Signing Ty Lawson comes as a surprise, given the timing of it, but it shouldn't. He fills a need, the potential upside overwhelms the risk, and Larry Bird has shown the courage it takes to make this kind of decision before.
Bird nearly added Lawson to the Pacers' roster in 2009, during the draft. He once told me Lawson was his second choice behind Tyler Hansbrough with the 13th pick. They had paired to lead North Carolina to the NCAA championship earlier that year, earning All-America recognition in the process. Bird said he told former Tar Heels coach Dean Smith before the draft, "I'm not sure who I'm taking yet, but I'm taking one of your guys.