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http://www.sacbee.com/content/sports/basketball/kings/story/12589622p-13444063c.html
Mark Kreidler: It's down to this for Kings: Play Bibby 40-plus or bust
By Mark Kreidler -- Bee Columnist
Published 2:15 am PST Saturday, March 19, 2005
A great moment of clarity about the current predicament arrived the other day at the Kings' practice facility, and in one of those developments that just can't be prevented, it occurred in the same breath as a conversation about the NBA playoffs.
Rick Adelman was being asked about the whole positioning thing, not necessarily his favorite topic. It's great fan chatter, though, the part about whether 'tis nobler to go tearing after every victory, scratch and claw for the No. 5 seed and wind up with dangerous Dallas in the first round - or to settle in at No. 6, behind Houston, and a first-round meeting with slumping and fractious Seattle.
Adelman pondered the concept for about two seconds, then wrinkled up his nose as though something acrid had just filled the air.
"Listen," he replied, "I don't want us assuming anything."
Not even the playoffs themselves?
"We're not at a stage right now where we can take anything for granted," Adelman said. "We have to win every game we can as soon as we can."
And that, now that we mention it, is exactly why Mike Bibby is going to play until his legs cry for mercy.
And you know what? It's the right call. Period.
When people get around to questioning Adelman's style, which they do almost as soon as they get "He's a good coach, but ... " out of their mouths, the criticisms generally fall into two categories: (1) He falls in love with his starters, and (2) He rides those guys too hard, for too long.
Bibby, the de facto team leader in the absence of Vlade Divac, Chris Webber and Doug Christie, is the latest Exhibit A. In the past six games, Bibby has logged no fewer than 40 minutes. Thursday, the same day in which Adelman was quoted as saying he had to find Bibby some rest time during games, the guard played 40 minutes and made just 4 of 16 shots from the field in a three-point loss to Golden State.
Put it together, and it makes for a compelling case in favor of more rest for the weary.
Alas, that's precisely the wrong take.
Bibby is the Kings' best chance to win, and as of today, that's a final. He has become the clutch shot-taker, which means he can't be out of the game down the stretch, and he is the only true point guard on the Kings' active roster, which means Adelman puts the team in short-term jeopardy every time he sits No. 10 on the bench.
Bibby's numbers also comprise no statistical argument against heavy minutes. As Marty McNeal pointed out the other day, Bibby recently played a five-game stretch averaging 43 minutes, and he shot 44 percent from the field and led the team to a 4-1 record. During a previous deep-minutes rotation that extended seven games, Bibby shot at least 47 percent four different times.
The knock on Adelman is often that he gets so locked in to the here and now, he leaves his core players heavy-legged and a step slow when the playoffs finally come around. It's an anecdotal type of criticism, but it makes a certain sense - and, evidently, you have to win an NBA title in order to counter it.
It's also a fine conversation for some other season. In this one, with the jumbled-up, transitional Kings roster you see before you and just 16 regular-season games left on the schedule, it's almost an abdication of responsibility to take a guy like Bibby off the floor for any reason other than a quick blow.
It might be a different dialogue were Bobby Jackson around, or Christie, or any real alternative at the point. As it is, Adelman's benching Bibby, even if he desperately needs a couple of minutes out, usually means Cuttino Mobley or Eddie House running the show. That's a team-weakening move either way, and it puts the onus on Adelman to have Bibby out only for as long as is absolutely necessary.
Interesting thing: On the same night Adelman tried to get Bibby a little extra rest in that loss to Golden State, Kobe Bryant played 46 minutes for the Lakers. Dwyane Wade played 41 minutes for Miami. The night before, the Wizards rode Larry Hughes and Gilbert Arenas for 41 and 40, respectively.
What those teams have in common, besides suspect benches, are playoff aspirations. So, too, the locals, no matter how ragtag they might currently appear.
Bibby ranks 13th in the NBA in minutes per game at 39.1, the only one of Adelman's players in the top 15. He is 26 years old. He has a team that, for the first time in his career, wants him to lead it at the same time he wants to lead.
Put the man on the floor for as long as it takes to get the Kings right. Because if Bibby can't handle it, the rest is nothing more than idle chatter.
