http://www.sacbee.com/351/story/98309.html
Sweet shot gone missing
Kings guard Mike Bibby is shooting a career-low 35.1 percent this season.
By Sam Amick - Bee Staff Writer
Last Updated 1:02 am PST Tuesday, December 26, 2006
Story appeared in SPORTS section, Page C1
When Mike Bibby lets loose a long-range jumper, the dance begins.
Near the Kings' bench, coach Eric Musselman watches the ball fly, then bends his body backward while lifting his right leg. Subconscious as it may be, it is, by all appearances, his best attempt at willing the ball through the net by poor man's telekinesis, a routine most often seen during those moments when a Bibby bucket could be so key.
If it goes in, Musselman erupts in fist-pumping jubilation or lets out a loud holler. If it doesn't, he recoils. Much like the plight of his team, in other words, celebration or frustration depends on Bibby's shot going down.
For all the theories about the Kings' slow start, the most obvious cause and effect is the profound impact Bibby's shooting woes have had on his team. And as his struggles have stretched 25 games in and long since become the worst start of his nine-year career, his teammates, new coaches and Kings management merely wait for the veteran to break out like he has so many times before.
There is a collective sense that no one can help Bibby, who knows his shot and his struggles better than anyone and will -- history says -- eventually return to form.
"He's had great success throughout his career," Musselman said. "He knows his game better than anybody, and I think the shots he's been taking are shots he thinks he can make, and we're fine with that.
"We have a lot of confidence in him. You've got to have confidence in a player when he's going through that. You want him to believe that he's going to get the next hit or he's going to get the next jump shot, and that's how we feel."
Bibby has taken a number of stances on his shot, from citing the thumb and wrist injuries that lingered for so long to the current lack of confidence that he can snap his wrist on release without fear of pain. Mostly, though, he has kept his analysis simple.
"My shot just ain't going in right now," he said. "They're shots I usually make. They're just not going in."
Nothing from Bibby's past compares to this. His slowest start before this one came last season, but he had gone ice cold and red-hot again by the time 20 games had passed. And whether it's the result of his injuries, potential free-agent status, a lack of Kings chemistry or all of the above, there is a mountain of statistical evidence portraying the unprecedented slump.
Bibby is shooting a career-low 35.1 percent, having never shot lower than the 43 percent he posted as a rookie in Vancouver. His 25.2 three-point percentage is better only than the 20.3 percent he also posted as a rookie.
Not surprisingly, however, the Kings are 5-1 in games in which Bibby has hit at least 44 percent of his shots.
By field-goal attempts alone, Bibby remains the Kings' first offensive option. He has 370 attempts (14.8 per game) to second-place Kevin Martin's 335 and 127 three-point attempts to Martin's 101. And with that status, he ranks as the league's worst shooter among players who lead their teams in attempts. Charlotte rookie Adam Morrison is second (36.7 percent), and New York's Jamal Crawford is third (38 percent).
And after hitting three-pointers last season at a rate (38.6 percent) that was the third-best mark of his career, his long-range game also has gone missing.
Among players who take at least four three-point attempts per game, Bibby -- who is tied for 15th in attempts at 5.1 per game -- is the least accurate in the league. Among those who take at least three shots per game from beyond the arc, only Miami's Antoine Walker (24.0) and Denver's Allen Iverson (25.0 over 16 games) are worse, and teammate Ron Artest isn't far behind (26.4).
The Artest influence, at least by the numbers, has improved of late. After so much suspect shot selection early -- when Bibby preached the need for players to not worry so much about getting their shots -- Artest has scaled back his offensive game.
In his first 13 games, Artest took an average of 16 shots, hitting 39.4 percent while also converting just 12 of 52 three-pointers. In the six games since, he's only averaged 11.2 shots, hitting 25 of 67 (37.3 percent) overall and 7 of 20 three-pointers.
Bibby's uncertain status certainly can't be helping matters, either. For the first time since he arrived via trade from Vancouver in 2001, Bibby faces a potential free-agency year. He has an early termination option on his contract after this season and has made his desire for an extension clear to Kings management, but instead he has faced the reality that he might be traded. When asked after the Allen Iverson trade about his memories of being traded five years before, Bibby admitted it's an experience he's not eager to go through again.
"I'd probably be a little upset (if he was traded)," he said. "(Sacramento) is close to home (in the Phoenix area). I've been here for a while. I like playing here, so I'd probably be upset."
Musselman has been willing to change for Bibby's sake. The coach said a cell phone conversation with his starting point guard resulted in a drastic offensive change, the well-chronicled switch from the newly inserted "open" offense to the more-familiar "corner" series in which Bibby thrived under former coach Rick Adelman. The change seemed to spark Bibby and the offense, but only briefly.
"We've tried to do everything we can," Musselman said. "We get the ball in his hands, we added the corner series after he and I had a conversation. ... We feel he'll have a breakout game, and that will carry over."
And Musselman's dance will, of course, end with a fist pump.
About the writer: The Bee's Sam Amick can be reached at samick@sacbee.com.
