<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">LOS ANGELES ? One of Ray Wright's proudest moments as the father of an NBA player came last season when his son, Heat guard Dorell Wright, stole the ball from New York's Steve Francis. Dorell, then a 20-year-old, second-year player who rarely left the bench, did it by briefly relaxing his defense and then quickly attacking, stripping one of the league's best ballhandlers. Ray recognized the technique right away. "That move he did was a move he worked on with me," Ray said. Ray - along with his wife, Stacy, and about 20 other family members and friends - will be beaming proudly again tonight when the Heat visits the Los Angeles Clippers. It will be the first time that Dorell, who celebrated his 21st birthday Saturday, is announced as an NBA starter in his hometown. It also will be the first time that his parents attend a Heat game knowing that their son will play. "It's going to be big for me," he said. "I finally come back home with an opportunity to start for the first time since high school. It's going to be an honor. I'm excited." Since being inserted into the starting lineup five games ago, Wright has been Mr. Excitement, his athleticism injecting life into an older, injury-hampered unit. As a starter he is averaging a near double-double with 10.2 points, 9.0 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.2 steals in 35 minutes. And he's doing all this while defending the likes of Philadelphia's Allen Iverson, Seattle's Ray Allen, Charlotte's Adam Morrison, Detroit's Tayshaun Prince and Orlando's Grant Hill. "For now he's in the starting lineup and it's his job to lose or keep," coach Pat Riley said Monday. Wright, who was drafted out of South Kent (Conn.) Prep with the 19th pick of the 2004 draft, was almost unused in his first two seasons in Miami. He played in 23 games for a total of a mere 159 minutes. He struggled. "I always tried to console him," said Memphis guard Eddie Jones, a Heat teammate in Wright's rookie year. "I remember him saying, 'I should have just went to college.' "Numerous times. I was like, 'Dorell, the opportunity is in front of you; it's not behind you. That's over. Look what's going to happen for you in the next few years.' '' His ability to defend such diverse talents has surprised some people. But not those who know him best, including those who have watched him defend All-Star Dwyane Wade every day in practice.</div> Source
