Mark Price, South Dragons’ preferred coach for their National Basketball League debut, joked that he might have to look into league rules about being a player-coach.

If he were both, as the American NBA’s greatest-ever free-throw shooter, he could bring unmatched foul shooting alone with his coaching credentials.

Price, at 41 many years retired, might still be able to go around in the NBL, but he said in Melbourne yesterday: “Only for free-throws… come in and shoot some.”

Having a stellar NBA career as point guard with the Cleveland Cavaliers from 1986 to 1995 and now working as a real estate developer in Atlanta, Price is well off.

If he takes the Dragons job it won’t be for the money because the highest-paid NBL coach is on about $175,000. And that is only about 120,000 in his dollars.

“You don’t do everything for money,” he said. “At least I don’t.”

Price said he was “OK with my financial situation at the moment… I’m not doing this to get rich by any means”.

Life experience probably tops the list of reasons he responded to the Dragons contacting him in the US, and if he and his wife Laura decide to come they will bring their four school-age children.

How did Laura Price react when her husband came home and said an overseas team was headhunting him?

He said: “I remember coming in and saying, ‘What would you think about me coaching?’

“Who? Where? I said,’Hello Australia’.

“Actually if it was just me and her, we probably would have jumped on that thing already.”

Children complicate things, and one of the reasons for Price’s visit is to look at schools and houses.

No decision will be made until the family talks, but he expects to give the Dragons an answer soon after his return.

Price’s younger brother Brent, who also played in the NBA, is in Melbourne with him because Laura couldn’t come.

Brent knew little about Australian basketball, but he knows Andrew Gaze, having played with him briefly at Washington in 1994.

Asked if his presence might mean he would back up his brother as an assistant, Brent said he would consider such a job as a lot of fun.

However, any “two-for-one” plan would not fit the club’s aim of having two local assistants, one of whom would get the chance to develop into the next head coach.

Mike Kelly, who was an assistant at Wollongong this season after a career that included a grand final MVP award when South East Melbourne won in 1996, appear likely to get that spot, with WNBL/WNBA international star Michele Timms pencilled in for the other position.

Asked if he would be comfortable having a woman assistant coach, Mark Price said: “Obviously, she’s a very established person who’s had quite a lot of success. I’m sure she’s qualified to coach (but) I’m just worried about me right at the moment. I’ve got to decide if this is the right job for me.”

What will be the clincher? : “It won’t be one thing,” he said. “If it’s the right fit, I’ll know.”

The ball, it seems, is in the Price family’s court.