By Arnie Stapleton
Associated Press
DENVER ó The Denver Nuggets landed the reserve point guard they coveted in Ty Lawson, who’s expected to take some wear and tear off Chauncey Billups while serving as his protege.
“In the playoffs, I think we might have wore him out a little bit,” said coach George Karl, a former UNC player.
The Nuggets traded a future first-round pick to Minnesota for the rights to North Carolina point guard.
If Karl has his way, Anthony Carter will be back next season, so Lawson will have his work cut out for him carving out minutes on the court.
“Obviously, he’s got blazing speed, and that’s something you can’t teach,” said Rex Chapman, vice president of player personnel. “He shoots a really straight ball. When he’s open, he’s got terrific rotation, terrific form and I expect it to go in. As far as how long it’s going to take, a lot of that’s up to Ty. He’s going to come in here, and he’s going to have to earn it, just like any other player does.”
Lawson worked out for Denver last summer before opting to return to UNC.
“I improved my shooting, defense, being a leader,” Lawson said. “Also, I won a national championship, so I probably made the right decision.”
Lawson, who is 5-foot-11, averaged 13.1 points and six assists in three seasons.”Over the last four or five years, I’ve become more and more impressed by little guards because you just can’t cover em,” Karl said. “It’s hard to cover ’em.”