Tyronn Lue Declines PAOK's Offer, Wants to Stay in NBA

by Evan Dunlap on Sep 6, 2009 11:58 AM EDT in News

Contradicting yesterday's report, Orlando Magic free-agent point guard Tyronn Lue will not sign with PAOK (hat tip: SLAM). The 11-year veteran would prefer to stay in the NBA.

For whatever reason, I don't think he'll have too much trouble finding a job. A move to Boston would make the most sense, because the Celtics have--in Rajon Rondo--just one true point guard. Additionally, Lue is good friends with star Celtics forward Kevin Garnett. The Philadelphia 76ers are another team that might be interested in a steady, veteran presence behind new starter Louis Williams and rookie Jrue Holliday.

No matter where he winds up, Lue will indeed be the last Magic free-agent domino to drop. They re-signed Adonal Foyle and matched Dallas' offer sheet to Marcin Gortat, while allowing Hedo Turkoglu (Toronto) and Jeremy Richardson (Aris Thessaloniki) to ply their trades elsewhere.

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Why did the Magic choose to not resign him, is J Williams a better PG, even though he has been out of the league for a year, and doesn’t really compare to Lue athletically which helps on the defensive side

by Hassanali181 on Sep 6, 2009 3:50 PM EDT reply actions

I'm realy not sure why they didn't bring Lue back. I think he would have made more sense than Jason Williams does.

Third Quarter Collapse: An Orlando Magic blog at SB Nation | Brandon Bass: "I just play hard."

by Evan Dunlap on Sep 6, 2009 3:51 PM EDT up reply actions

I agree.

I'm the other guy at Third Quarter Collapse, with a Twitter account.

"Never hate your enemies. It affects your judgement." - Michael Corleone

by erivera7 on Sep 6, 2009 7:29 PM EDT up reply actions

I feel like there must have been a reason.

I mean, Lue had every chance to break the rotation last year, and didn’t do so. Maybe he didn’t fit in with the team’s offensive style; maybe he just doesn’t get along with someone. Maybe he’s not as good as we think he is any more — and I don’t think any of us thinks he’s THAT good to begin with.

I’m skeptical about Williams, but I do believe that a best-case-scenario Williams is a better player than a best-case-scenario Lue.

I think what can be said for Lue is that we know he’s an NBA player. But we can also say we know he’s not better than our current backup. After a year offf, Williams might be a better player than Johnson, or he might be unplayable. So it’s a risk-reward thing.

And honestly, if the Magic are going to take a risk, third-string PG is just about the spot where I’d like to see that. .Either he can play, or we cut him and replace him with… a Lue type, I’d imagine. I think we can safely assume he won’t ruin team chemistry; SVG has worked with him before, and if he was a problem in that regard, he wouldn’t be here. So the worst that happens is we’re out $1 million. At this point, I can’t imagine the team cares.

He's currently two-thirds man, one-third amazing. Which, let's face it, is still a pretty good ratio.

by 3.3seconds on Sep 6, 2009 8:36 PM EDT up reply actions

In the grand scheme of things, it's not a big deal.

Lue wasn’t going to make or break the team, so it’s nothing to really worry about.

I'm the other guy at Third Quarter Collapse, with a Twitter account.

"Never hate your enemies. It affects your judgement." - Michael Corleone

by erivera7 on Sep 6, 2009 11:26 PM EDT up reply actions

I never much cared for Lue as a player myself,

even going back to his days in LA. He always seemed to me to be fundamentally lacking in defense and was way too streaky on offense. A backup point guard needs to at least be steady, imo, which is something you could always say about AJ. You pretty much knew what you were getting every time he took to the court. I have no stats to back this up, just my opinion from watching games.

Man is the only non-linear computing device still mass-produced by unskilled labor.

by SteRanCo on Sep 6, 2009 11:08 PM EDT reply actions