Elise10
Starter
[font=verdana,geneva,arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Ailene Voisin: Making his point
Kings guard Mike Bibby deserves to make his first All-Star appearance
By Ailene Voisin -- Bee Sports Columnist
Published 2:15 am PST Monday, February 7, 2005
The little dance Mike Bibby does once in a while after converting a clutch shot? The rare chest bump after an emotional victory?
Freeze the frame.
Attach the image to memory.
That's the extent of his outrageousness.
Yet after all these years and all those subtly spectacular plays, of accepting the role of quiet man behind the scenes, it's time for Bibby to emerge from the shadow of celebrity and add a little flash to his substance.
He belongs on the NBA All-Star team.
He belongs on stage.
"When you talk about point guards in this league, you are talking about (Steve) Nash and (Jason) Kidd, and Mike Bibby is right there," praised Trail Blazers assistant Jim Lynam after Bibby's 35-point outburst Saturday in Portland. "Without a doubt, he belongs on the (All-Star) team."
Trouble is, the voting this year - for both forwards and guards - figures to be closer than Bush-Kerry in Ohio. With Kobe Bryant and Tracy McGrady already named to the Western Conference squad by the fans, the league's coaches on Tuesday will choose three other guards from a heady list of candidates that features Nash, Bibby, Ray Allen and the San Antonio Spurs' electric duo of Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker.
While Nash and Allen are virtual locks - no arguments there - a Bibby-or-Ginobili debate could last until 2008. But we'll designate Bibby a first-time All-Star based on the following numeric formula: (1) the sum of his seven NBA seasons; (2) the bonus points awarded for his continual improvement; (3) the extra bonus points amassed from his proclivity for clutch shots; and (4) the 27.6 points he has averaged these past five games, primarily because of injuries to former All-Stars Chris Webber and Peja Stojakovic and newcomer Cuttino Mobley.
In fact, of all Bibby's attributes - the lethal jumper, the creative drives, the steady floor game - his most impressive characteristic might be his ability to be all things to all coaches and teammates. He morphs into whatever is needed. Shooter. Playmaker. Scorer. Leader. On a Kings team that features several prolific scorers, his current averages (18.4 points, 6.3 assists, 4.4 rebounds) fail to adequately reflect his impact; he will never be a stats man.
"Mike brings the ability to score," added Lynam, "but not the need to score. That combination is very rare."
Studying Bibby throughout the course of a season is akin to taking an art appreciation course. The notebook becomes crammed with useful information long before finals. His style is sneaky-smart. He dinks opponents to death. Excluding those memorable clutch moments, he attacks with the timely jumper, the critical steal, the tantalizing, change-of-pace drive, and assorted running one-handers and muscular layups. Though his 6-foot-2, 190-pound frame is mostly shoulders and hips, he absorbs hits around the basket like a heavyweight, somewhat reminiscent of the much quicker Kevin Johnson.
"You see that Mike's not very big," said Kings player personnel director Jerry Reynolds, "and certainly not the greatest athlete, and you ask, 'How can he score 25?' He just does. He can play with the ball or without the ball. And what I like lately is that without Doug (Christie), Mike is more of a point guard, and I think he's relishing that role. He seems more at ease running the team."
At 27, Bibby's greatest challenges will be improving his on-the-ball defense and becoming an even more forceful floor leader. Of the two, the former issue is less problematic. Bibby can defend. While playing for Larry Brown's Team USA in Puerto Rico in August 2003, his individual defense was superb, ensuring his presence on the floor.
Then, as now, Bibby directed a team with several players capable of dropping 25 points on any given night. The difference is that Brown's roster included athletic shot-blockers and interior defenders who snatched rebounds and ignited the transition game. Rick Adelman's Kings are more of a hybrid; the frontcourt players (Webber and Miller) lack defensive quickness, their value emphasized instead on offense.
Bibby thus is presented with a major dilemma. He has to determine when to shoot, and more delicately, when to deliver the ball ... and to whom.
"That can be hard," he said Sunday, "because we have so many scorers. I have to keep everybody happy."
Miller is most effective when receiving the ball with options, with time to shoot, drive or find cutters, much like Vlade Divac. Stojakovic is best in transition or darting backdoor. Mobley is a dangerous streak shooter who scores in bunches. Yet Webber, his talents immense despite his knee problems, invariably demands the ball at the start of each possession, seemingly intent on shooting or assisting on every play, at times precluding Bibby from utilizing the entire floor and exploiting the skills of his other teammates.
