Magic hoping Lue stands tall By Brian Schmitz | Sentinel Staff Writer Posted October 5, 2003 It was time for all the older kids and adults to take the court, meaning the little guy shooting baskets had to go. Tyronn Lue not only didn't want to leave, he refused. He wanted to play. His hands were completely black, dirtied from bouncing a basketball around town all day. The court at Garfield Park in his hometown of Mexico, Mo., the one with the chain nets, had become Lue's home away from home at 12. He started screaming and crying as his uncle or a neighbor approached. And thus began the exhausting routine of having to forcibly remove little Lue from the court. Tyronn would dart from the clutches of grown-ups and run to the middle of the floor, where he'd stage his own sit-down strike. "I wouldn't move unless they'd let me play. But they said I was too little and I'd get mad," Lue, the Orlando Magic point guard said. "My uncle, Jay Graves, would have to carry me off every time. "I just wanted my turn." Lue knows all about having to wait his turn. He eventually showed everybody at Garfield Park back then that he could play. Now he wants to show the Magic and the rest of the NBA that he can be a starter. After five seasons of mostly backup duty, Lue finally has been given the reins to his own team. The Magic signed him to a two-year, $3 million contract as a free agent. While the deal is a small transaction by NBA standards, the significance is large for the Magic. They've started a complete renovation at point guard, clearing out the old models and welcoming in the new, but gambling that Lue is ready while we pardon their construction dust. The Magic let go fan favorite Darrell Armstrong and Jacque Vaughn, veterans who shared the point-guard spot last season, and then drafted Reece Gaines to be the heir apparent. The only things apparent in camp are these: Gaines is a better athlete than he is a point guard so far, and the club was fortunate to snag journeyman Shammond Williams as insurance in Lue of a struggling rookie. Magic Coach Doc Rivers has given Lue high marks in camp, especially his toughness, defense and decision-making. "He has a great basketball IQ," Rivers said. Said Lue , "I'm ready for this role. I'm 26. I've played behind a lot of great players. I've learned from a lot of great players. I think I'll be fine stepping into this role, being consistent and playing hard every night like I always do. I think I bring toughness and defensive pressure like Darrell Armstrong did. "I've finally gotten this opportunity and I feel I can make the most of it." And play well enough that the Magic won't want to take him off the court. Mystery man Unless you're Bill Walton, a scout or a relative, you probably don't have a clue about Lue. He's mostly a mystery. He's known best for his famous friends, his mascot size and his trademark braids. Lue's first three seasons were with the Los Angeles Lakers, where he played very little, and the last two with the Washington Wizards, where he played a lot. Lue won a championship with the Lakers and, in an equally priceless experience, learned at the aging knee of Michael Jordan in Washington. The Magic can't help but believe this kind of training will help Lue lead. "The thing I learned from Kobe [Bryant] and Shaq [Shaquille O'Neal] was you have to have confidence. Things don't always go your way in the NBA -- you're not playing a lot, you're on injured reserve. . . . "Unlike college, you're not going to be the man on the team," Lue said. "You have to go through a process. You have to find different ways to get on the floor. It's not going to be scoring. You might have to be something else . . . defensively or whatever. "With Michael Jordan, it was the mental toughness I learned . . . the hard work you'd see him put in at 40 years old. Just seeing that was unbelievable." It was at Washington that Lue finally nailed down a starting job -- and that came at Jordan's insistence. Lue started 24 games, averaging 11.6 points, 5.0 assists and more than a steal in those outings. "I built up the confidence and trust of Michael Jordan," he said. "That he wanted me to be a starter the second half of the season . . . that helped me out with my maturity level. I owe a lot to him. It made me a better player and I think I'm ready to take on this role right now." When you play with Phil Jackson, Shaq and Kobe on the West Coast and Michael on the East Coast, you're bound to get lost in the hubbub. Even more so if you're about the size of a Shaq bobble-head doll. Although listed at 6 feet, 178 pounds, Lue resembles a ball boy. He's had to be quicker and tougher than everybody else. His baby face and long braids make him look even younger. "Growing up it was always like that, everybody trying to bully me," he said. "People would post me up, throw me down and there would be a fight. I learned what it takes to win. "My dream was to make it the NBA, but when you're small, everybody says, 'Yeah, right.' It was a goal I had. It was a far-fetched goal, but it was something I was able to accomplish. People doubted me and I used it as motivation." Moving away from trouble Lue's size wasn't all he had to overcome growing up. He, along with his brother and sister, was raised by a single mother, Kim Miller. Lue's friends were getting into trouble, the misdemeanors graduating to felonies. Although Lue said "throwing rocks" was the extent of his mischief, his mother sent him to Kansas City after his freshman year in high school to live with his aunt and uncle, just to be safe. "A lot of my friends were going to jail. Moving in with my auntie and uncle was the best thing. They had strict rules and made me study," said Lue, who played three seasons at the University of Nebraska. Tyronn couldn't turn to his father for guidance. His unusual name (pronounced Tah-ron) might have been the brainchild of his grandfather, Tyrone, and his father, Ron, but he hardly knew his dad. Ron Lue, a streetball legend, got caught up in cocaine, said Tyronn. He is still serving time on drug charges, incarcerated for two more years in a prison in Jefferson City, Mo. "This summer my brother and I went to see him in prison," Lue said. "He saw us and started crying. He was telling me how proud he was of me, telling us his life was different, and how sorry he was that he wasn't there for me when we were growing up." Lue sends his father money and talks to him on the phone. "I don't hold any grudges toward him. Somebody told me that it takes a bigger man to forgive and that's what I've tried to do," he said. "People go through things, you know? It definitely made me stronger and makes me respect everyone." And speaking of respect, remember that little guy who the adults had to kick off the court at Garfield Park in Mexico, Mo.? Well, there's a move afoot by townsfolk to rename the facility, with a ceremony planned for next summer. They're planning on calling it Tyronn Lue Park.
I was just reading that in the paper. I didnt know he was from Mexico. Size is a factor in the NBA but it often doesnt effect the great players. I guess now hes our offical starter, from what the article said. Now our small starting lineup looks like- Lue, Tmac, Gordon, Gooden and Howard. The big lineup is the same but Gordon off the bench and Hunter at center.
