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Ailene Voisin: Count on this much: Bibby can lead Kings
By Ailene Voisin -- Bee Sports Columnist
Published 2:15 am PST Monday, March 7, 2005
Mike Bibby speaks softly but wields a wicked game.
Mike Bibby always provides.
His development into one of the league's premier point guards has been a sublime, seven-year process, one steady dribble at a time. The solid floor game. The deceptive change-of-pace drives. The probing maneuvers along the baseline. The courageous jumpers as the clock expires. The big play during the pivotal moments.
Imagine the Kings without the ball in his hands? Without his quietly simmering presence on the court, his headband often askew, his dark eyes widening in pleasure or pain, or as has occurred these past several days, reflecting the frustration of changing times and a dramatically altered team dynamic?
No, none of this has been easy for Bibby, who is still only 26. Two of his closest friends (Doug Christie and Chris Webber) were recently traded, and ready or not, his role significantly expanded. He is no longer allowed to linger in the background, to function as Webber's trusty sidekick, to serve as the backup singer in the locker room chorus. The recent makeover has dumped both the ball and the playbook at his doorstep. Suddenly he's the leader, the one in charge, his voice resonating above all others; this is his team now.
"I can do this," said Bibby, nodding, after the impressive victory over the Detroit Pistons. "I can be the leader. When I was with Vancouver (Grizzlies), I had the ball most of the time, and I had to get other guys involved. That's not a problem. I'm already talking to guys more, too, and I'm going to become even more vocal. Let the guys hear what I think we should be doing to win. Not that I'm going to be yelling or anything. Just saying what I think."
If Bibby had appeared out of sorts these past few games, the emotional residue of Webber's departure lingering, his mood has improved markedly. Maybe he's finally moving on. But for the Kings to progress, to make sense of the changes and make a mess of the Western Conference playoff projections, the seven-year veteran will need to duplicate the exceptional - and balanced - effort he produced against the Pistons. Despite some early shooting struggles, this was Bibby stretching his game, on his toes on both ends of the floor.
He found teammates for jumpers, located newcomers Kenny Thomas and Brian Skinner for dunks, executed pick-and-rolls that resulted in throwdowns instead of only jumpers. His floor game was expansive and unpredictable. His defense was active, and more than adequate. And when the Pistons attempted their fourth-quarter comeback, he stemmed their momentum with a breakout score, a jumper from the corner, a three from the wing, two free throws, and a steal and punctuating layup that roused an appreciative crowd to its feet.
The mood at Arco must have had a familiar feel to Bibby. These new-look Kings are an acquired taste, an intriguing, engaging ensemble of multiple parts and skillfully assembled pieces. There are All-Stars but nary a superstar in the bunch. Yet not only do the Kings remain potent offensively, but the addition of Thomas, Skinner and Corliss Williamson provides depth, length and athleticism around the basket. Of greater importance, it imposes a defensive mentality missing since the early backcourt pairing of Christie and Bobby Jackson. In other words, the lane is no longer a freeway. Traffic has been impeded, opponents advised to attack the rim at their own risk.
At least initially, this current Kings squad in fact seems to more closely reflects its point guard's traditionally stoic demeanor; it teems with the quiet potential to sneak up on people, much as Bibby did after being acquired for the high-spirited, highly entertaining Jason Williams in 2001. People actually booed that deal. Some people actually thought Bibby was boring (the Maloofs plead guilty). Within the ensuing four seasons, however, he has become a fan favorite, been named to an Olympic team, emerged as one of the game's clutch performers and been admired for his physical toughness.
At 6-foot-1 and 190 pounds, he is hardly imposing. Nor is he exceptionally quick. What he is, though, is deliberate and selective, clever and courageous, and just brazen enough to believe he can slash-and-score against the fiercest 7-footers in the world. The one occasion when he publicly turned timid - deciding not to compete in Athens because of security concerns - left him wishing for a do-over.
"Michael told me he regrets not playing for me last summer," said Pistons and 2004 USA coach Larry Brown, with a wry grin, after the two shared a brief chat before tipoff. "I told him I regretted it more. (USA won bronze.) I know Chris (Webber) was a great talent, but Mike will be fine. Just look at way he did today, the way he controlled the game. I know what he can do." So does he.
http://www.sacbee.com/content/sports/basketball/kings/story/12523773p-13379232c.html
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Okay, well I think it's a tad too early for quotes like these until we defend like last night for more than one game
But I do believe now, more than ever, in Mike's abilities. These next few seasons I predict that we are going to watch Mike shine. He is slowly developing into a fantastic point guard and team leader. I believe that Mike is now the heart of our team and he has and will continue to improve in that role. GO MIKE!!
