Summer gives Lue a chance to be in charge

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ORLANDO, Fla.Earlier this season, Boston Celtics coach Doc Rivers came to C's assistant Tyronn Lue with the idea that he would be coach Boston's summer league team.

That's, uh, not quite how Lue remembers it.

"Doc didn't come to me; Doc told me," quipped Lue. "He said, 'Ty's coaching summer league' on the plane, about halfway through the season. So I started preparing that day, start trying to get everything right because I always want to be prepared."

So far, Lue has done a solid job of getting players enough court time while achieving the goal every team has when they step on the floor -- win.

Lue suffered his first loss of the summer league on Thursday after the Celtics suffered a 93-79 setback to the Detroit Pistons that dropped Boston's record to 3-1.

The loss aside, Lue is enjoying being able to run a team, something he hopes to one day have a shot at on a full-time basis.

"It's a great opportunity for me," Lue said. "Everyday I just want to get better."

Having spent the bulk of his 11 NBA seasons as a role player, Lue understands all too well how important it is for all his players to see action.

But distributing minutes has not been easy.

Of the 12 players on the C's summer league roster, nine have seen action in all four games with eight players averaging double digits in minutes played.

"You want to play everybody," Lue said. "I don't like guys sitting on the bench and you don't get a chance to play everybody. That's kind of affected me, trying to figure out how to get guys minutes. That's the hardest thing for me right now."

But that's what summer league is about, a training ground of sorts for players -- and apparently coaches too -- to improve on their craft.

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