Much loved star Mark Price will interview with the #Cavs tomorrow
— M.S. Boyer/J. Valade (@PDcavsinsider) June 9, 2014
Price has bounced around in 1-2 year stints with different teams, including the Nuggets, Hawks, Warriors, Magic, and Bobcats, all during times where the teams were struggling to an extent. I decided to look a little deeper into those teams to see if Price impacted them in any way. What I found put me more on the Price bandwagon than I thought I possible.
I looked at the team advanced statistic differentials between the season before Price arrived and the season that he was coach. Legitimately, there was improvement in almost every aspect of the game while he was with a given team. On average, there were positive differentials for Win/Loss %, Margin of Victory, Offensive Rating, Defensive Rating, Effective Field Goal %, Turnover %, and Defensive Effective Field Goal %. Given that he was brought on to be with new NBA head coaches in 3 of the 6 teams he has coached on, the overall coaching change may have affected these numbers, though the consistency of which is shocking. Furthermore, there are statistically significant differentials for most of the statistics as well.
Price may or may not be the choice for head coach, nor will I necessarily be upset if he isn't, but I definitely believe he should be in the conversation. It certainly doesn't hurt that he's going to be a total fan favorite as well.
(Editor Mosby note: If the Cavs hire Price as head coach he MUST wear 80s style short-shorts on the bench. This is non-negotiable. I want half-nut every time he jumps up to argue a call.)