Ty Lawson: I wouldn’t have gone to rehab if not court-ordered

Ty Lawson – after two DUI arrests in six months – spent 30 days in rehab this summer.

Rockets general manager Daryl Morey said he was confident Lawson was getting the help he needed in rehab.

Houston guard James Harden said Lawson left rehab more focused than ever.

As for Lawson himself?

Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports:

Lawson learned “what triggers are” and “what forces someone to drink,” but says this on his public and private problems with alcohol: “I still honestly don’t think I would’ve had to go in there if it wasn’t court ordered. I just made two dumb mistakes. But I did take things from the [rehabilitation facility].”

Well, four dumb mistakes.

Lawson reportedly told police during his January DUI arrest that he had a previous one in Missouri. He also pleaded guilty to underage drinking in driving while at North Carolina.

And those are only the driving-related dumb mistakes. According to Nuggets president Josh Kroenke, Lawson smelled of alcohol at practice going years back.

At my most generous, I could concede it’s possible Lawson doesn’t have a problem with alcohol and didn’t need the type of rehab he got.

But he definitely has a problem – with drinking and driving.

To get behind the wheel inebriated and put the public at risk is a sickening offense. Lawson should have never done it once. But to face the consequence, to have it made clear what risk you present to strangers – and then do it again? It’s awful and tragic.

Maybe Lawson can control how much he drinks and when. I don’t think that has been the case, but maybe. The disregard he shows for others by driving afterward might be separate from the substance-abuse issue, but it darn sure matters. It gets people killed.

I don’t know whether Lawson needed this type of rehab, but he definitely needed a wakeup call about drinking and driving. Those close to him better make sure he got it.