Steve_424
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I didn't see this posted anywhere else...if it was, I apologize for the re-post.
LINK
The legendary NBA career of Mark Price began when he was acquired by the Cleveland Cavaliers shortly after being selected 25th overall by the Dallas Mavericks in the 1986 Draft. He'd go on to then play nine seasons as a member of the Cavs, averaging 16.4 points and 7.2 assists in 582 games that Cleveland fans will never forget. He'd finish out his career spending three seasons in Washington, Golden State, and Orlando respectively, and retire as a player from the NBA in 1998.
This season, Coach Mark Price is working under Stan Van Gundy as the Shooting and Development Coach for the Orlando Magic. I had the chance to speak with Mark by phone over the weekend, and we talked about his former team in Cleveland, as well as how he's enjoying life as an NBA coach. Below is our conversation.
StepienRules: How are things going for you this season as Shooting Coach for the Orlando Magic, and how have you enjoyed working in that capacity in the NBA?
Mark Price: I've really enjoyed it. Obviously the Orlando Magic have always been a good organization, and I played here during my last season in the League, so I was familiar with them already. We have a good team to work with too, and it's a good opportunity for me. In addition to working as a Shooting Coach, I'm also working as Player Development Coach as well, so it's been a real good opportunity all around and I've enjoyed it. It's always fun any time you get a chance to work with anybody that's in the NBA, anybody that's talented enough to get there. So it's been fun for me to try and help these guys get better, and it's fun to watch them improve as well.
StepienRules: In scouting the Cavaliers this year, preparing for those games, and what you've also been able to see of him, what are your thoughts on Kyrie Irving and his first season in the NBA?
Mark Price: We've gotten to play him a couple times already this season, and Kyrie's had a fantastic rookie year. He's one of the fine young point guards in the NBA right now, so I'm really happy for Cleveland, obviously with my ties there and having played there. Also being a point guard, I really appreciate the importance of that position, and Cleveland has a really good one now for a long time to come.
StepienRules: From your perspective as an NBA Shooting and Development Coach, is it surprising in some ways for a 19 or 20 year old player to be as polished offensively at that age, with as good of a jump shot as Kyrie Irving has right now?
Mark Price: I think his shooting is probably one of the things that surprised everybody the most. Even knowing a lot about him, as far as the other parts of his game were concerned, I don't think anybody realized how good of a shooter he actually was prior to this season starting. So that's been a real surprise in some ways, like you said. But to me, the biggest thing that's impressed me is his poise out on the court. The point guard position is not the easiest position to learn in the NBA, and when you consider how young he is, I really think how poised he's been, and how he's handled everything, has been very impressive.
StepienRules: Who would you compare Kyrie Irving's game too as far as guys you've played or coached against in the NBA?
Mark Price: Kyrie, to me, reminds me a little bit of Isiah Thomas, a guy that I played against. He has the ability to score the ball, but also has done a good job of running the team and getting his other teammates involved too. He's probably a little bit bigger than Isiah, but the way that he played, he's a guy that I look at as a good comparison to the way that Kyrie plays.
StepienRules: Looking back, what were some of those classic games that you played against guys like Isiah, and some of the other great players and teams in the Eastern Conference those days, like for you and your Cavs teammates?
Mark Price: When I came to Cleveland, the Cavaliers were not very good at the time, but we had a terrific Draft in 1986. We brought in Brad Daugherty, Ron Harper, myself, Johnny Newman, and we already had Hot Rod Williams there from the year before. So it was almost like we had four or five rookies that became really good players in the League all at the same time. We were able to really start building that team then, and from there, we added pieces like Craig Ehlo, and then different other guys over the years as well.
But it wasn't easy because back then the East was really tough. With Boston, Detroit, Chicago, and Philadelphia, it was just like every night you were playing against a great team, and I was playing against a great point guard. It was a real learning experience at first, but it was also exciting to be a part of those battles as we got better and better, and started competing for the Eastern Conference.
During that time Detroit won a couple championships obviously, Chicago won as well, so we were playing against the best teams in the League a lot every year. Those were exciting times to be a part of, it was a great time for basketball in the late '80s and early '90s, and there were so many great players.
StepienRules: What are the memories you have today of how the Cleveland fans and city supported those Cavs teams back then?
