Healthy Bibby a Difference-Maker In Atlanta?

by Steve Weinman on Sep 29, 2008 12:00 AM EDT in NBA Comment 6 comments

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Mike Bibby remains persona non grata among Celtics fans, and that isn't likely to change anytime soon.

The green faithful did not quickly forget the disparaging comments Bibby made about the fans in Boston during the Hawks' first-round series with the Celtics last year, and the point guard was serenaded with booming choruses of "Ron-do's bet-ter!" throughout the games played in Boston last spring. There is assuredly more of that to come when the Hawks make their visits to the TD Banknorth Garden in the season to come.

What remains in question - for both the Hawks' two trips to Boston and their other 80 games as well - is whether improved health will allow
Bibby to be a bigger factor than he was a year ago for the Atlanta.

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When the Hawks acquired Bibby in the midst of last season, it was done to bring in a veteran leader and add some stability at the point guard spot in order to help the team make a push for the playoffs. The Hawks not only got to the postseason but gave the Celtics quite a bit more of a scare than virtually anyone could have expected, taking the eventual champs the distance before getting whacked in Game 7.

While Bibby's arrival was helpful so far as helping guide the abundance of youth on this Atlanta team was concerned, he was far from spectacular on an individual level. Bibby shot just 41.4 percent from the field in 33 games as a Hawk (his 41.1 for the season was the second-worst mark of his career) and averaged just a shade better than 14 points while dishing out 6.5 assists per game over that span. He didn't get to the rim all that effectively, went through long cold streaks from the outside and turned the ball over 2.5 times per game, which is a bit high for the season in which he played his fewest minutes, averaging just 32.8 per game between Atlanta and Sacramento. It didn't help that Bibby consistently looked a step slow on defense as well.

At 30 years old, it seems a bit early for this guy to be definitively over the hill. Just two years ago, Bibby put up 21.1 points per game and 55.4 percent true shooting. A season before that, he handed out 6.8 assists while scoring 19.6 points per game. He could make plays around the rim and loved to take the big shot, spotting up comfortably from mid-range. He was also at the very least capable defensively and seemed to be one of the better floor generals in the game.

Watching him struggle miserably in the playoffs against the Celtics in 2008, it was hard to believe this was the same guy. But that's just it: His boosters will have you believe it wasn't. Bibby tore a ligament in his thumb prior to the start of last season, and it held him out of the lineup until January, limiting him to 48 games on the season. Though he played out the second half of the year, the buzz around the Hawks was that the injury lingered and affected him throughout the stretch run, which would explain some of his shooting and ball-handling woes.

But the thumb on its own doesn't remove all the concern about the fact that the guy looked a step slower at both ends of the floor than he had in previous years. A part of that could no doubt have been the fact that the injury got him off to a slow start on the season and that not getting into game action until January prevented him from truly getting comfortable all year. But at 30, it's also possible that he isn't as quick as he once was, and that's all there is to it. There remain some expectations around the Hawks that a fully healthy Bibby will be a different player this season, that he'll be a more dynamic playmaker and a more consistent shooter from mid-range and the outside.

If he is in fact a better all-around player, there is no telling how much of a difference Bibby could make for this Atlanta team. He could add another big-time scoring threat and could make all those around him better in the process. Or he could just easily have the thumb heal but never get that lost step back, in which case he will be a defensive liability and less of a threat on the offensive end - in which case the Hawks are unlikely to take much of a step forward from what they were a year ago.

Which Mike Bibby will we see this year? It could make a huge difference in Atlanta.

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Comments

Goodness gracious no, he’s done as a top player.

Bibby doesn’t even look like he belongs on an NBA court when a top athlete at the point starts going at him. Watching him and Tony Parker and Atlanta’s commentators were even saying he looked like a rec league player trying to defend Tony – this is not a rare thing, this happens regularly.

Bibby’s losing his legs and it’s robbed him off his skills:

1[/b] As penetrator/playmaker which has vastly limited his effectiveness as a point guard since Bibby has always been more a playmaker (creating with the ball), than a floor general (who organizes/directs).
[b]2[/b] While also making him over-reliant on 20 foot jump shots – which he can only get consistently by coming off of pick and rolls, and normally end up being contested which is why his shooting percentage is falling – to get his points.
[b]3 And has made him the worst defensive starting point guard in the NBA.

