Mark Price's basketball background is loaded with honors and awards. His head coaching resume is a little thin.
That might not matter to the Cavaliers.
A four-time All-Star point guard during nine seasons with Cleveland, Price interviewed Tuesday with the Cavs, who fired Mike Brown nearly a month ago and have been on a twisting search for his successor. The quest has brought them to Price, who spent last season as an assistant in Charlotte under Steve Clifford, who believes the 50-year-old is ready to slide into the top seat.
''Obviously we don't want to lose him,'' Clifford said. ''He has done a great job here. He's ready to be a head coach and the fact that they called and got permission to speak with him shows how much they think of him as a coach and it would be great if it worked out. Bad for us, but good for him.''
There's been a recent trend of NBA teams signing unproven coaches. The hirings of Steve Kerr in Golden State and Derek Fisher in New York, both former point guards without extensive head coaching backgrounds, could prompt the Cavaliers to take a shot with Price.
He may not have a lot of coaching experience, but he seems like he's cut out for the job, being a heady player and former star point guard. Given his history with the Cavaliers, chances are he'll be well-received.