Mark Price: The Cleveland fans were always terrific, they gave us so much support, and I always felt like I had a special relationship with the fans in Cleveland. I thought that people could relate to our team, we weren't as overly talented as some teams might be, but while we were talented ourselves, we were also just kind of lunch pail guys too. We were hard workers who went out there every night and gave it everything we had, and I think the city of Cleveland related to that. They really supported us through all those battles over all those years, and I'll always have fond memories of the people in the Cleveland, and my time spent there.
StepienRules: Do you think this upcoming Draft could be a similar opportunity for the Cavaliers to that 1986 Draft that you mentioned? With Kyrie and Tristan Thompson already on-board, and now the opportunity to bring in three or four more Rookies, who could all grow together like you guys did?
Mark Price: Yeah, no question. I really feel like the framework for building a good team is there for the Cavaliers right now. When you have four draft picks in a two round draft, that's a lot, so you want to hopefully get it right, and bring in the right pieces. And like you said, already having Kyrie Irving and Tristan Thompson in the fold, to then add four more really good young pieces, the core of the Cavaliers future can be very bright if they're able to bring in a couple of really good players here.
StepienRules: Getting back to your Magic team, with Dwight Howard locked in for the stretch run here, how do you feel like things are coming together for you guys right now?
Mark Price: It's all about positioning for us right now, just trying to get into the best position possible heading into the playoffs. Obviously, you've got the two-headed monster in the Eastern Conference right now with Chicago and Miami, and then after that there are probably four or five teams including us that are right underneath them. But we feel like having a premier player in Dwight Howard can allow us to compete with anybody. We've beaten Miami a couple of times this year, and we've beaten Chicago once as well, so we feel like we can compete with everybody. But at the same time we know that we have to play well ourselves, the other teams are capable of beating us too if we don't. Indiana is having a good year, Boston has gotten their act together again as well, so we're just trying to get better leading into the postseason, and then see what we can do.
StepienRules: Where are you looking to go with your career in the coaching profession? Is your goal to become a Head Coach in the NBA one day?
Mark Price: I think anybody who's ever coached would like the opportunity to be a Head Coach one day, and I certainly would like that opportunity if it presented itself. But right now I'm enjoying what I'm doing, learning as much as I can, and I'm fortunate enough to work for a great coach in Stan Van Gundy. I'm learning a lot everyday, and that's just the way I've always been. Try to get better at whatever I'm doing everyday, and preparing myself for that next test, but I do hope to get that opportunity one of these days.
LINK
The legendary NBA career of Mark Price began when he was acquired by the Cleveland Cavaliers shortly after being selected 25th overall by the Dallas Mavericks in the 1986 Draft. He'd go on to then play nine seasons as a member of the Cavs, averaging 16.4 points and 7.2 assists in 582 games that Cleveland fans will never forget. He'd finish out his career spending three seasons in Washington, Golden State, and Orlando respectively, and retire as a player from the NBA in 1998.
This season, Coach Mark Price is working under Stan Van Gundy as the Shooting and Development Coach for the Orlando Magic. I had the chance to speak with Mark by phone over the weekend, and we talked about his former team in Cleveland, as well as how he's enjoying life as an NBA coach. Below is our conversation.
StepienRules: How are things going for you this season as Shooting Coach for the Orlando Magic, and how have you enjoyed working in that capacity in the NBA?
Mark Price: I've really enjoyed it. Obviously the Orlando Magic have always been a good organization, and I played here during my last season in the League, so I was familiar with them already. We have a good team to work with too, and it's a good opportunity for me. In addition to working as a Shooting Coach, I'm also working as Player Development Coach as well, so it's been a real good opportunity all around and I've enjoyed it. It's always fun any time you get a chance to work with anybody that's in the NBA, anybody that's talented enough to get there. So it's been fun for me to try and help these guys get better, and it's fun to watch them improve as well.
StepienRules: In scouting the Cavaliers this year, preparing for those games, and what you've also been able to see of him, what are your thoughts on Kyrie Irving and his first season in the NBA?
Mark Price: We've gotten to play him a couple times already this season, and Kyrie's had a fantastic rookie year. He's one of the fine young point guards in the NBA right now, so I'm really happy for Cleveland, obviously with my ties there and having played there. Also being a point guard, I really appreciate the importance of that position, and Cleveland has a really good one now for a long time to come.
StepienRules: From your perspective as an NBA Shooting and Development Coach, is it surprising in some ways for a 19 or 20 year old player to be as polished offensively at that age, with as good of a jump shot as Kyrie Irving has right now?