Is he going to be better next year? It would take a miracle, it’s not impossible but it’s not far off from being impossible either. I’ll say it again, Bibby needs a miracle.

by Who on Sep 29, 2008 1:06 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I used to love the Mike Bibby of years past and do think that Bibby still has the skill level left to be an excellent player. However, I can’t see him getting back to that state and thriving as a Hawk, especially under Mike Woodson. Bibby greatly benefited from the tutelage of Rick Adelman on those excellent offensive Kings teams. It seems to me that he doesn’t really fit the Hawks system. The Hawks have a bunch of young versatile athletic players who can get up and down the court quickly. Bibby’s style was never so fast-paced, the Kings ran a more deliberate offense with Vlade Divac as the pivot man in the center spot, allowing Bibby to walk the ball up the court and set the offense. That’s the complete opposite skillset of Josh Smith, Marvin Williams, Al Horford and the rest of the Hawks. It’s a matter of context here for Bibby, and I can’t see him making an appreciable difference on this team. However, I disagree with Who. He’s got plenty left in the tank for his type of game.

by Slick on Sep 29, 2008 1:15 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Also, in regards to Who’s comment:

1 As penetrator/playmaker which has vastly limited his effectiveness as a point guard since Bibby has always been more a playmaker (creating with the ball), than a floor general (who organizes/directs).
2 While also making him over-reliant on 20 foot jump shots – which he can only get consistently by coming off of pick and rolls, and normally end up being contested which is why his shooting percentage is falling – to get his points.

I never saw Bibby as a huge playmaker but more of a floor general with a good shot and the ability to finish around the hoop. He got his assists from a very solid shooting Kings team.

by Slick on Sep 29, 2008 1:18 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Maybe his thumb was effecting him last year, but he shot even worse the year before. Seems more like a trend. Also, to say he was once capable defensively is probably a little generous. He could never really keep anyone in front of him while he was with the Kings and was a big part of their poor defense.

by MrBlonde on Sep 29, 2008 8:45 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

thank you mr. bibby for helping out rondo- much appreciated. as far as helping out the hawks, he has slowed down a lot, not that he was ever fast.i think he is adequate and will help more than hurt.

by nazzbo on Sep 29, 2008 12:43 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Atlanta rank 19th in pace factor. They’re not a fast team, they’re below the league average for pace. If you’re wondering why they’re not playing to their strengths it’s because their Head Coach is an idiot. They should run but they don’t run anywhere near as much as they should.

In contrast Mike Bibby’s Sacramento teams were top 5 in pace 3 times and top 10 3 other times. His most recent full season there 06-07, the Kings ranked 4th in pace factor. Bibby is a very good open court player and was a very good halfcourt player in the past (limited now).

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In terms of my playmaker rather than floor general comment.

The Kings play a high post offense which is run by their big men – Divac, Webber, Brad Miller – and the duties of the point guard are limited in this regard. Think of how Eddie House plays the point for Boston, that’s what Mike Bibby did for Sacramento albeit to a higher level of ability. Bibby wasn’t the type to go, we have to get Webber on the low post and get him the ball right now, he was bring it up pass it to Vlade and let’s see where we go from there. He wasn’t the type to exploit mismatches. He brought the ball up and let the bigs run the offense. Bibby also spent a good chunk of his time off ball in Sacramento. Nothing wrong with that, just how Sacramento play. Bibby did his job well and suited that role extremely well.

While his role as a point was limited in contrast to his days at Vancouver he still had some value and that was penetration which allowed him to get into the paint and finish or dish (playmaker). Nowadays he doesn’t get into the paint nearly as well and it’s limited his number of easy baskets (part of the lower FG%) and the number of easy opportunities he can create for his teammates (limited him as a playmaker).

Switch back to Vancouver where he was used as the consummate point guard who controls everything. His last season there he finished 3rd in the league in assists but his team was only 26th (out of 29)[/i] in offensive efficiency despite having a few good offensive players [i](Reef, Bibby himself, Dickerson, Reeves, Harrington) out there. Their play lacked an intelligence, a direction, all too often … but Bibby did a good job of acting as a playmaker churning out 8 dimes a night.

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Hawks record with Anthony Johnson …. 20-22
Hawks record with Mike Bibby ….. 15-16

We can all agree that Mike Bibby of his former self is a better player than Anthony Johnson right? We can all agree he should have a bigger impact on the court?

It didn’t work out that way and it’s not a surprise. I said it wouldn’t when they made the trade and it’s Mike Bibby is not a significant upgrade over Anthony Johnson. His defense is atrocious and it cancels out his offensive impact. Also that his offensive impact is vastly limited in comparison to past years because his penetration and ability to get into the paint has diminished considerably which effects his scoring and his ability to create for teammates. This isn’t a one year thing either, the same thing happened the year before with Bibby.

Bibby has now become a one dimensional offensive player that is almost completely dependent on the pick and roll to get himself a shot, and who from there normally has to resort to contested 20 footers because he can’t get into the paint and wreak havoc like he used to. This is why Boston shut him down in the playoffs and why his performances have dropped hugely over the past two years.

Remember this is the same Anthony Johnson who has been criticized by several analysts (Hollinger for one) as a backup guard for the Magic. This is who Bibby failed to significantly improve on.

by Who on Sep 29, 2008 3:22 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs