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Ailene Voisin: Will Bibby's 'D' become his 'A' game?
By Ailene Voisin - Bee Columnist
Last Updated 5:09 am PDT Wednesday, October 3, 2007
Story appeared in SPORTS section, Page C1
http://www.sacbee.com/100/story/411766.html
For the first time in his seven seasons with the Kings, Mike Bibby is an incumbent without any job security. He is coming off his least productive season, continues to be mentioned in trade speculation and has a new head coach who insists that he play defense to ensure his playing time.
So Bibby didn't exactly stroll into training camp this week in the best of moods. He is edgy and uncomfortable, at times defiant, other times in complete denial.
"When you start losing, especially when it's been so good here for so long, they have to look for somebody to blame," he said after practice Tuesday, that chip on his shoulder crowding his many tattoos. "I don't mind it. I'm the leader of this team, so I don't care. I don't feel my defense is that bad."
True, Bibby has absorbed much of the blame for the Kings' recent struggles. True, he is the floor leader and primary ballhandler, when he is probably most effective paired with a bigger, more versatile teammate such as the departed Doug Christie. But also true: His defense is that bad. Opposing scouts invariably list the 6-foot-3 Bibby in the opening paragraphs of their pregame reports, his combined lack of footspeed and uninspired defense transforming the lane into a potential toll-free parkway.
Nonetheless, the most immediate issue confronting the Kings -- superceded perhaps only by the question of whether Reggie Theus is as talented a coach as he says he is -- is not whether Bibby suddenly morphs into a Christie-like stopper, but how he reacts in general to his changing circumstances.
He has two choices here, and one final chance. He can sit and stew, resisting Theus' attempts to mold the Kings into an entertaining, cohesive unit that plays at a faster pace and expends energy defensively. (In that case, Bibby can sit and stew while awaiting a trade offer that finally tempts Geoff Petrie.) Or he can respond the way he did the last time he was challenged to this extent, specifically, by Larry Brown during the 2003 Olympic qualifying tournament in Puerto Rico.
That was a Mike Bibby seldom seen in Sacramento, a point guard who harassed opposing ballhandlers, swiped passes and launched lobs for dunks, and whose all-around performance thrust him into a three-way rotation with future Hall of Famers Jason Kidd and Allen Iverson. Brown, the national team coach at the time, never stopped raving about him; he remains convinced his U.S. Olympic team would have prevailed in Athens the following summer had Bibby been willing to participate. Gregg Popovich, the demanding, defense-oriented assistant, became another convert.
"If you don't play defense," Bibby explained repeatedly at the time, with his familiar crooked grin, "you don't play. And I want to play."
Here it is, four years and three coaches later, the last of whom again is linking playing time to defense, and Bibby has a similar decision to make. Combined with his maligned defense, his career-low statistics in shooting percentage and assists average have left him vulnerable. His failure to assert himself as a unifying, forceful floor leader during the 2006-07 horror show nudged Petrie into even more intense trade discussions.
Yet the Bibby era isn't necessarily over. In spite of his public demands and harsh critique, Theus is offering a reprieve. Not an olive branch. A reprieve. If his point guard is receptive to joining the evolution, says Theus, the starting job and the big minutes are his.
"We start with a clean slate," the rookie coach said, "and when all is said and done, I am the perfect coach for Mike because I played the position.
"I know a player can score and get assists. I know he can run a team and take shots. I know he's a pick-and-roll guy, that he likes coming off the baseline, that he doesn't always want to be the guy bringing the ball up the court. But he's got to be willing to put it out there defensively."
If nothing else, Theus' enthusiasm has given Petrie pause; he sounds even less inclined than usual to pursue a fire sale.
"Mike has had a really productive run here," said Petrie, "and Reggie wants a chance to coach him ... but I'm not (making) any promises here."
This is it, then. Bibby's choice, his last chance to recover his jump shot, efficiently direct the offense, and most importantly, overcome those lousy defensive habits. The caution flags are out.
About the writer:
* Reach Ailene Voisin at (916) 321-1208 or avoisin@sacbee.com. Back columns:www.sacbee.com/voisin.
