Ten years after he first stood in awe of Allan Caidic's shooting prowess, Glen Rice still holds a ton of respect for 'The Triggerman'.
"Listen. Trigger, that's my man. Allan, he's my man," the retired NBA champion said in a media availability Thursday. "You have to put him in the top of the class."
Rice witnessed Caidic's greatness firsthand when the two linked up in the 2010 NBA Asia Challenge, a showcase attended by other retired legends like Gary Payton, Chris Webber and Mitch Richmond, as well as other D-League stars and retired PBA legends.
Caidic, then 47, put on an absolute show by exploding for 54 points built around 14 triples in just 24 minutes of action to help Team Red win over Team White, 177-167.
"When we had the opportunity to come there with some of the NBA players, he [showed me] is definitely a top-notch shooter," he remarked. "He went on and put on a show when it comes to shooting. I can only imagine seeing him play in his prime."
In his prime, Caidic was an astonishing offensive force who posted marks that remain untouched to this day.
The five-time PBA champion still holds the local record for most points in a game (79 points with Presto against Ginebra in 1991), in a half (53), and in a quarter (37 in the third), as well as the record for most threes made (17) in a game. Caidic is also second in total career triples with 1,242.
Though 'The Triggerman' was long removed from his peak playing days when they met, Rice -- a former Three-Point Shootout champion himself -- believes he saw enough to think that Caidic belongs on the same level as that of the world's best shooters.
"I would have to say that he's up there with all the shooters. You talk about the Larry Birds, you talk about the Glen Rices and Steph Currys and whatnot. He is definitely gonna feel at home in that group," he said.
Rice on today's NBA era
Rice played for six teams across 15 seasons and made his name as one of the most prolific shooters in his era. After being drafted by the Miami Heat in the 1989 NBA Draft, the swingman out of Michigan often thrived from long range in a time when most of the stars killed it from mid-range.
A three-time All-Star who made 1,559 threes on 40 percent shooting for his career, Rice believes he could have had more citations if he played in today's game.
"I would say maybe three or four All-Star Games will be added to my list," Rice said. "We always sit back and try to figure out how we'd fit into the system now, and I think I'd fit in well now because the physicality of the game is a lot less than when I played. I think there's a lot of aspects of the game that I can take advantage of more so now than back then."
And given the modern game's focus for three-point shooting, Rice also thinks he'd easily double or triple the threes he attempted back in his prime. The retired champion shot a career-high 5.6 attempts per game (on a league-best 47 percent) in the 1996-97 season -- a mark that ranked 14th in the NBA that season but would only be good enough for 59th in the league today.
"I'd love to go out there and shoot about 10 to 15 three-pointers a game. I'm pretty sure I'd hit a high percentage. It would look good and enhance my chances of making continuous All-Star Games. To be able to just dream about being in this situation is mouthwatering," he said.