Wow, Bird compares Diener to Mark Price

[Unclebuck]

If he's half as good as Mark Price, then we have a real player. Mark Price might be before many of you started watching the NBA. But offensively he was extremely good. (his defense stunk) Price was the best shooting point guard I've ever seen. Whenever the Cavs would run a pick and roll against the Pacers, I had real fear because of Price. He could shoot the floater, the runner and shoot from distance. Too bad he started getting injured later in his career.

In that era, KJ and Price were my two favorite point guards. Pacers couldn't do anything with either. Price was the better shooter, KJ the better penetrator

http://www.nba.com/pacers/news/ask_the_pacers.html

Question for Larry Bird | Sept. 16, 2007


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Q. As a Travis Diener fan, I am excited in his move to Indianapolis. He's now going to have the chance to showcase his skills in front of a much more basketball-savvy crowd. But I have two questions I would like for you to answer. What did you see in Travis during your pursuit of signing him? Among all of the NBA players you played with or against, who does he most closely resemble? (Enrico from San Jose, Calif.)

A. Travis is the type of player we're looking for in the fact he can shoot the ball, he can get us into our offense, he's quick, he can make plays for other players. I've been following Travis since he was in college and I've always had the utmost respect for his game. He brings a lot of things to our team that we don't have. He sort of resembles Mark Price a little bit. I always had a lot of respect for Mark as far as his ability to dribble the ball, shoot the ball and make plays for other people. Travis has got all those same qualities.

[Speed]

Re: Wow, Bird compares Diener to Mark Price

My fear is he is too weak to guard even the lesser back up point guards. He is quick, knows how to play, and is a vocal guy they say, so that makes up for alot on a team that is really lacking those 3 things. If they can minumize his weakness, literally, then he seems to be a great fit.

Mark Price was a top 3 point guard in his prime, I don't think that it a fair comparison unless he just means style/body type.

Here is Marks Wikipedia, I know its Wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Price

The 6-foot former Georgia Techpoint guard mystified critics who said he was too slow, too small and too deliberate for a high-level game. Picked first in the second round (25th overall) by the Dallas Mavericks in the 1986 NBA Draft, he was acquired by the Cleveland Cavaliers in a draft day trade that helped turn the team into an Eastern Conference power.


Price, the Cavs greatest point guard of all-time, was known as one of the league's most consistent shooters. He finished his career with a 90.4% free throw shooting percentage, placing him as the league's all-time leader in this statistical area,^[1] and a 40% three-point field goal shooting percentage.^[2] During the 1988-89 season, Price became only one of five players, along with Larry Bird, Reggie Miller, Steve Nash, and Dirk Nowitzki, to shoot at least 40% from three-point range, at least 50% from the field and at least 90% from the free throw line.^[3] Price ranked consistently among the assist leaders (he is the Cavaliers all-time leader with 4,206^[4], twice won the Long Distance Shootout, and was a four-time All-Star. Price was named to the All-NBA First Team after the 1992-1993 season.^[5]
He played for the US national team in the 1994 FIBA World Championship, winning the gold medal.^[6]


He was plagued by injuries late in his career, a factor in his trade to the Washington Bullets prior to the 1995-96 season. He played one season for Washington before moving on to the Golden State Warriors and later the Orlando Magic, where he played his final season. He retired in 1998. Not long after retirement, Price's number, 25, was retired by the Cleveland Cavaliers.


Price and college teammate John Salley are among the very few college basketball players to have had their numbers (not just their jerseys) retired by their school.
The City of Enid, Oklahoma, built a Basketball Arena and named it the Mark Price Arena, as a tribute to the NBA players accomplishments, since he was one of the best basketball athletes in Enid High School history

[DisplacedKnick]

Re: Wow, Bird compares Diener to Mark Price

The spin cycle's making me dizzy.

Any moment now I'm sure to

[Speed]

Re: Wow, Bird compares Diener to Mark Price

The spin cycle's making me dizzy.

