The arrest is apparently no big deal.
Via WRAL:
North Carolina guard Ty Lawson said he expects to be a first-round pick if he stays in the NBA Draft and doesn’t believe a recent arrest will affect his status.
Lawson, who finished his sophomore year at UNC, worked out with the Washington Wizards on Monday. He twisted his ankle in the workout, but told reporters afterward he expects it to be fine in a couple of days.
“A lot of teams I’ve worked out for said I played well, that I’m high on their list,” Lawson told reporters after his workout. “If I do go, I’ll go in the first round.”
Lawson has until June 16 to decide whether to stay in the June 26 draft. He has said he will turn professional if he expects to be among the first 20 players selected.
Lawson said Monday he wasn’t sure if he would go in the first 20 or not but was encouraged by what he had heard from teams so far.
He insisted his recent arrest won’t affect his status. Lawson was charged Friday with driving after consuming alcohol following an early-morning traffic stop in Chapel Hill. Lawson, 20, took a roadside breath test., which registered .03. He is scheduled to appear in court July 8.
“It wasn’t as bad as everything portrayed. I read the headlines – drinking and driving, drunk and driving,” he said. “I don’t think it’ll affect that much. A couple of [NBA general mangers] that did call, they realize what it was.
“I blew an .03. I was being responsible, but just wasn’t 21. I feel like it won’t have an effect on my draft status. It’s the first off-court thing I’ve ever done. I was being responsible, but just underage."
1. Lawson talks like he is gone. Yeah he still tosses out that whole top 20 pick business but if that were a stock I wouldn't buy it. The whole tone of the interview has Lawson looking forward to the NBA and acting like it is a foregone conclusion.
2. I hate to break Ty Lawson's bubble but if you are not 21 you are not legal to drink therefore if you drink anything that would be considered irresponsible because breaking the law is..well...irresponsible.
3. Three speeding tickets and not showing up to court for those tickets constitutes an "off-court thing." In fact the revoked license that stemmed from the other three violations might be a bigger deal to the court than the driving after drinking.
In short, Lawson acts like he is heading out the door and still does not seem to understand how the whole traffic violation thing works.