The Houston Rockets recently welcomed Ty Lawson following his NBA stint with the Denver Nuggets. While the NBA star has been widely known to engage in alcohol- and police-related incidents in the past, it looks like the Houston team still feel confident that Lawson will deliver on his promise to improve his life choices and perform better in the coming season.
"He's had some very serious incidents in his past and in his recent past," disclosed Houston Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey, according to ESPN. He added, "We feel like he's part of the Rockets family now and through our conversations with him we feel confident he's getting the help he needs and he's taken that step to say this is something he needs to do is improve on those areas."
While no official statement has been released by the other members of the Houston Rockets, Lawson's agent, Happy Walters, revealed that the point guard would be in good hands in this new team. Citing the NBA stars closeness with James Harden, Dwight Howard, Corey Brewer and Trevor Ariza, Walters is positive that the Houston Rockets will be capable of giving Lawson an opportunity for a fresh start.
Prior to the start of the season, it looks like Lawson is serious in proving his worth to the Houston Rockets. Following the legal issues hounding him, the former Nuggets player opted to enroll himself in rehab in an effort to find a way to get rid of his addition. While the Houston Rockets star is not the first widely known athlete to seek medication - with Johnny Manziel, Josh Hamilton and Dez Bryant previously reported to have been in rehab facilities in the past as well - Lawson is one of the few who decided he does not need a chaperon to stay in line.
While this decision might be worrisome to fans of the Houston Rockets, it looks like Lawson is hellbent in proving his worth to his new NBA family. Signing in with the team allowed Lawson to take home US$13.2 million for a year-long contract spanning from 2016 to 2017. When the Houston Rockets offered Lawson the option to take the $13.2 million as guaranteed pay, the ex-Nuggets star decided against it which led to a non-guaranteed deal with his new NBA team.
Should Lawson truly stick to his word this season, the Houston Rockets will undoubtedly witness a boost in their NBA performance. In the previous season, Lawson managed to rake in 15.2 points in every game he played for the Nuggets. In addition, he was ranked third place among the NBA star and boasted of 9.6 assists for each game. Needless to say, Lawson - off the booze and without the legal drama - is a valuable player for any NBA team to keep.
Meanwhile, the Houston Rockets might be welcoming back another great NBA star. Rumor has it that free agent Jason Terry is negotiating with the team and a decision might be out soon, according to Sports World Report.
The last NBA season saw Terry in a reserve role with the Houston Rockets. Later on, the injury of Patrick Beverley pushed Terry to the spotlight and his performance met the expectations of the team. While some might worry that Lawson's entry in the Houston locker room might halt negotiations with Terry, especially since Pablo Priogini was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers earlier this year, these rumors seem to be unfounded.
Terry's experience allows him to be perceived as a reliable back up point guard this NBA season. Playing 77 games last season, the free agent averaged 7.0 points. He also recorded 1.9 assists for every game and achieved a 40 percent shooting accuracy from the floor. Should the Houston Rockets decide to not make an offer, however, the Dallas Mavericks are reportedly interested in signing the 37-year-old NBA veteran.
