Houston Rockets guard Ty Lawson posted a photo of himself on Instagram at 6:15 a.m. CT on Wednesday along with the caption, "Let a dude ball out," according to ESPN's Calvin Watkins, who added that it has since been deleted. The same post is still visible on Facebook, however.
Lawson, the Rockets' major acquisition last summer, has struggled this season, missed Monday's game against the Utah Jazz because of an ankle sprain and did not practice with the Rockets on Wednesday.
It is unclear whether Lawson's comment referred to being held out of the lineup or his reduced role. He did not speak to reporters at practice. Given how the season has gone, though, the post was a bad idea.
In 32 games, Lawson has averaged 6.4 points, 4.3 assists and 1.9 rebounds in 24.8 minutes, shooting 37.1 percent. All of those are by far career lows. CBS Sports' Ken Berger reported in December that Lawson's agents wanted him traded, but Houston could not find an acceptable deal.
The 17-19 Rockets host the Jazz on Thursday. Coach J.B. Bickerstaff said "we'll see" regarding Lawson's status for the game.
