"It's not easy, that's for sure," said Skiles. "It was something, frankly, that I could never do. My rookie year here was Ricky Pierce. Ricky could sit over there (on the bench) for 9 minutes and then make his first four shots. I don't understand how some guys can do that.

"I came off the bench, but typically, maybe because I was so slow, I needed a few minutes to get going. So those guys that can just come in and make their first couple shots have always been amazing to me."

Lue's finest hour this season came in last Friday's victory at New York when, after not playing in the first quarter, he played the entire second quarter and made all four of his shots - one a three-pointer - to help the Bucks to a 16-point halftime lead. He finished with 13 points on 6-of-7 shooting in 20 minutes.

It was not the first time that Lue has done such things.

In a home victory over Charlotte on Dec. 5, Lue did not play in the first half and the Bucks trailed by two points. He first came off the bench with 3 minutes 27 seconds left in the third quarter, hit a jumper and a three-pointer, and the Bucks took a two-point lead into the fourth quarter.

In a victory at Charlotte on Nov. 22 in which the Bucks struggled offensively all night, Lue entered the game for the first time with 1:26 left in the third and sank a three-pointer to give the Bucks a 10-point lead. He then played the entire fourth quarter and made another three - those were his only two shots in the game - and the Bucks held off the Bobcats.

Lue scored his season high of 14 points on 5-of-10 shooting, including a pair of three-pointers, in a loss at Orlando on Nov. 24.

"I just stay focused on the bench, watching the flow of the game and seeing what the team needs so if I get a chance to play I know exactly what I need to bring for the team to be successful," said Lue. "So I just try to tune in and stay focused and stay watching the game. I just stay ready."

Said Skiles, "Ty's a veteran guy. He knows how to stay ready and he knows how to play. He comes into the game, knows where his open shots are going to come from. He looks for them and he takes them."

Lue admits, though, that it's not always an easy role to fill.

"It's very difficult because you can't get in a rhythm," he said. "If you know you come in at the 2-minute mark of the first quarter, you can get your body and mind right and be mentally prepared. Just get in a rhythm throughout the course of the season, when you know when you're going to go in and know when you're going to play. It's difficult, but I've been able to produce so far in playing that role."

Lue, in his 11th season, has been the third point guard in a three-man rotation at the position that also includes starter Luke Ridnour and Ramon Sessions. Lue has played in 18 of the team's 30 games and is averaging 5.0 points and 11.7 minutes. He did not play in the last two games because of a groin pull.

Lue admits he would like to play more, and Skiles says he would like to play him more, but points out that it's difficult to play three point guards in a game.

Lue remains upbeat and professional.

"I'm never discouraged," he said. "I just always stay confident, take my shots when they're there, run the team, know what plays to call and who to get the ball to when they're on fire. I know how to play the game and I never lose confidence. I try to play the same way all the time."

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