference standings.

Lawson will make $12.4 million this season.

I'm not a huge Lawson fan at all. I would stay away, but I wonder if Phil asks about him. Knicks are supposedly poking around the league looking for guard upgrades.

This dude is unraveling right before our eyes.......pass

http://www.chatsports.com/new-york-knick...

I've liked lawson since his tarheel days, he's a really tough player and def not a good fit in Houston. With that said I don't think Phil likes undersized PG's.

Never been a big fan, he's always injured, and now he's struggling with alcoholism. My heart goes out to the dude and I hope he can overcome his demons but I want no part of him on the Knicks no matter how much we need guard help.

let me say this... I know he's got some baggage but this PG could really elevate this team. The guys is fantastic at getting into the paint and dishing off to bigs for easy buckets. Dude has gotten a lot of assists and I think he's 28? 27?

Yes he's small, but losing Jose's size is no loss at all.

One thing.. he's got to have the ball in the his hands. Are we going to let him create or confine him to the triangle? If we moved to the offense to fit his skill set a bit more he could be a huge upgrade for us. I dont know a ton about him, aside from what I see on the court. Not sure if he's a tough guy to manage or deal with in the club house.

just to add... this would really be buying low.

fishmike wrote:just to add... this would really be buying low.

It'd be buying low and he's a FA this summer, so no long term commitment. And you have to think he'll be looking to rebuild his reputation after looking bad in Houston.

I think of the "buy low" PGs, I'd prefer Jennings by a lot.

I'm not sure if either fits in the Triangle. He's a very talented offensive player, but looks to be a terrible defender statistically. He's undersized, which Phil has traditionally disliked.

I don't know. Not sure where I would stand on this. If the cost were very low, I might take a flier. Calderon doesn't have a future here past this year if you ask me.

I could see Ty Lawson really helping a team like the Milwaukee Bucks that needs to get out and run more and needs a shot creator like nobody's business.

fishmike wrote:let me say this... I know he's got some baggage but this PG could really elevate this team. The guys is fantastic at getting into the paint and dishing off to bigs for easy buckets. Dude has gotten a lot of assists and I think he's 28? 27?

Yes he's small, but losing Jose's size is no loss at all.

One thing.. he's got to have the ball in the his hands. Are we going to let him create or confine him to the triangle? If we moved to the offense to fit his skill set a bit more he could be a huge upgrade for us. I dont know a ton about him, aside from what I see on the court. Not sure if he's a tough guy to manage or deal with in the club house.

I'm concerned about his size on D, but in terms of his impact on offense, remember how aggressive Shved was? Well despite what people think guards are still important they just don't hold the ball as long in this offense but you still have to have guards who can push the ball, handle the ball, drive, PnR and score. They simply don't have the ball all the time like in a PG dominant offense. When they do get it tho they must be able to do more than what we get from Jose. If Jose was even AVERAGE at attacking the rim it would make a HUGE difference.

as much as I hate Jose, I don't know that I would swap Jose for Ty. Unless Houston's including a draft pick!

fishmike wrote:let me say this... I know he's got some baggage but this PG could really elevate this team. The guys is fantastic at getting into the paint and dishing off to bigs for easy buckets. Dude has gotten a lot of assists and I think he's 28? 27?

Yes he's small, but losing Jose's size is no loss at all.

One thing.. he's got to have the ball in the his hands. Are we going to let him create or confine him to the triangle? If we moved to the offense to fit his skill set a bit more he could be a huge upgrade for us. I dont know a ton about him, aside from what I see on the court. Not sure if he's a tough guy to manage or deal with in the club house.

I agree with you on what he brings offensively but it comes down to how he likes to dominate the ball. Now i would be alright with it right now cause Melo is off his game a little but when melo gets his shot back he's not gonna like how Lawson will dominate the ball offensively. If Melo, Fisher and Phil would let him do his thing then he could definitely help us win some games. His off the court problems aren't good though and when a player is having off the court problems it will get into the locker room and that's not good.

BRING BACK SHVED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

newyorker4ever wrote:BRING BACK SHVED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I would do this in a heartbeat.

I really wish they'd signed Shved over Seraphin this summer.

crzymdups wrote:http://sports.yahoo.com/news/sources--ro...

Sources: Rockets looking to move Ty Lawson, who's expected to be suspended

In what increasingly has become a fruitless experiment, the Houston Rockets are engaging in trade scenarios to move guard Ty Lawson, league sources told Yahoo Sports.

