Playing the Pacers always excites A.J. Price

CINCINNATI — Former Pacer A.J. Price eyes widen every time he lines up across the Blue and Gold. It’s special for him to face the team that first took a chance on him, as the Pacers did by using the 52nd pick in the 2009 NBA Draft on the point guard out of UConn.

“I always enjoy playing and always get excited to play them,” he said prior to suiting up for Wednesday night’s preseason game at Xavier University. “They were my first team, the ones to first give me a shot. I always get a little more motivated to play against them.”

Point guard A.J. Price looking to earn a spot on the Cavaliers’ regular-season roster.

Motivated because they cut ties with him at the conclusion of the 2012 season?

“No, not at all,” he quickly answered. “No hard feelings or anything like that. Just the familiarity and knowing everybody in the organization, just more of that.”

Price played in exactly 150 games for the Pacers, averaging 5.9 points per game as the third-string guy — behind Darren Collison and George Hill in his final season with the team. The next year (2012-13), they brought in D.J. Augustin and Ben Hansbrough as the second- and third-string point guards.

Price, 28, can now be referred to as a vet; he’s entering his sixth season in the league. (He made one-year stops in Washington and Minnesota after Indiana).

And by now, teams know they are going to get speed and quick handles with Price. He’s never been a great shooter, particularly from outside (32 percent for his career), but he can knock down the open shot, as he showed in the Cavaliers’ 98-93 win over the Pacers.

Price played 21 minutes on Wednesday and scored 14 points on 6-of-12 shooting. He benefitted from the Cavs’ excellent ball movement, and of course playing alongside LeBron James for a short time.

As the daily hoopla is constantly going on with the attention James brings to whichever team he plays on, Price grinned when asked to compare it to the attention his Indiana teams received.

“This is much different,” said Price. “Anytime you got the best player in the league, it’s always going to attract extra attention. It’s been very different to what I’m used to but I’m getting used to it at the same time. Hopefully I’ll be around long enough to embrace it.”

Price was brought in on a training camp deal and is trying to stick with the Cavs for the regular season. He knows it’ll be tough with Kyrie Irving and Matt Dellavedova ahead of him. The Cavaliers have eight players with fully-guaranteed deals for this season, according to the great crew over at ShamSports.com.

Still today, Price looks forward to stepping foot inside Bankers Life Fieldhouse and run into familiar faces like the cameramen, ushers, and event staff.  Oh, and the few players that are still around.

“Big Hibbert will always be one of my good friends,” said Price. “G-Hill — a lot of those guys.”

After the final horn sounded Wednesday night, Price shook hands with some familiar friends and had a brief chat with longtime Pacers assistant Dan Burke before exiting the floor, with another game behind him.

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