The Kings in fact would benefit from an even more evolved, assertive Bibby, a Bibby intent on expanding and orchestrating the offense, and his stoic demeanor and understated personality notwithstanding, he can certainly get there. Meantime, he belongs in Denver.
http://www.sacbee.com/content/sports/basketball/kings/story/12266245p-13130296c.html
[/font]
Kings guard Mike Bibby deserves to make his first All-Star appearance
By Ailene Voisin -- Bee Sports Columnist
Published 2:15 am PST Monday, February 7, 2005
The little dance Mike Bibby does once in a while after converting a clutch shot? The rare chest bump after an emotional victory?
Freeze the frame.
Attach the image to memory.
That's the extent of his outrageousness.
Yet after all these years and all those subtly spectacular plays, of accepting the role of quiet man behind the scenes, it's time for Bibby to emerge from the shadow of celebrity and add a little flash to his substance.
He belongs on the NBA All-Star team.
He belongs on stage.
"When you talk about point guards in this league, you are talking about (Steve) Nash and (Jason) Kidd, and Mike Bibby is right there," praised Trail Blazers assistant Jim Lynam after Bibby's 35-point outburst Saturday in Portland. "Without a doubt, he belongs on the (All-Star) team."
Trouble is, the voting this year - for both forwards and guards - figures to be closer than Bush-Kerry in Ohio. With Kobe Bryant and Tracy McGrady already named to the Western Conference squad by the fans, the league's coaches on Tuesday will choose three other guards from a heady list of candidates that features Nash, Bibby, Ray Allen and the San Antonio Spurs' electric duo of Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker.
While Nash and Allen are virtual locks - no arguments there - a Bibby-or-Ginobili debate could last until 2008. But we'll designate Bibby a first-time All-Star based on the following numeric formula: (1) the sum of his seven NBA seasons; (2) the bonus points awarded for his continual improvement; (3) the extra bonus points amassed from his proclivity for clutch shots; and (4) the 27.6 points he has averaged these past five games, primarily because of injuries to former All-Stars Chris Webber and Peja Stojakovic and newcomer Cuttino Mobley.
In fact, of all Bibby's attributes - the lethal jumper, the creative drives, the steady floor game - his most impressive characteristic might be his ability to be all things to all coaches and teammates. He morphs into whatever is needed. Shooter. Playmaker. Scorer. Leader. On a Kings team that features several prolific scorers, his current averages (18.4 points, 6.3 assists, 4.4 rebounds) fail to adequately reflect his impact; he will never be a stats man.
"Mike brings the ability to score," added Lynam, "but not the need to score. That combination is very rare."
Studying Bibby throughout the course of a season is akin to taking an art appreciation course. The notebook becomes crammed with useful information long before finals. His style is sneaky-smart. He dinks opponents to death. Excluding those memorable clutch moments, he attacks with the timely jumper, the critical steal, the tantalizing, change-of-pace drive, and assorted running one-handers and muscular layups. Though his 6-foot-2, 190-pound frame is mostly shoulders and hips, he absorbs hits around the basket like a heavyweight, somewhat reminiscent of the much quicker Kevin Johnson.
"You see that Mike's not very big," said Kings player personnel director Jerry Reynolds, "and certainly not the greatest athlete, and you ask, 'How can he score 25?' He just does. He can play with the ball or without the ball. And what I like lately is that without Doug (Christie), Mike is more of a point guard, and I think he's relishing that role. He seems more at ease running the team."
At 27, Bibby's greatest challenges will be improving his on-the-ball defense and becoming an even more forceful floor leader. Of the two, the former issue is less problematic. Bibby can defend. While playing for Larry Brown's Team USA in Puerto Rico in August 2003, his individual defense was superb, ensuring his presence on the floor.
Then, as now, Bibby directed a team with several players capable of dropping 25 points on any given night. The difference is that Brown's roster included athletic shot-blockers and interior defenders who snatched rebounds and ignited the transition game. Rick Adelman's Kings are more of a hybrid; the frontcourt players (Webber and Miller) lack defensive quickness, their value emphasized instead on offense.
Bibby thus is presented with a major dilemma. He has to determine when to shoot, and more delicately, when to deliver the ball ... and to whom.
"That can be hard," he said Sunday, "because we have so many scorers. I have to keep everybody happy."
Miller is most effective when receiving the ball with options, with time to shoot, drive or find cutters, much like Vlade Divac. Stojakovic is best in transition or darting backdoor. Mobley is a dangerous streak shooter who scores in bunches. Yet Webber, his talents immense despite his knee problems, invariably demands the ball at the start of each possession, seemingly intent on shooting or assisting on every play, at times precluding Bibby from utilizing the entire floor and exploiting the skills of his other teammates.
The Kings in fact would benefit from an even more evolved, assertive Bibby, a Bibby intent on expanding and orchestrating the offense, and his stoic demeanor and understated personality notwithstanding, he can certainly get there. Meantime, he belongs in Denver.
http://www.sacbee.com/content/sports/basketball/kings/story/12266245p-13130296c.html
[/font]
Last edited:
)