After a recent resolution in his court case for a DUI charge in 2014, the NBA plans to suspend Lawson for two games as soon as Friday, league sources told Yahoo Sports. Since arriving in Houston this summer, Lawson has met his requirements off the floor and has had no new incidents. The push to trade him has been based on a poor basketball fit.

The Rockets’ front office has been cooperating with Lawson’s representatives in exploring possible deals to bring back some measure of return on the organization’s original investment in Lawson, league sources said.

Lawson relinquished the $13.2 million player option on his 2016-17 contract to clear the way for Houston to acquire him from the Denver Nuggets in July. Because Lawson has struggled to find a way to play off the ball with star James Harden on the floor, the organization and Lawson’s representatives are moving toward cutting short this experiment, league sources said.

Lawson, 28, has dropped to career lows in virtually every offensive category, averaging 5.9 points and 4.2 assists in 25 minutes a game with Houston. Across his seven-year career, which includes six seasons in Denver, Lawson has averaged 13.7 points and 6.5 assists.

Houston gave up four players and a future draft pick in the deal with Denver, although the Nuggets ultimately released all four players. Because of protections on the 2016 conditional first-round pick sent to the Nuggets, the selection would turn into a second-rounder in 2016 should the Rockets miss the playoffs. The Rockets also sent a 2017 second-round pick as part of the deal.

The Rockets are 13-14, holding onto seventh place in the Western Conference standings.

Lawson will make $12.4 million this season.

That is the big key right there it is a one year rental. Jose and fillers for Ty Lawson is fine with me. I do not know how well a relationship his has with Afflalo and Melo but those 3 have played together and if they are cool he has two people he knows who can help him along.

Regarding the fit. It will be awkward but he will have as much opportunity maybe more to have the ball in his hands. Calderon and Jose run the PnR on over 30%+ of there possession and Grant's rates put him above some elite PnR heavy players. Lawson running the PnR with Lopez, KP, and Melo could be a thing of beauty. Imagine the spacing a penetration opportunities it could be with KP at the 5 and Melo at the 4? His passing ability in PnR situations would be an asset.

Also, he is definitely a push the pass player so get him some minutes with the second unit too in the 2nd and 4th qtrs to see what can happen there too. Plus I think there is a misconception about how much Lawson needs the ball. He's only a 13 FGA at the most tpe of player with a moderately high usg rate.

Defensively, I do not see how he could be worse than Jose.

I think there are probably 3 teams that could be in the running for his services: The Bucks(Vasquez), The Nets(Jack) and The Knicks(Calderon). I doubt Houston would send him to a Western conference team.

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nixluva wrote: If Jose was even AVERAGE at attacking the rim it would make a HUGE difference.

sigh. ain't it the truth (?)

yellowboy90 wrote:

That is the big key right there it is a one year rental. Jose and fillers for Ty Lawson is fine with me. I do not know how well a relationship his has with Afflalo and Melo but those 3 have played together and if they are cool he has two people he knows who can help him along.

Regarding the fit. It will be awkward but he will have as much opportunity maybe more to have the ball in his hands. Calderon and Jose run the PnR on over 30%+ of there possession and Grant's rates put him above some elite PnR heavy players. Lawson running the PnR with Lopez, KP, and Melo could be a thing of beauty. Imagine the spacing a penetration opportunities it could be with KP at the 5 and Melo at the 4? His passing ability in PnR situations would be an asset.

Also, he is definitely a push the pass player so get him some minutes with the second unit too in the 2nd and 4th qtrs to see what can happen there too. Plus I think there is a misconception about how much Lawson needs the ball. He's only a 13 FGA at the most tpe of player with a moderately high usg rate.

Defensively, I do not see how he could be worse than Jose.

I think there are probably 3 teams that could be in the running for his services: The Bucks(Vasquez), The Nets(Jack) and The Knicks(Calderon). I doubt Houston would send him to a Western conference team.

good post.

i guess one key would be whether Melo is in favor of such a move or not. Lawson didn't really get to blossom until after Melo and Billups were traded to the Knicks. curious to see if Melo had an opinion of him. They really only had about a season and a half together. I think Afflalo was with him longer.

it's interesting. i don't think he'd be an option with Phil making the final call, but I think you are right about the teams interested in him.

I could see Milwaukee pulling the trigger.

Here are some snippets from this Article: http://www.thedreamshake.com/2015/7/21/9003221/ty-lawson-trade-NBA-2015-film-study-Houston-Rockets-scouting-report

The past two seasons under Brian Shaw, Ty Lawson was the primary decision maker. He had the ball for most of Denver's offensive possessions with the sole responsibility of facilitating and distributing the basketball.

