Lawson Wishes He Left After Freshman Year

[Gewebe14]

That certainly makes two of us...

[sivartrenrag]

Got a link?

[JDev]

As I posted somewhere else, Lawson seems to be the rare occasion where a player achieved great individual and team success during their college tenure, without ever really "unpacking their bags," to borrow a phrase from K.

[Gewebe14]

http://www.wralsportsfan.com/voices/blogpost/6243494/

Here is the link - it was under todays DBR headlines

[airowe]

Got a link?

From the article on the front page:

http://www.wralsportsfan.com/voices/blogpost/6243494/

He also thinks he'd be better off in his basketball career if he hadn't spent the last two years in Roy's system (paraphrasing a bit.) ;)

[Kedsy]

That certainly makes two of us...

I can certainly admit that I'd be happier if he'd left in 2007. Although watching them get crushed by Kansas in 2008 was kind of fun...

[roywhite]

Not a very attractive aspect of the current college basketball scene, I'm afraid. Here was a kid who had little to no interest in being a college student. and very little interest in college basketball.

He certainly deserves the opportunity to pursue a career in professional basketball. In a sport like baseball, he likely would have signed a contract as a draft choice out of high school, and started in the minor leagues.

[airowe]

Not a very attractive aspect of the current college basketball scene, I'm afraid. Here was a kid who had little to no interest in being a college student. and very little interest in college basketball.

He certainly deserves the opportunity to pursue a career in professional basketball. In a sport like baseball, he likely would have signed a contract as a draft choice out of high school, and started in the minor leagues.

I could be wrong, but I believe the one and done rule was put in after Lawson's Freshman year.

Regardless, all evidence points to Lawson not leaving until he did because of his projected draft status. He couldn't have projected any higher than he did after winning a National Title. Same can be said for Ellington and Hansbrough.

[Battierfan01]

I always got the feeling the Lawson was kind of like McCants a few years earlier. He was very talented but never really "fit in" with his teammates or coaches.

[miramar]

how little importance he places on the national championship. Players like that should be allowed to develop in the D-League, or should I say the D-League should develop so that it can meet the needs of players like that.

[JasonEvans]

Regardless, all evidence points to Lawson not leaving until he did because of his projected draft status. He couldn't have projected any higher than he did after winning a National Title. Same can be said for Ellington and Hansbrough.

I am not so sure I agree. I would need to really comb the archives to find it, but I argued in 2008 that Lawson should come out that year and not wait until his junior season. The 2009 draft was loaded with PGs, and we knew it would be in 2008. By contrast, there were very few PGs available in the 2008 draft.

Lawson was forecast as a mid-teens player in both drafts (prior to his driving incident, which probably hurt his stock), but I think his odds of going in the low teens/late-lottery were far greater in 2008 when there were only 2 or 3 PGs who were better than him. In 2009, he was just one of almost a dozen really good PG prospects, decreasing his value somewhat.

What's more, if Lawson's stock was essentially the same in 2008 and 2009, then he did a bad thing by coming back because he denied himself a year of earnings and pushed back the date of his free agency by a year. By that logic, he may have cost himself millions of dollars by returning for his junior campaign.

--Jason "I would also add that because Hasbro was getting all the pub this past year, Lawson did not enhance his endorsement/reputation stock much if at all by coming back" Evans

[speedevil2001]

That certainly makes two of us...

i never heard a duke player say something like that....more of the opposite actually like i wish i stayed.

[bgibbs1001]

I must have taken a wrong turn at Albuqerque. I thought this was the Duke Basketball Report, Not Inside Carolina.

[JasonEvans]

I must have taken a wrong turn at Albuqerque. I thought this was the Duke Basketball Report, Not Inside Carolina.

Are you actually suggesting that talking about Carolina is somehow not part of the conversation here on the DBR? Really?

If you do not wish to contribute to a conversation about Carolina, that is fine, but to express disappointment at other folks talking about an ACC team-- especially our biggest rival-- well, that is simply not how things work around here.

--Jason "Ty Lawson whupped on us for 3 years... any conversation about him is not only allowed, it is welcomed" Evans

[Duvall]

Are you actually suggesting that talking about Carolina is somehow not part of the conversation here on the DBR? Really?