Sweet shot gone missing
Kings guard Mike Bibby is shooting a career-low 35.1 percent this season.
By Sam Amick - Bee Staff Writer
Last Updated 1:02 am PST Tuesday, December 26, 2006
Story appeared in SPORTS section, Page C1
When Mike Bibby lets loose a long-range jumper, the dance begins.
Near the Kings' bench, coach Eric Musselman watches the ball fly, then bends his body backward while lifting his right leg. Subconscious as it may be, it is, by all appearances, his best attempt at willing the ball through the net by poor man's telekinesis, a routine most often seen during those moments when a Bibby bucket could be so key.
If it goes in, Musselman erupts in fist-pumping jubilation or lets out a loud holler. If it doesn't, he recoils. Much like the plight of his team, in other words, celebration or frustration depends on Bibby's shot going down.
For all the theories about the Kings' slow start, the most obvious cause and effect is the profound impact Bibby's shooting woes have had on his team. And as his struggles have stretched 25 games in and long since become the worst start of his nine-year career, his teammates, new coaches and Kings management merely wait for the veteran to break out like he has so many times before.
There is a collective sense that no one can help Bibby, who knows his shot and his struggles better than anyone and will -- history says -- eventually return to form.
"He's had great success throughout his career," Musselman said. "He knows his game better than anybody, and I think the shots he's been taking are shots he thinks he can make, and we're fine with that.
"We have a lot of confidence in him. You've got to have confidence in a player when he's going through that. You want him to believe that he's going to get the next hit or he's going to get the next jump shot, and that's how we feel."
Bibby has taken a number of stances on his shot, from citing the thumb and wrist injuries that lingered for so long to the current lack of confidence that he can snap his wrist on release without fear of pain. Mostly, though, he has kept his analysis simple.
"My shot just ain't going in right now," he said. "They're shots I usually make. They're just not going in."
Nothing from Bibby's past compares to this. His slowest start before this one came last season, but he had gone ice cold and red-hot again by the time 20 games had passed. And whether it's the result of his injuries, potential free-agent status, a lack of Kings chemistry or all of the above, there is a mountain of statistical evidence portraying the unprecedented slump.
Bibby is shooting a career-low 35.1 percent, having never shot lower than the 43 percent he posted as a rookie in Vancouver. His 25.2 three-point percentage is better only than the 20.3 percent he also posted as a rookie.
Not surprisingly, however, the Kings are 5-1 in games in which Bibby has hit at least 44 percent of his shots.
By field-goal attempts alone, Bibby remains the Kings' first offensive option. He has 370 attempts (14.8 per game) to second-place Kevin Martin's 335 and 127 three-point attempts to Martin's 101. And with that status, he ranks as the league's worst shooter among players who lead their teams in attempts. Charlotte rookie Adam Morrison is second (36.7 percent), and New York's Jamal Crawford is third (38 percent).
And after hitting three-pointers last season at a rate (38.6 percent) that was the third-best mark of his career, his long-range game also has gone missing.
Among players who take at least four three-point attempts per game, Bibby -- who is tied for 15th in attempts at 5.1 per game -- is the least accurate in the league. Among those who take at least three shots per game from beyond the arc, only Miami's Antoine Walker (24.0) and Denver's Allen Iverson (25.0 over 16 games) are worse, and teammate Ron Artest isn't far behind (26.4).
The Artest influence, at least by the numbers, has improved of late. After so much suspect shot selection early -- when Bibby preached the need for players to not worry so much about getting their shots -- Artest has scaled back his offensive game.
In his first 13 games, Artest took an average of 16 shots, hitting 39.4 percent while also converting just 12 of 52 three-pointers. In the six games since, he's only averaged 11.2 shots, hitting 25 of 67 (37.3 percent) overall and 7 of 20 three-pointers.
Bibby's uncertain status certainly can't be helping matters, either. For the first time since he arrived via trade from Vancouver in 2001, Bibby faces a potential free-agency year. He has an early termination option on his contract after this season and has made his desire for an extension clear to Kings management, but instead he has faced the reality that he might be traded. When asked after the Allen Iverson trade about his memories of being traded five years before, Bibby admitted it's an experience he's not eager to go through again.
"I'd probably be a little upset (if he was traded)," he said. "(Sacramento) is close to home (in the Phoenix area). I've been here for a while. I like playing here, so I'd probably be upset."
Musselman has been willing to change for Bibby's sake. The coach said a cell phone conversation with his starting point guard resulted in a drastic offensive change, the well-chronicled switch from the newly inserted "open" offense to the more-familiar "corner" series in which Bibby thrived under former coach Rick Adelman. The change seemed to spark Bibby and the offense, but only briefly.
"We've tried to do everything we can," Musselman said. "We get the ball in his hands, we added the corner series after he and I had a conversation. ... We feel he'll have a breakout game, and that will carry over."
And Musselman's dance will, of course, end with a fist pump.
About the writer: The Bee's Sam Amick can be reached at samick@sacbee.com.