Ronnie Price or Eric Maynor?

Posted by Danny Hansen on November 18, 2009

When the season began, there was no doubt in my mind who Deron’s backup would be.  Ronnie Price seemed to be the difference maker the Jazz needed.  I even wrote a blog about such a topic.  However, coming off a recent road trip, in which Ronnie Price went down with a toe injury, the question on who will backup Deron Williams is now cloudier than ever.

Rookie Eric Maynor caused this situation with his confidence and stellar play.  With Deron Williams returning to Utah for personal family reasons, and Ronnie Price sidelined with an injury, the door was opened for Maynor to showcase his stuff.  And what a show the rookie put on.  Following his double-double performance at Philadelphia, Maynor almost led the Jazz to a road win at Cleveland. His play in Cleveland was so good that the Cavs had to switch Lebron over on him the final few possessions of the game.

So now Jerry Sloan is faced with a big question. Who will get the minutes as the primary backup point guard once Ronnie Price returns from injury?  They say that you can’t lose your job due to injury.  Tell that to Drew Bledsoe and Tom Brady. Truth is Jerry Sloan is going to play the player he thinks gives them the best chance to win.  Here are the reasons to choose either player.

Why for Ronnie Price?

As was stated in “Ronnie Price: The Jazz’s Key to Winning”, Ronnie has certain intangibles that other players just don’t posses. Most important out of these intangibles is his ability to bring energy to the team and the fans with his hustle and high-flying dunks. (Check out this emphatic dunk from earlier this year)  Ronnie is physically stronger than Maynor and can match up better with bigger point guards.  Ronnie has also proven himself in the past as a reliable backup.

Why for Eric Maynor?

The Jazz drafted Eric Maynor out of VCU and touted his ability as a true point guard.  Though he has only had 2 games with real playing time, Maynor showed that he can get the team into the offense, and, probably more importantly, he showed that he can lead a team.  Maynor seems to be a better passer than Price. He has also been extremely good at getting into the paint.  Plus, the way the Jazz stumbled at the start of the season, Sloan may be looking for changes to get the team rolling.

Whomever Jerry Sloan chooses, the backup is going to have a lot of upside.  I think that Jazz will be fine with either one.

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6 Comments

canadajazz on November 18, 2009 said:

Play both of them. Try some combinations with Maynor at the point, and Williams at shooting guard. Or Williams at the point and Price at SG.
Good to have depth. I think Maynor can be a keeper.

James Seaman on November 18, 2009 said:

Nice piece, Danny. I think it’s a no-brainer. You gotta go with Maynor. I know some people (like Mal) are huge Price fans, but the Jazz drafted Eric Maynor for a reason. If Ronnie Price was good enough to be the back-up point guard, the Jazz wouldn’t have drafted another player at that position. I like Price, his energy and leaping ability, but he’s not what the Jazz need when someone subs for Williams. Price is too frenetic. The Jazz need a stable presence and, while Maynor is a rookie, he can grow into that role. The Jazz need someone to be their Howard Eisley. Price will never be able to do that. He doesn’t shoot the ball well enough and the offense doens’t flow when he’s in. It make take Maynor some time to get there–and perhaps he never will–but he has the potential to do it and you have to give him a shot. Price is a known quantity and this is as good as he’s gonna get. I think Maynor has the tools to become a stable presence and a scoring threat the way Howard Eisley was in this best years with the Jazz. Give him a shot and see what happens.

Mallory Meyer on November 19, 2009 said:

Haha. Thanks for calling me out James. While I do love Price, I have to say that Maynor is dong a nice job (since shakng off the early season jitters) and we need to invest time in developing him.

tman11 on November 19, 2009 said:

Like i have said from the beginning you have to go with Maynor. Jerry doesn’t seem to like Ronny or he would have giving him the job last year. Now that maynor has came in and, played well it’s his job. I wouldn’t say it was because of the two games he started though I was more impressed with the game against toronto. I’ll tell ya why it’s because thats going to be his role is coming off the bench backing up Dwill. Not starting like he did and, I must say the kid tor it up i enjoyed watching him. So to me that earned him to back up spot was when they played toronto

Boondock Saint (Zak) on November 19, 2009 said:

I went to the Toronto game and Maynor put up 11 pts in the 4th quarter by getting into the paint and to the line. The Jazz looked shaky at the end of the 3rd. Maynor was a difference maker and it was AWESOME!

Danny on November 19, 2009 said:

Maynor sure made another statement last night, didn’t he.

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