If you do not wish to contribute to a conversation about Carolina, that is fine, but to express disappointment at other folks talking about an ACC team-- especially our biggest rival-- well, that is simply not how things work around here.


Right. What he should have done was complain to the site administrators and get the Carolina discussion isolated on another board - that's how things work around here. But expressing disappointment is right out.

[DUKIE V(A)]

Perhaps this is the type thing that got Lawson drafted lower than his talent suggests rather than his relative lack of height or shooting ability.

On a side note, this can't be helpful for UNC recruiting...even if Lawson is a bit on the self-centered, unappreciative side.

[El_Diablo]

I must have taken a wrong turn at Albuqerque. I thought this was the Duke Basketball Report, Not Inside Carolina.

No, no, you're in the right place. We're just talking about how a player from our main rival just came out and said he wished he had left school earlier than he did. Now that you're caught up...

This can't sound good for UNC. Coupled with Michael Jordan dropping the N-word on Chamillionaire (and not in a friendly way)...this has not been a good PR week for UNC basketball.

Harrison Barnes, take note. You don't want to share Lawson's regrets do you? :)

[eightyearoldsdude]

I was a little disappointed in Lawson's comment, but it's consistent with other things he said when he was in high school and at UNC. He clearly viewed UNC as a path to the NBA, and that's fine. Assuming a player is only able to play until he is X years old, and X is fixed, then it's reasonable to think that Lawson gave up millions to play at UNC his junior year.

However, that also assumes that Lawson would have found a good fit with a team had he come out earlier--and been drafted later--and as a 5'10" guy with a history of injuries, that's quite an assumption. It seems like it has become increasingly common for players to be drafted in the first round and then find themselves in Europe three years later. I think he's got a case of grassisgreeneritis.

[kong123]

that didn't seem negative at all. if anything, the kid is honest to a fault, a quality you don't see much these days in this politically correct world we live in

[BD80]

... if anything, the kid is honest to a fault, a quality you don't see much these days in this politically correct world we live in

You mean when he was arrested for driving under the influence, he honestly told the officer how much and what he had consumed????

[OldPhiKap]

Perhaps this is the type thing that got Lawson drafted lower than his talent suggests rather than his relative lack of height or shooting ability.

On a side note, this can't be helpful for UNC recruiting...even if Lawson is a bit on the self-centered, unappreciative side.

I would love to think that this casts wide shadows on Roy, UNC, and that ugly shade of powder blue.

But in reality it mainly speaks volumes about Ty Lawson.

Ahhhhhh . . . . See ya.

[El_Diablo]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jnl27kAK9yM

[OldPhiKap]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jnl27kAK9yM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NoTrgDRnxfY

[UrinalCake]

It may be true that he would have been drafted lower had he left a year or two earlier, but that doesn't necessarily mean it would have been a mistake to do it. Perhaps he's had a taste of NBA-level competition and now feels that he was good enough two years ago to have at least stuck around in the league, so he wishes he'd gotten the clock running sooner.

[kong123]

You mean when he was arrested for driving under the influence, he honestly told the officer how much and what he had consumed????

I don't know, what about Redick?

"After my freshman year, I really should have left," Lawson said. "I just got scared of being in the NBA, and I was only 19 years old. I probably would have learned a lot more if I would have left my first year. But I learned a lot of things under Roy Williams. I matured a lot."

All I was saying is that Lawson is competitive and that he felt he was good enough to go pro years ago. Did he say he regretted sticking around? No, that's what you want to read into it. Did he said he was better for having stayed 2 more years? Yes.

"But he's come from a winning program," Karl added. "He's won a national championship. He does have a solid fundamental base that's unique for a young player."

Do you think that Redick's DUI cast a negative shadow on Duke? Do you think the DUI is the reason we have lost big time recruits over the last few years? I don't think that it is. I don't think kids think about that stuff. I think kids are either fans of a school growing up or they pick a school based on how they fit into that teams offense. I doubt the thought of whether or not a kid got a DUI or whether he wished he could have gone pro earlier even crosses their minds. And by the way, how much is Lawson making this year? If I knew I was a year or so away from being a millionaire, I probably couldn't wait either.