By Ailene Voisin - Bee Columnist
Last Updated 5:09 am PDT Wednesday, October 3, 2007
Story appeared in SPORTS section, Page C1
http://www.sacbee.com/100/story/411766.html
For the first time in his seven seasons with the Kings, Mike Bibby is an incumbent without any job security. He is coming off his least productive season, continues to be mentioned in trade speculation and has a new head coach who insists that he play defense to ensure his playing time.
So Bibby didn't exactly stroll into training camp this week in the best of moods. He is edgy and uncomfortable, at times defiant, other times in complete denial.
"When you start losing, especially when it's been so good here for so long, they have to look for somebody to blame," he said after practice Tuesday, that chip on his shoulder crowding his many tattoos. "I don't mind it. I'm the leader of this team, so I don't care. I don't feel my defense is that bad."
True, Bibby has absorbed much of the blame for the Kings' recent struggles. True, he is the floor leader and primary ballhandler, when he is probably most effective paired with a bigger, more versatile teammate such as the departed Doug Christie. But also true: His defense is that bad. Opposing scouts invariably list the 6-foot-3 Bibby in the opening paragraphs of their pregame reports, his combined lack of footspeed and uninspired defense transforming the lane into a potential toll-free parkway.
Nonetheless, the most immediate issue confronting the Kings -- superceded perhaps only by the question of whether Reggie Theus is as talented a coach as he says he is -- is not whether Bibby suddenly morphs into a Christie-like stopper, but how he reacts in general to his changing circumstances.
He has two choices here, and one final chance. He can sit and stew, resisting Theus' attempts to mold the Kings into an entertaining, cohesive unit that plays at a faster pace and expends energy defensively. (In that case, Bibby can sit and stew while awaiting a trade offer that finally tempts Geoff Petrie.) Or he can respond the way he did the last time he was challenged to this extent, specifically, by Larry Brown during the 2003 Olympic qualifying tournament in Puerto Rico.
That was a Mike Bibby seldom seen in Sacramento, a point guard who harassed opposing ballhandlers, swiped passes and launched lobs for dunks, and whose all-around performance thrust him into a three-way rotation with future Hall of Famers Jason Kidd and Allen Iverson. Brown, the national team coach at the time, never stopped raving about him; he remains convinced his U.S. Olympic team would have prevailed in Athens the following summer had Bibby been willing to participate. Gregg Popovich, the demanding, defense-oriented assistant, became another convert.
"If you don't play defense," Bibby explained repeatedly at the time, with his familiar crooked grin, "you don't play. And I want to play."
Here it is, four years and three coaches later, the last of whom again is linking playing time to defense, and Bibby has a similar decision to make. Combined with his maligned defense, his career-low statistics in shooting percentage and assists average have left him vulnerable. His failure to assert himself as a unifying, forceful floor leader during the 2006-07 horror show nudged Petrie into even more intense trade discussions.
Yet the Bibby era isn't necessarily over. In spite of his public demands and harsh critique, Theus is offering a reprieve. Not an olive branch. A reprieve. If his point guard is receptive to joining the evolution, says Theus, the starting job and the big minutes are his.
"We start with a clean slate," the rookie coach said, "and when all is said and done, I am the perfect coach for Mike because I played the position.
"I know a player can score and get assists. I know he can run a team and take shots. I know he's a pick-and-roll guy, that he likes coming off the baseline, that he doesn't always want to be the guy bringing the ball up the court. But he's got to be willing to put it out there defensively."
If nothing else, Theus' enthusiasm has given Petrie pause; he sounds even less inclined than usual to pursue a fire sale.
"Mike has had a really productive run here," said Petrie, "and Reggie wants a chance to coach him ... but I'm not (making) any promises here."
This is it, then. Bibby's choice, his last chance to recover his jump shot, efficiently direct the offense, and most importantly, overcome those lousy defensive habits. The caution flags are out.
About the writer:
* Reach Ailene Voisin at (916) 321-1208 or avoisin@sacbee.com. Back columns:www.sacbee.com/voisin.