By Ailene Voisin -- Bee Sports Columnist
Published 2:15 am PST Monday, March 7, 2005
Mike Bibby speaks softly but wields a wicked game.
Mike Bibby always provides.
His development into one of the league's premier point guards has been a sublime, seven-year process, one steady dribble at a time. The solid floor game. The deceptive change-of-pace drives. The probing maneuvers along the baseline. The courageous jumpers as the clock expires. The big play during the pivotal moments.
Imagine the Kings without the ball in his hands? Without his quietly simmering presence on the court, his headband often askew, his dark eyes widening in pleasure or pain, or as has occurred these past several days, reflecting the frustration of changing times and a dramatically altered team dynamic?
No, none of this has been easy for Bibby, who is still only 26. Two of his closest friends (Doug Christie and Chris Webber) were recently traded, and ready or not, his role significantly expanded. He is no longer allowed to linger in the background, to function as Webber's trusty sidekick, to serve as the backup singer in the locker room chorus. The recent makeover has dumped both the ball and the playbook at his doorstep. Suddenly he's the leader, the one in charge, his voice resonating above all others; this is his team now.
"I can do this," said Bibby, nodding, after the impressive victory over the Detroit Pistons. "I can be the leader. When I was with Vancouver (Grizzlies), I had the ball most of the time, and I had to get other guys involved. That's not a problem. I'm already talking to guys more, too, and I'm going to become even more vocal. Let the guys hear what I think we should be doing to win. Not that I'm going to be yelling or anything. Just saying what I think."
If Bibby had appeared out of sorts these past few games, the emotional residue of Webber's departure lingering, his mood has improved markedly. Maybe he's finally moving on. But for the Kings to progress, to make sense of the changes and make a mess of the Western Conference playoff projections, the seven-year veteran will need to duplicate the exceptional - and balanced - effort he produced against the Pistons. Despite some early shooting struggles, this was Bibby stretching his game, on his toes on both ends of the floor.
He found teammates for jumpers, located newcomers Kenny Thomas and Brian Skinner for dunks, executed pick-and-rolls that resulted in throwdowns instead of only jumpers. His floor game was expansive and unpredictable. His defense was active, and more than adequate. And when the Pistons attempted their fourth-quarter comeback, he stemmed their momentum with a breakout score, a jumper from the corner, a three from the wing, two free throws, and a steal and punctuating layup that roused an appreciative crowd to its feet.
The mood at Arco must have had a familiar feel to Bibby. These new-look Kings are an acquired taste, an intriguing, engaging ensemble of multiple parts and skillfully assembled pieces. There are All-Stars but nary a superstar in the bunch. Yet not only do the Kings remain potent offensively, but the addition of Thomas, Skinner and Corliss Williamson provides depth, length and athleticism around the basket. Of greater importance, it imposes a defensive mentality missing since the early backcourt pairing of Christie and Bobby Jackson. In other words, the lane is no longer a freeway. Traffic has been impeded, opponents advised to attack the rim at their own risk.
At least initially, this current Kings squad in fact seems to more closely reflects its point guard's traditionally stoic demeanor; it teems with the quiet potential to sneak up on people, much as Bibby did after being acquired for the high-spirited, highly entertaining Jason Williams in 2001. People actually booed that deal. Some people actually thought Bibby was boring (the Maloofs plead guilty). Within the ensuing four seasons, however, he has become a fan favorite, been named to an Olympic team, emerged as one of the game's clutch performers and been admired for his physical toughness.
At 6-foot-1 and 190 pounds, he is hardly imposing. Nor is he exceptionally quick. What he is, though, is deliberate and selective, clever and courageous, and just brazen enough to believe he can slash-and-score against the fiercest 7-footers in the world. The one occasion when he publicly turned timid - deciding not to compete in Athens because of security concerns - left him wishing for a do-over.
"Michael told me he regrets not playing for me last summer," said Pistons and 2004 USA coach Larry Brown, with a wry grin, after the two shared a brief chat before tipoff. "I told him I regretted it more. (USA won bronze.) I know Chris (Webber) was a great talent, but Mike will be fine. Just look at way he did today, the way he controlled the game. I know what he can do." So does he.
http://www.sacbee.com/content/sports/basketball/kings/story/12523773p-13379232c.html
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Okay, well I think it's a tad too early for quotes like these until we defend like last night for more than one game
But I do believe now, more than ever, in Mike's abilities. These next few seasons I predict that we are going to watch Mike shine. He is slowly developing into a fantastic point guard and team leader. I believe that Mike is now the heart of our team and he has and will continue to improve in that role. GO MIKE!!
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