[roywhite]

I don't know, what about Redick?

Do you think that Redick's DUI cast a negative shadow on Duke? Do you think the DUI is the reason we have lost big time recruits over the last few years? I don't think that it is. I don't think kids think about that stuff. I think kids are either fans of a school growing up or they pick a school based on how they fit into that teams offense.

Not sure what the Redick example has to do with this discussion. DWI is a serious issue, but Redick had finished his college basketball career and graduated from Duke when this happened.

[eightyearoldsdude]

Just so we're clear, Lawson's BAC would have been perfectly legal for driving had he been 21 years old. I'm sure the folks who make a big deal out of this never touched a beer before they were legal.

[kong123]

Not sure what the Redick example has to do with this discussion. DWI is a serious issue, but Redick had finished his college basketball career and graduated from Duke when this happened.


Well, he brought up the Lawson arrest so I brought up the Redick arrest, ask him why he felt it was relevant to this conversation. Whether one happened to be a current player or if one happened to be a graduated senior who won POY Nationally and in the ACC. Point is, both represent their school while they are in school and even well after they leave. I think it is a bit hypocritical when we choose to see one thing a certain way because it suits us and then view it completely different when it casts a shadow on us. That was my point

[El_Diablo]

Just so we're clear, Lawson's BAC would have been perfectly legal for driving had he been 21 years old. I'm sure the folks who make a big deal out of this never touched a beer before they were legal.

Just so we're clear, Vick's dogfighting would have been perfectly legal had he been a resident of Russia.

Lawson wasn't 21. So it was illegal. End of story. I'm sure it was the first time he picked up a beer though. :rolleyes: He was also driving with a suspended license for some reason...

Regardless, even though drinking and driving is a serious issue, no one really made a big deal of it...other than an occasional jab. He broke the law, so you're gonna hear about it now and then. My advice would be to get over it.

[BD80]

Well, he brought up the Lawson arrest so I brought up the Redick arrest, ask him why he felt it was relevant to this conversation. ...

Context, context, context.



... if anything, the kid is honest to a fault, a quality you don't see much these days in this politically correct world we live in


You mean when he was arrested for driving under the influence, he honestly told the officer how much and what he had consumed????

My response was a bit like a gag reflex, having this darling little angel described as "honest to a fault"

Lawson may not be the mercenary whore we portray him to be, but it is an insult to compare him to JJ in any way except perhaps athletic success and a similar indiscretion of consumption. Hopefully, Lawson proves to be a good team player. Let's wait and see.

"Honest to a fault?" Let's just call it hyperbole and move on.

I'd rather focus attention on Kyrie, who will be better than Lawson was.

Honestly.

[eightyearoldsdude]

Just so we're clear, Vick's dogfighting would have been perfectly legal had he been a resident of Russia.

Lawson wasn't 21. So it was illegal. End of story. I'm sure it was the first time he picked up a beer though. :rolleyes: He was also driving with a suspended license for some reason...

Regardless, even though drinking and driving is a serious issue, no one really made a big deal of it...other than an occasional jab. He broke the law, so you're gonna hear about it now and then. My advice would be to get over it.

I think the people who make a big deal out of it are the ones who need to get over it. In my view, our minimum age laws are ridiculous so I never had a problem with it. In retrospect, I'm really glad it happened the way it did...

[El_Diablo]

In retrospect, I'm really glad it happened the way it did...

Yeah, it was definitely a blessing in disguise for you guys.

[RelativeWays]

Both Lawson's and Redick's drinking escapades were embarrassing for both programs and universities and unbecoming conduct for players both past and present. Lets not forget that JJ was not even a month past graduation when it happened so its not like he was that far removed from Duke either. Trying to nitpick one like its some huge character flaw and ignore the other is like trying to convince someone that having AIDS is worse than Pancreatic Cancer. You're going to die either way.

Second, that blog post on WRAL infers a heck of a lot from that Denver post article that Lawson never said or even hinted at. If this guy is a Duke fan than this reeks of sour grapes and I'm embarrassed he pulls for the same team I do. They're all gone, Beaker, Lawson, Green and Ellington and they're not coming back. Please, let them be gone. Not a lot of fun memories there.