"Of all the major decisions the Nuggets must sort through this offseason, one subtle choice could have the biggest impact. The answer to this question: What kind of point guard is Ty Lawson? Does he move forward as a facilitating point guard who scores when needed or as more of a Russell Westbrook/Deron Williams type who scores first and distributes second? When push came to shove against the Lakers in the playoffs, Andre Miller directed traffic while Lawson was unleashed as a scorer. The two were played as dual point guards in theory, but Lawson was much more a shooting guard than anything else. And yes, it was more of a comment of confidence in Miller rather than a lack of confidence in Lawson's ability to run a team in coach George Karl's spread-you-out-and-attack offense, which leaves ample room for ad-libs. But that's how it played out. And if the Nuggets are able to retain Miller, an unrestricted free agent in search of the best possible role in a career winding to its conclusion, does his presence both help and hurt Lawson's development from a floor-leader standpoint? Lawson can learn from Miller, but on the other hand, the Nuggets will use the veteran at critical moments, stripping chances from Lawson to gain valuable experience running the show when it matters most. When Karl talked of Lawson's improvement during the season, it was of him as a scorer, showing more aggressiveness going to the rim and a better off-dribble jump shot. Karl wanted the super-speedy Lawson to get to the rim upward of 40 times a game. There's no decision making in that. Get to the rim and ask questions later. Lawson said he's fine either way, though he has the mindset of a facilitator. It was drilled into him at North Carolina, and he wrestled with reverting back to the score, score, score mentality of his prep days at Oak Hill Academy." Read more: http://www.denverpost.com/nuggets/ci_20823352/nuggets-moves-may-depend-lawsons-role