Mark Kreidler: It's down to this for Kings: Play Bibby 40-plus or bust
By Mark Kreidler -- Bee Columnist
Published 2:15 am PST Saturday, March 19, 2005
A great moment of clarity about the current predicament arrived the other day at the Kings' practice facility, and in one of those developments that just can't be prevented, it occurred in the same breath as a conversation about the NBA playoffs.
Rick Adelman was being asked about the whole positioning thing, not necessarily his favorite topic. It's great fan chatter, though, the part about whether 'tis nobler to go tearing after every victory, scratch and claw for the No. 5 seed and wind up with dangerous Dallas in the first round - or to settle in at No. 6, behind Houston, and a first-round meeting with slumping and fractious Seattle.
Adelman pondered the concept for about two seconds, then wrinkled up his nose as though something acrid had just filled the air.
"Listen," he replied, "I don't want us assuming anything."
Not even the playoffs themselves?
"We're not at a stage right now where we can take anything for granted," Adelman said. "We have to win every game we can as soon as we can."
And that, now that we mention it, is exactly why Mike Bibby is going to play until his legs cry for mercy.
And you know what? It's the right call. Period.
When people get around to questioning Adelman's style, which they do almost as soon as they get "He's a good coach, but ... " out of their mouths, the criticisms generally fall into two categories: (1) He falls in love with his starters, and (2) He rides those guys too hard, for too long.
Bibby, the de facto team leader in the absence of Vlade Divac, Chris Webber and Doug Christie, is the latest Exhibit A. In the past six games, Bibby has logged no fewer than 40 minutes. Thursday, the same day in which Adelman was quoted as saying he had to find Bibby some rest time during games, the guard played 40 minutes and made just 4 of 16 shots from the field in a three-point loss to Golden State.
Put it together, and it makes for a compelling case in favor of more rest for the weary.
Alas, that's precisely the wrong take.
Bibby is the Kings' best chance to win, and as of today, that's a final. He has become the clutch shot-taker, which means he can't be out of the game down the stretch, and he is the only true point guard on the Kings' active roster, which means Adelman puts the team in short-term jeopardy every time he sits No. 10 on the bench.
Bibby's numbers also comprise no statistical argument against heavy minutes. As Marty McNeal pointed out the other day, Bibby recently played a five-game stretch averaging 43 minutes, and he shot 44 percent from the field and led the team to a 4-1 record. During a previous deep-minutes rotation that extended seven games, Bibby shot at least 47 percent four different times.
The knock on Adelman is often that he gets so locked in to the here and now, he leaves his core players heavy-legged and a step slow when the playoffs finally come around. It's an anecdotal type of criticism, but it makes a certain sense - and, evidently, you have to win an NBA title in order to counter it.
It's also a fine conversation for some other season. In this one, with the jumbled-up, transitional Kings roster you see before you and just 16 regular-season games left on the schedule, it's almost an abdication of responsibility to take a guy like Bibby off the floor for any reason other than a quick blow.
It might be a different dialogue were Bobby Jackson around, or Christie, or any real alternative at the point. As it is, Adelman's benching Bibby, even if he desperately needs a couple of minutes out, usually means Cuttino Mobley or Eddie House running the show. That's a team-weakening move either way, and it puts the onus on Adelman to have Bibby out only for as long as is absolutely necessary.
Interesting thing: On the same night Adelman tried to get Bibby a little extra rest in that loss to Golden State, Kobe Bryant played 46 minutes for the Lakers. Dwyane Wade played 41 minutes for Miami. The night before, the Wizards rode Larry Hughes and Gilbert Arenas for 41 and 40, respectively.
What those teams have in common, besides suspect benches, are playoff aspirations. So, too, the locals, no matter how ragtag they might currently appear.
Bibby ranks 13th in the NBA in minutes per game at 39.1, the only one of Adelman's players in the top 15. He is 26 years old. He has a team that, for the first time in his career, wants him to lead it at the same time he wants to lead.
Put the man on the floor for as long as it takes to get the Kings right. Because if Bibby can't handle it, the rest is nothing more than idle chatter.
.
