Nuggets president says Ty Lawson's personal issues 'have been there for several years'

Ty Lawson's off-court issues have dominated headlines since his second DUI-related arrest of 2015, but according to Denver Nuggets president Josh Kroenke, Lawson's behavior had concerned the Nuggets for some time.

"The problems have been there for several years, going back to when we were having a lot of on-court success," Kroenke told Yahoo Sports' Marc Spears on Tuesday.

Most troubling of all, he seemed to hint that Lawson showed up to practice after drinking.

"I don’t want to go back too far. There were just a lot of times where you were at practice and you just know," said Kroenke, whose Nuggets dealt Lawson to the Houston Rockets earlier this week. "You could smell it. You know there is probably deeper issues than he would probably let on."

Lawson, who was also charged with driving under the influence in January, and who pleaded guilty to DUI and underage drinking charges while he attended the University of North Carolina in 2008, has been ordered to spend 30 days in an alcohol rehabilitation program by a Denver judge.

Kroenke said he knew the team likely had to move on from Lawson when the star point guard missed Denver's first practice following February's All-Star break, during which he reportedly spent time in Las Vegas.

"I love Ty and will always love Ty, but once I saw him going down this dark path, we knew that we probably were going to end up in a situation where we were dumping him."

Lawson's offensive talent is undeniable, but the 27-year-old will have to address and correct the personal issues Kroenke and the Nuggets came to know all too well if he wants to stay on the floor and help the Rockets contend again in the Western Conference.

Lawson's agent, Happy Walters, told Spears he's hopeful his client will be ready for training camp in the fall. "He is going to spend time working on himself," Walters said. "Basketball will come after."

As it should.