It was at a point late in Sunday’s practice that Nuggets coach Brian Shaw noticed his starting point guard, Ty Lawson, was not just sitting out for rest, but was on a training table with medical staff around him and an ice pack on his left ankle.
Ty Lawson (left), in preseason action against Phoenix last Friday. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
Lawson’s ankle will be one to watch this season. He sprained it late last season and missed the last six games because of it, and further tests after the season showed more damage than just a simple sprain. The upshot of it all was Lawson could not run until July and was not able to do a full offseason conditioning program in the manner he wanted.
He will wear a small brace on it on-and-off all season long. And in a season with 21 back-to-backs and a good number of four-games-in-five-nights sets, it will be under constant stress. How much Lawson is used, and how Lawson takes care of himself as well, is already on Shaw’s mind.
“There is some concern,” Shaw said. “I haven’t really been killing him in practice or even in games. I’m cognizant of that. But once again, itap something that he’s going to have to work himself through.”
Asked if he’d rest Lawson in any of the preseason games, Shaw said, “Itap a possibility. Itap that fine line because you want guys to continue to build up their stamina and their conditioning and be sharp. Kenneth (Faried) kind of got his game this last game (at Phoenix). If Ty just really busts out and has a big game and is showing me that ‘Okay, I’m ready’ then maybe I’ll feel better about doing something like that.”
No carbon footprint. The Nuggets are going on the road for a full week in the preseason this week, something they’ll only have to do a couple of times in the regular season.
But with a game on Thursday after the Nuggets’ Monday contest in Chicago, why keep his team on the road?
Shaw smiled and said, “I’m trying to be energy-efficient. We’ll stay in Chicago and practice a couple of days. Because (it saves) the fuel that it would take to fly back and then pack up and fly back again.”
So he’s helping the environment?
“I am,” Shaw said. “I’m doing my part.”
Follow Chris Dempsey on Twitter @dempseypost or email him at cdempsey@denverpost.com
