When the Utah Jazz traded rookie Eric Maynor to Oklahoma City three days before Christmas, they put a rather considerable price tag on their backup point guard position: Upwards of $10 million, the amount saved in salaries and luxury-tax when Maynor was packaged with veteran Matt Harpring's expiring contract.
Simultaneously, they put a Price tag on the rather important role. As in Ronnie Price.
Trading Maynor, the 20th pick in last June's draft, eight weeks into a promising, if up-and-down, rookie season thrust Price into a role that was supposed to be his from the start. It also replaced what had been a two-man safety net beneath All-Star Deron Williams with one thin pillow, the cushionability of which the Jazz would rather not test.
That's particularly true right now, with Utah general manager Kevin O'Connor taking the allowable time before adding a mandatory 13th player to the team's roster. Reports out of Salt Lake City suggest that Dontell Jefferson, currently playing with the Utah Flash in the NBA Development League, or former Flash guard Kevin Kruger could be signed after Tuesday when 10-day contracts become an option. Another possibility: Carve into the $7.9 million trade exception to acquire another backup from an NBA rival.
In the meantime, you get the sense that bubble wrap is the Jazz's recommended dress code for Williams. And that this might be a now-or-never opportunity for Price, in his fifth NBA season as a undrafted backcourt understudy from unheralded Utah Valley.
Williams, as he iced his feet, his ankles and his knees in the wake of Utah's 107-103 victory at Minnesota Wednesday night, shrugged at the prospect of less help and more minutes. "I was playing more minutes before [Maynor] got traded, I think,'' he said, and he was right: In his first 22 appearances this season, Williams logged 40 minutes or more 10 times. In his past seven games, he has done that just once.
"I started off the season, we had all these injuries, I was playing 40, 45 minutes a night,'' said Williams, who averaged 38.2. "What'd I play tonight? Thirty-seven. I can handle it.''
What the Jazz couldn't handle very well right now would be an injury to their floor leader. Which is where Price -- and his continued development and assumption of heftier responsibilities -- comes in. The 6-foor-2 guard knows the role, working 192 of his 213 career appearances off first Sacramento's, then Utah's bench. But he has averaged just 10.2 minutes, along with 3.5 points and 1.2 assists. Even last season, when Price started 17 games in Williams' spot to boost his season average to 14.2 minutes, the Jazz had veteran Brevin Knight around as steady insurance.
Price missed more than a month this season with a sprained toe, a stretch during which the slender Maynor showed glimpses of the talent that got him drafted out of Virginia Commonwealth. In particular, there were two games in which Maynor covered during Williams' absence (personal leave): At Philadelphia on Nov. 13, the rookie played 36 minutes with 13 points, 11 assists and two turnovers in a 112-90 victory. Twenty-four hours later, in a loss at Cleveland, Maynor scored 24 points with four assists in 41 minutes. After that -- and before the trade -- he had four more games of 10 points or more and four with at least five assists.
So going back to Price now has some Jazz fans concerned: What sort of impact will a trade driven by business and money have on the basketball and minutes?
"That situation is part of the NBA,'' Price said Wednesday. "Eric played great -- he helped our team a lot when he was here. So when I came back from my injury, I didn't expect to come right in and be back playing. It's just a situation where he got traded not because of his play, he got traded because of business reasons. I'm just the next guy on the chart, who has to step in and play.''
Price played 11 minutes against the Timberwolves, hitting four of his six shots for eight points with two assists. His plus-2 in the brief time he was on the floor matched Williams' plus-2 against a feisty Minnesota team that already beat Utah twice this season and came close a third time.
"It's tough on Ronnie. He doesn't really get to get into a rhythm,'' Williams said, of every backup's ongoing plight. "He has to go out there and hold his own in whatever time he gets. I respect that. But he's really key if he plays like he did tonight. Then I'll be able to take that 10-minute break, that 11-minute break. Especially if he's being aggressive, scoring the basketball.''
Said coach Jerry Sloan: "Ronnie probably should have played more than he got a chance to play. He's always worked really hard; he's a tremendous competitor and a real big key to us. Deron is still going to play his minutes. It's not anything against Ronnie -- he's like Howard Eisley was behind John Stockton ... Ronnie's a self-starter. He's not going to go out there and walk around. He's going to get after it.''
In this league, one of a backup's top tasks is to push the starter in practice, to make sure the work Williams gets is worthwhile. Another is simply to excel in spurts, to go from 0-to-60 a few seconds after doffing his warmups and checking in. That's why Price pays attention to those filling his role with other clubs. He can dream about being Williams or Stockton some day but he has to focus on being the best Eisley or Knight he can be.
"As far as the starting, big-time players like Deron and [former Sacramento guard Mike] Bibby, I learn a little bit,'' Price said. "I get to watch them play their minutes. But mostly I like to watch veteran backup point guards, because that's the role that I'm in right now. So I try to learn from the guys who do it the best.''
For instance?
"Oh man, there's so many. I like [Minnesota backup] Ramon Sessions, because he was the man [in Milwaukee last season], and now he's in a backup role. But he's so consistent in his play. I learned a lot when Brevin was here. Another guy in the league that I like -- man, there's so many -- is [Kyle] Lowry. I think he's one of the most underrated point guards in the league. I don't think people realize how effective he is. He does a lot for that Houston team.''
That is Price's duty now, to do a lot -- with however little time he gets.
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