Any moment now I'm sure to

LOL, Oh its not even begun, wait until practice starts and Rush is beating Bird in H O R S E...

[btowncolt]

Re: Wow, Bird compares Diener to Mark Price

I'm sort of like Jalen Rose in many ways. We both went to Big Ten schools, act really uncomfortably when speaking on camera, don't play in the NBA, and haven't won anything basketball-wise since high school.

[Hicks]

Re: Wow, Bird compares Diener to Mark Price

Before this gets taken the wrong way even more, allow me to point out:

He sort of resembles Mark Price a little bit.

I'm sure that won't stop anyone from overreacting, but just in case.....

[Doug]

Re: Wow, Bird compares Diener to Mark Price

Who? Travis Diener?
A perfect fit for Pacers?
Heard that one before.

[Kegboy]

Re: Wow, Bird compares Diener to Mark Price

Conrad said a few days ago that TPTB are really high on Diener and insinuated they have zero interest in bringing in another PG.

I'm just afraid he'll end up being DeDe Dorsey. And while I'm not a registered Tinsley hater, I can tell you he's no Joe Addai.

(Of course, Dorsey wasn't signed to a 3-year guaranteed contract when there were more experienced backs available for the same money.)

[Slick Pinkham]

Re: Wow, Bird compares Diener to Mark Price

I'm sort of like Jalen Rose in many ways. We both went to Big Ten schools, act really uncomfortably when speaking on camera, don't play in the NBA, and haven't won anything basketball-wise since high school.

Pacertom is wondering if, like Jalen, you also speak in the 3rd person. Pacertom thinks that it is an annoying habit.

[Speed]

Re: Wow, Bird compares Diener to Mark Price

Pacertom is wondering if, like Jalen, you also speak in the 3rd person. Pacertom thinks that it is an annoying habit.

Or have you ever tried to fight Pat Ewing while back pedaling as fast as possible.

[Rajah Brown]

Re: Wow, Bird compares Diener to Mark Price

Ya, LB was pretty muted when alluding to the similarity to
Price. But still, I think he needs to bone up on the axiom,
'always under promise and over deliver'.

"We like Travis and he has a chance to help us, but he has
to prove it on the court", would have worked just fine.

[Kegboy]

Re: Wow, Bird compares Diener to Mark Price

Pacertom is wondering if, like Jalen, you also speak in the 3rd person. Pacertom thinks that it is an annoying habit.

Not that I've seen, but instead of Good Jalen and Bad Jalen we have Btown and Robobtown.

[DisplacedKnick]

Re: Wow, Bird compares Diener to Mark Price

Before this gets taken the wrong way even more, allow me to point out:



I'm sure that won't stop anyone from overreacting, but just in case.....

Considering the question Bird responded to was:

Among all of the NBA players you played with or against, who does he most closely resemble?

I don't think calling the answer massive spin at best and just plain screwy at worst is an overreaction.

Comparing a guy who's had trouble getting off the bench to a multiple all-star and 1st-team all-NBA player is just plain goofy.

[Hicks]

Re: Wow, Bird compares Diener to Mark Price

Ya, LB was pretty muted when alluding to the similarity to
Price. But still, I think he needs to bone up on the axiom,
'always under promise and over deliver'.

"We like Travis and he has a chance to help us, but he has
to prove it on the court", would have worked just fine.

That's a good point.

[Hicks]

Re: Wow, Bird compares Diener to Mark Price

Considering the question Bird responded to was:



I don't think calling the answer massive spin at best and just plain screwy at worst is an overreaction.

He probably doesn't give thought to the people who were similar to Travis (on the same level) and makes the easy to remember (for him) and easy to compare (for readers) answer with Price. I don't believe for a second Bird thinks he's signed Mark Price II here.

Bird didn't make the comparison because it's highly accurate, it just makes it easy to describe the BASICS of similarity between the two. Price just represent the TYPE of PG Diener is supposed to be like.