Mark Price: I think his shooting is probably one of the things that surprised everybody the most. Even knowing a lot about him, as far as the other parts of his game were concerned, I don't think anybody realized how good of a shooter he actually was prior to this season starting. So that's been a real surprise in some ways, like you said. But to me, the biggest thing that's impressed me is his poise out on the court. The point guard position is not the easiest position to learn in the NBA, and when you consider how young he is, I really think how poised he's been, and how he's handled everything, has been very impressive.
StepienRules: Who would you compare Kyrie Irving's game too as far as guys you've played or coached against in the NBA?
Mark Price: Kyrie, to me, reminds me a little bit of Isiah Thomas, a guy that I played against. He has the ability to score the ball, but also has done a good job of running the team and getting his other teammates involved too. He's probably a little bit bigger than Isiah, but the way that he played, he's a guy that I look at as a good comparison to the way that Kyrie plays.
StepienRules: Looking back, what were some of those classic games that you played against guys like Isiah, and some of the other great players and teams in the Eastern Conference those days, like for you and your Cavs teammates?
Mark Price: When I came to Cleveland, the Cavaliers were not very good at the time, but we had a terrific Draft in 1986. We brought in Brad Daugherty, Ron Harper, myself, Johnny Newman, and we already had Hot Rod Williams there from the year before. So it was almost like we had four or five rookies that became really good players in the League all at the same time. We were able to really start building that team then, and from there, we added pieces like Craig Ehlo, and then different other guys over the years as well.
But it wasn't easy because back then the East was really tough. With Boston, Detroit, Chicago, and Philadelphia, it was just like every night you were playing against a great team, and I was playing against a great point guard. It was a real learning experience at first, but it was also exciting to be a part of those battles as we got better and better, and started competing for the Eastern Conference.
During that time Detroit won a couple championships obviously, Chicago won as well, so we were playing against the best teams in the League a lot every year. Those were exciting times to be a part of, it was a great time for basketball in the late '80s and early '90s, and there were so many great players.
StepienRules: What are the memories you have today of how the Cleveland fans and city supported those Cavs teams back then?
Mark Price: The Cleveland fans were always terrific, they gave us so much support, and I always felt like I had a special relationship with the fans in Cleveland. I thought that people could relate to our team, we weren't as overly talented as some teams might be, but while we were talented ourselves, we were also just kind of lunch pail guys too. We were hard workers who went out there every night and gave it everything we had, and I think the city of Cleveland related to that. They really supported us through all those battles over all those years, and I'll always have fond memories of the people in the Cleveland, and my time spent there.
StepienRules: Do you think this upcoming Draft could be a similar opportunity for the Cavaliers to that 1986 Draft that you mentioned? With Kyrie and Tristan Thompson already on-board, and now the opportunity to bring in three or four more Rookies, who could all grow together like you guys did?
Mark Price: Yeah, no question. I really feel like the framework for building a good team is there for the Cavaliers right now. When you have four draft picks in a two round draft, that's a lot, so you want to hopefully get it right, and bring in the right pieces. And like you said, already having Kyrie Irving and Tristan Thompson in the fold, to then add four more really good young pieces, the core of the Cavaliers future can be very bright if they're able to bring in a couple of really good players here.
StepienRules: Getting back to your Magic team, with Dwight Howard locked in for the stretch run here, how do you feel like things are coming together for you guys right now?
Mark Price: It's all about positioning for us right now, just trying to get into the best position possible heading into the playoffs. Obviously, you've got the two-headed monster in the Eastern Conference right now with Chicago and Miami, and then after that there are probably four or five teams including us that are right underneath them. But we feel like having a premier player in Dwight Howard can allow us to compete with anybody. We've beaten Miami a couple of times this year, and we've beaten Chicago once as well, so we feel like we can compete with everybody. But at the same time we know that we have to play well ourselves, the other teams are capable of beating us too if we don't. Indiana is having a good year, Boston has gotten their act together again as well, so we're just trying to get better leading into the postseason, and then see what we can do.
StepienRules: Where are you looking to go with your career in the coaching profession? Is your goal to become a Head Coach in the NBA one day?
Mark Price: I think anybody who's ever coached would like the opportunity to be a Head Coach one day, and I certainly would like that opportunity if it presented itself. But right now I'm enjoying what I'm doing, learning as much as I can, and I'm fortunate enough to work for a great coach in Stan Van Gundy. I'm learning a lot everyday, and that's just the way I've always been. Try to get better at whatever I'm doing everyday, and preparing myself for that next test, but I do hope to get that opportunity one of these days.
