and the
Wait. Or did Lawson win?
We’re confused. Then again, we’ve been confused a lot lately. Full disclosure: It’s been something of a perplexing, slow week up in the Grading The Week offices.
Summer went by in a blink, didn’t it? And, just as we’ve finally wiped the sweat from our eyes, it’s coming to a screeching halt. We’re getting antsy for the start of Broncos training camp, truth to be told. And based on the last six or seven days, the Front Range news cycle seems to be feeling the same. The top stories that didn’t involve LeBron James or Hunter Goodman around here this past week? Cripes, were they weird. We’ve got a Nuggets nugget and a Rockies nugget, but we’ll start with the hoops one. Buckle up
Ty Lawson’s Castle Rock tale — Incomplete
Lawson, the Nuggets point guard from 2009-2015, found himself back in the news this past Thursday. Only not for, um, basketball reasons.
The 38-year-old former North Carolina Tar Heel was reportedly arrested on July 16 for allegedly stealing a bottle of vodka in Castle Rock,
The arrest affidavit, per the report, went on to say that Lawson allegedly took a bottle of Tito’s vodka from a store. The shop owner told police that the man was seen drinking from the bottle in front of the store, then took it with him to a nearby restaurant. Further reports said that during his arrest, Lawson referred to the arresting officer in Not Safe For Work language and kicked at the glass wall of his cell before apologizing for his behavior.
Once the arrest was reported, Lawson fired off a series of rebuttals via his X.com account, and they’re also very NSFW.
Spying on the Rockies? — F
It’s hard admitting to being a Rockies fan. It’s like rooting for You know your guys are going to hit a wall. It’s only a matter of when, and the speed of the impact. You’re here for a good time, not a long one.
But at least you’re not Angels fans. Mercy.
The Halos have replaced their second-team-in-a-big-town cousins, the White Sox, as the most dysfunctional franchise in the American League. How dysfunctional?
Let’s put it this way: They were just caught spying on the Rox. Your Rox. The 100-losses-for-three-straight-seasons Rox.
Per The Athletic, was apparently filming Rockies coaches with his phone in advance of a Rox-Angels series June 1-3.
Filming by scouts is allowed, but gathering material outside of what’s available and shown during MLB broadcasts is a no-no. Prinstein, per the same report, was also allegedly caught filming Padres coaches this past April.
The Rockies went on to win two of three games against the Halos in that series, by the way, and outscored the Angels 21-14.
Again: weird, weird, weird week.
LeBron’s Philly cheese — D
It was always going to be an Eastern Conference team for King James, wasn’t it? On paper, it’s the easiest playoff path to a ring. Plus, it gives LeBron an Eastern seaboard stop (Philadelphia) to go along with the West Coast (Los Angeles), the South (Miami), and the Midwest (Cleveland) in his World Tour of NBA home markets.
Denver was always a long shot for Old Man ‘Bron. Although if you’re a Nuggets fan, there are a couple parts that sting when it comes to the King. One, that he took a league-veteran-minimum deal (approximately $3.9 million) from the 76ers, which is about the same (limited) money the Nuggs had available to offer. Two, that he’s playing with Joel Embiid to close out a legendary career and not Nikola Jokic. We’ll have to see if, unlike Embiid, James will actually suit up at Ball Arena when the Sixers make their annual one-game trek to Chopper Circle.
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