He's an average shooter at best, not necessarily excelling from a certain spot or area in the half-court. Over his career, he improved when driving from the left side. He'll take a screen from a big and use either his right or left hand to weave inside the lane and finish with a mid-range jumper, floater inside the paint, or nifty layup around the rim.

The biggest concern for the Rockets will be his three-point shooting. He hasn't shot a high volume from the corners and isn't efficient from a specific spot, although he does shoot best from the left-wing.

Measuring at 5'11 (6 feet with shoes), Ty Lawson does struggle shooting the basketball in certain situations. He's been good as a spot-up shooter, mainly because he has his feet set, shoulder's square, and enough time for release. When coming off the dribble, he struggles with his shot as it creates tension and a problematic trajectory towards the basket.

Now before we move on, it should be known that Lawson connected on 35.3% of these pull-up threes last season and his shot is usually consistent. But, in an offense that will give him the freedom to attempt threes like these, it's important to point out some of the inconsistencies (slow-release and follow-through) that could create problems.

As I mentioned before, Ty Lawson is actually an above-average spot-up shooter from three-point range. His percentage from deep has decreased since his rookie season, but his mechanics on spot-up attempts give me optimism that he'll be efficient with the Rockets.

In Lawson, Houston gets a perimeter playmaker who can run the offense and collapse the defense. A huge addition for an offense that was very stagnant in the postseason and required Harden to consistently utilize his elite isolation decision making and prowess to put points on the board.

Ty Lawson possesses the incredible ability of finding open lanes and seams in opposing teams' defenses to take advantage of and score. Depending on the certain scheme or adjustment by the defense, Ty Lawson can turn the speed on and beat the primary and/or help defender off the dribble, as well as pass out of a double team.

His skill-set includes an array of hesitation dribbles and a volatile first step that creates high-percentage opportunities for himself or others. Although small, he makes up for lack-of-size with a ridiculous combination of strength and quickness.

Lawson owns one of the league's quickest first steps. Once he gets past his defender, the help-side defender must rotate over and other defenders go on high alert. This is the basis of penetration and creation, a vital proponent of the Rockets free-flow offense.

A schematic set that will surely highlight Ty Lawson's mastery with the basketball and further elongate the impact of others, is the 1/5 pick-and-roll.

When running full steam ahead, Lawson is very elusive and shifts his waist to gain the advantage over the retreating defenders. The best part about his low center of gravity is his ability to stop on a dime and toss up a mid-range jumper, a shot that's a very efficient option in his arsenal. And, to top it all off, he's always been an impressive decision-maker, boasting an assist-to-turnover ration of around 4:1.

Some Stuff about defense

As a 6 foot tall (barely) point guard, Lawson doesn't have adequate size to defend most of the elite point guards in the Western Conference, many of whom are long and athletic. He'll struggle at times to contest opposing players shots, allowing players with a quick or high release to get high percentage looks from deep or around the rim.

His biggest problem comes when opposing teams run his man off of ball screens and weak-side action. His size doesn't do him any favors when getting through screens, and his length isn't sufficient to disrupt the movement of the shooter. Even when ball-handlers come off a simple ball screen, they often run past him and abandon any threat of a recovery.

As for positives on defense, Ty Lawson does get his hands into passing lanes as he's averaged 1.2 steals per game for his career. He also has a very strong upper and lower body, allowing him to hound point guards and play a pit-bull style (preferably versus guards of similar height).

He has elite speed in the open floor and this correlates with his lateral-quickness, however Ty relies heavily on this in situations involving screens. He'll likely be placed on a spot-up shooter or wing, assigned with the responsibility of playing the passing lanes and gambling on calculated risks. For example, in the game from the example above, Lawson was switched onto Batum for the remainder of the game.

It's not far-fetched that he'll struggle with Houston defensively, especially on the perimeter. Opposing teams will attack him on pick-and-roll and off ball screens. The coaching staff will need to brainstorm certain contingencies to hide his defensive weaknesses, similar to Harden (at times).

If we're going to monkey w the roster I'd prefer clear upgrade. Otherwise I say let's continue to develop Gallo and grant or even a d-leaguer

If we must add someone I'd prefer we get Livingston from GS. They owe us, after screwing us in the Lee for Randolph trade. And then they stole Kerr from us. We should call them and play the guilt-trip card, offer Jose and call it even.