Indiana Pacers sign Ty Lawson; Milwaukee Bucks lose Michael Carter-Williams to injury
President of Basketball Operations for the Indiana Pacers, Larry Bird believes troubled point guard Ty Lawson can help the team during their final 19 games of the season as they look to gain some momentum and make up a few spots in the tight Eastern Conference Playoff race. The Pacers announced on Monday that they have signed Lawson for the remainder of the season after he was bought out last week by his former team the Houston Rockets.
OFFICIAL: The #Pacers have signed point guard Ty Lawson.
— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) March 7, 2016
Story: https://t.co/uv27h22dac pic.twitter.com/JYg4iZodKR
As per team policy, the terms of Lawson’s contract with the Pacers has not been announced. Saturday’s move to waive Chase Budinger was reportedly made in order to create a roster spot to sign Lawson.
"We're glad to have Ty come play with the Pacers for this final run of the season," said Pacers' President of Basketball Operations Larry Bird. "We think he brings added speed to our backcourt, he can get up and down the floor and he helps strengthen our second unit."
Currently, the Pacers are facing trouble at the backup point guard spot and although Lawson has had a troubled past couple of years off the court, his seven-year NBA experience is bound to be more useful than that of rookie guard Joe Young. Indiana likes to play small and fast, therefore, when it comes to the roster and the playing style, the Lawson signing is a real fit for the Pacers. The first duty given to him would be to manage and play as the ball handler with the second unit but he could play some minutes with the starting five when the team decides to go small with Paul George at the four spot.
"This is a good opportunity for me to come here, try to help the Pacers win and get into the playoffs," said Lawson. "I’m just ready to play and do whatever is needed."
Lawson played 53 games for the Rockets before his buyout agreement, averaging 5.8 points and 3.4 assists per game. Last summer, he was shipped to Houston along with a second round pick as part of a deal that saw the Denver Nuggets receive four players and the Rockets’ 2016 first round draft pick.
Lawson’s role with the team was envisioned to be one of controlling the ball and pairing up alongside leading scorer James Harden. However, the experiment failed miserably and he began coming off the bench after the first 11 games of the season.
Milwaukee loses Michael Carter-Williams for rest of the season
Meanwhile, up North in Wisconsin, Milwaukee Bucks General Manager John Hammond announced that point guard Michael Carter-Williams will undergo season-ending hip surgery in Colorado on Thursday. The surgery will aim at repairing a torn labrum and keeps Carter-Williams out of action for at least three months, which is basically the rest of the season given the team’s position in the standings. The Bucks are currently seeded 12th in the Eastern and are six games behind the Chicago Bulls for the eighth and last playoff spot.
Although the injury might not critically affect the remainder of the team’s games, what it does do is make the Bucks point guard spot even thinner with Greivis Vasquez already been ruled out due to a right ankle surgery.
In 54 games (37 starts), MCW averaged 11.5 points, 5.1 rebounds, and a team-high 5.2 assists in 30.4 minutes of playing time. His most recent games saw him come off the bench with versatile 6’11” forward Giannis Antetokounmpo taking care of the ball handling duties with the starters.