Upper Bowl Jazz Fan

Who ya got? Ronnie Price or Sundiata Gaines?

// March 8th, 2010 // Player Profile

It’s been an interesting year for the backup point guards of the Utah Jazz.  The Jazz drafted Eric Maynor with the 20th pick in the 2009 draft.  Several NBA draft experts remarked that Maynor was a steal at that pick and possibly the last great player taken in the draft.  Early in the season with injuries to Ronnie Price and Deron Williams, Maynor stepped in and put up solid numbers filling in as the Utah Jazz point guard.

Deron Williams returned while Ronnie Price tended to a foot injury and Maynor remained the backup and was solid.  He could run the point, create shots for himself and others, penetrate to the basket, and he even had a Twitter account!   Sounds like a perfect setup right?  Well, Oklahoma City Thunder GM Sam Presti called up Kevin O’Conner, offered him lifetime back scratches for Maynor, and O’Conner accepted.  Read about that trade here.

So, the Jazz were torn between a mop head and Ronnie Price as the backup PG.  They went with Price in the end after the mop head ended up in the dumpster.  No charges were ever filed.  The Jazz were still short a roster spot.  Sloan called up an old familiar to see if he would come fill in.  John Stockton politely declined citing it was no longer 1992 and that he was 48 years old.  Sloan promptly hung up as he doesn’t like to be reminded how old he really is.  They called, instead, on Sundiata Gaines who had been playing with the Idaho Stampede, a D-League team.  He had been a great scorer, passer and facilitator for the Stampede averaging 24 points and 7 assists per game.

In a home game versus the Cavaliers Sloan improbably called on Gaines to be on the floor when the Jazz trailed by 2 points with only 5.9 seconds remaining.  If you’re a sports fan you saw his game winning 3 pointer with a hand in his face as time expired.  Read about that game here.

All of the sudden he was in the national spotlight and had immediately become a local hero.  A few weeks later the Jazz resigned Gaines for the rest of the season.  However, he received virtually no playing time over the next couple weeks.  When Williams sat out due to a sprained wrist, Sunny D say his first real playing time.  He looked good, but he was still backing up Ronnie Price.

Ronnie Price is another local favorite.  Last year, let’s be honest, he got the shaft spending most of the season as the 3rd string point guard behind Brevin Knight.  Just so we’re all clear, Knight was TERRIBLE.  Knight actually lost the point guard matchup against the mop head the season before but was only given the backup job because the mop head failed a drug test.  True Story.  Knight was a horrible shooter, a piss poor passer and couldn’t run an offense to save his life (or his career, which is now over).  Throw in the fact that he was old and slow, he was all-around rubbish.

So, last year, Price got the shaft.  In the final game against the Lakers in the playoffs when the Jazz were trailing by 634 points and Sloan put in Ronnie Price for the “scrub minutes.”  Price put his best talent to work, his hustle.  The Lakers’ lead diminished and Price nearly won the game for the Jazz.  After the game, Sloan reluctantly admitted that he had probably made a mistake in not giving Price more minutes during the season.  Fast forward to this season and Price is getting those minutes.

About Ronnie Price: some say he’s a shooting guard in a point guard’s body.  I’m not sure I believe that since he can’t, well, shoot.  He’s only shot above 40% once in his career…2 years ago.  He’s never broken 35% from 3 point range ever…he usually hovers around 30%.  League averages are 45% and 35% respectively.  His free throw average is around 70%…well below league average of 75%.  Despite his major hops and the occasional hammer dunk, he doesn’t finish well at the rim, ranking below average.  Just to remind you, this from a so-called shooting guard in a point guard body.  Shouldn’t he be able to, uh, shoot?

How bout as a passer?  His assist-to-turnover ratio is generally about 2:1…which is bad.  Average point guards are usually closer to 3:1 and the elite PGs are higher.  His turnover rate (meaning the % of possessions that end in a TO) ranks in the bottom 10% of point guards.

So, he’s a bad shooter and a bad passer.  After watching him, it’s evident that he’s not particularly great at creating offense, and he can’t seem to figure out how to run the pick ‘n roll…which is a play the Jazz run every once and awhile (insert loads of sarcasm).

Remind me again what he brings?  Ok, I’m being a little harsh…but only to make a point.  His major strength is hustle, athleticism, and heart.  Those are amazing qualities.  Because of them, I will never dislike Price as a player.

However, shouldn’t we have someone running the offense who can, um, run an offense?  In the limited time we’ve seen Sunny D on the floor, he’s exhibited many of the traits needed by a point guard: good passing, floor vision, basketball IQ, etc.  He doesn’t quite have the hustle that Price does but then again, not many NBA players do.

After watching the Jazz’ offense stall time after time after time it’s become infuriating (as a Jazz fan) to watch that deterioration.  Inevitably, when Deron Williams re-enters the game, he has to dig the Jazz out of the hole that was created by the 2nd unit.

It seems like Sloan has also grown tired of seeing that as well.  In the last 2 games (against Phoenix and the Clippers) Sundiata Gaines has been given the nod to enter the game behind Deron Williams.  I have found this most interesting since Sloan is old and stubborn.  Perhaps he doesn’t want to say the same thing about Gaines that he said about Price last year…that he made a mistake.  That’s a hard thing for anyone to say.

Heck, maybe Gaines will play the next 15 games and not do well but at least that will solidify the notion that our backup PG situation is not resolved and it’s something to address in the off-season.  But for now, who ya got?  Ronnie Price?  Or Sundiata Gaines?