Ty Lawson Headed to Denver

(Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

The Denver Nuggets have acquired the draft rights to Ty Lawson from the Minnesota Timberwolves. Denver will trade Minnesota a first round pick in the 2010 NBA Draft, which the Nuggets previously obtained from Charlotte.

Lawson is a great pick for the Nuggets, a team which could possibly contend for the NBA title in 2009-2010. He possesses all-around talent similar to that of Chauncey Billups, and played four solid years of basketball at the University of North Carolina.

Just like Denver in 2008-2009, Lawson made it deep into the postseason, winning the 2009 NCAA Championship.

Lawson will benefit from being alongside Billups by learning how to play point guard in the NBA. After lacking a true point guard for most of the past two decades, the Nuggets have acquired two of them in less than a year. Billups will play for the point for as long as he can compete, and Lawson ought to be ready to start by the time Billups departs.

Many NBA draft projections had the Nuggets taking a guard, either Eric Maynor or Toney Douglas. While these players had impressive scoring numbers in college, Lawson has a more complete skill set that will allow him to excel as a rookie. He will play with the most explosive offense in the NBA, which will allow Lawson to develop into a floor general with the Nuggets as he was with the Tar Heels.

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