Mike Bibby Readings

[quick dog]

Ron Artest is getting an incredible amount of attention lately, and justifyably so I suppose. But what about Bibby?

I think that Mike Bibby is more important to the Kings than even Ron Artest. Ron is amazing and all that, but I think Bibby is similar, and moreover absolutely essential. Bibby is really our only reliable court leader. In my opinion, he is reminiscent of John Stockton of the Utah Jazz in that regard. Karl Malone got most of the press, but Stockton was the silent partner and the heart of the team. Big handsome and vocal guys usually get most of the media attention.

Mike Bibby has always been a clutch player and a great shooter, but I think the presence of Ron Artest, Bonzi Wells, Rahim, and Kenny Thomas has improved Bibby's game and adjusted his brain. We really have one intermittant softie these days. Bibby was always tough, but now I think he is actually as tough as Artest, just smaller. Bibby has become tougher, a better defender, and conspicuously courageous on the court.

My wife suggested to me that Bibby may be a bit jealous of Artest's recent love affair with the fans and media. She is a pretty good judge of character, but I think she is probably wrong on this one. I think Bibby appreciates all the "fellow studs" and tough guys on the team. I don't see jealosy.

I suspect that there are a few Kings who are dreaming of a possible NBA Championship in the deepest sectors of their minds. They dare not even allow themselves to consciously consider such an outrageous concept. At this point, no King will publicly discuss their chances in the playoffs. I think these guys are focused like no Kings team that I have ever watched. I love their attitude, no joking around and no small talk. Not even cheerleading at games, which seems unusual for a Kings team.

I think Mike Bibby is truly the man these days. Huzzah, huzzah!

[nbrans]

I mean, I want to give Bibby a lot of credit because he's been playing well lately, but there's no way he's more important than Artest. So good job, Mike. But he's not the MVP.

The thing about Bibby that frustrates me is that he only really has one thing to offer the team: shooting. So when he has an off night -- which happens just about every other game, he really doesn't contribute much. Artest can have an off night offensively, but defensively you know he's going to be one of the best in the league night in and night out. So even when he's off he contributes. I just don't think you can compare them.

[bozzwell]

There are some really impressive numbers that Bibby's put up that don't get enough attention:

21ppg average this (career high)
Games played last 3 seasons: 82, 80 and 77 (with 5 to go).

In our transition years, Bibby has been the only constant, putting up numbers and not missing games. Does he get enough love and respect? Probably not from the rest of the NBA community (i.e. no All Star appearances) but among Kings fans he is a popular favorite.

Yes, right now Ron Ron is THE story, but if you look at the big picture, Vlade and Webber are probably the only Kings players who had more love then Bibby.

[RaY Z]

lol i think bibby is already getting alot of love as seen here...

http://www.nba.com/kings/news/The_In...175298-58.html

ohhh wait... is that ron artest???????

[Fillmoe]

Originally Posted by RaY Z

lol i think bibby is already getting alot of love as seen here...

http://www.nba.com/kings/news/The_In...175298-58.html

ohhh wait... is that ron artest???????

ron artest sure does look like mike bibby... they must be brothers...

[The L Train]

Originally Posted by nbrans

I mean, I want to give Bibby a lot of credit because he's been playing well lately, but there's no way he's more important than Artest. So good job, Mike. But he's not the MVP.

The thing about Bibby that frustrates me is that he only really has one thing to offer the team: shooting. So when he has an off night -- which happens just about every other game, he really doesn't contribute much. Artest can have an off night offensively, but defensively you know he's going to be one of the best in the league night in and night out. So even when he's off he contributes. I just don't think you can compare them.

Ummm...I don't think that bibby is soley a "shooter." He handles the ball wonderfully, drives into the lane and breaks down the defense, and runs the offense. He also so good at slashing and getting to the hoop and getting the foul, and using his body to seal off bigger defenders (he almost never gets blocked, which is amazing for his size and how much he drives into the lane).

The only reason he doesn't have more assists is because the princeton offense relies on big men to pass the ball, but bibby will often make that inital pass and start the play that will lead to another pass etc.

When bibby goes out, you can see how quickly the offense goes to crap. That's why he plays almost evey minute of every game.

He's a complete offensive player and the offensive leader of this team, but yes he does lack a bit in the D.

[Burrito06]

Bibby has been playing good defense as of late. You can really see him trying to fight through screens and getting his hand in the face of the shooters. Like I mentioned earlier there are only a few defensive pg's in the league, one being billups and another being parker. What makes these players special are the fact that they can score as well. Bibby has done a descent job defending this year. The fact that we dont have a great shot blocker is what makes his defense seem worse then it is. Look at Nash, he is a horrible defender but the fact that he has Marion, Stoudemire last year, and Kurt Thomas somewhat disguises his deficiency. Once we get ourselves a dominant rebounding/shot blocking PF or C his defense wont hurt us as much.

[nbrans]

Originally Posted by The L Train

Ummm...I don't think that bibby is soley a "shooter." He handles the ball wonderfully, drives into the lane and breaks down the defense, and runs the offense. He also so good at slashing and getting to the hoop and getting the foul, and using his body to seal off bigger defenders (he almost never gets blocked, which is amazing for his size and how much he drives into the lane).

The only reason he doesn't have more assists is because the princeton offense relies on big men to pass the ball, but bibby will often make that inital pass and start the play that will lead to another pass etc.

When bibby goes out, you can see how quickly the offense goes to crap. That's why he plays almost evey minute of every game.

He's a complete offensive player and the offensive leader of this team, but yes he does lack a bit in the D.

You definitely describe Bibby at his best, and you're right, when he goes out the offense tends to go to crap. I'm probably being too hard on him, I just wish the Bibby you describe showed up on a more consistent basis. There's another Bibby, the one who dribbles down and shoots with 20 seconds left on the shot clock and doesn't try to penetrate or set up his teammates. The last few games have been promising, and he's done well. And no doubt Bibby has shouldered a huge load this year with the personnel turnover and the general lack of offense, and he's been durable and tried hard.

When Bibby's good he's really really good. So good that I think he makes it easy to forget about the nights when he's "bad Bibby."

[SacKings384]

I think Bibby draws all too much criticism... People want him to be able to shoot well, pass well, defend well, rebound well... No player can do everything. He runs the offense, he hits big shots, he spreads the floor, and draws fouls, what more do you want? Well apparently people want more defense, and him to be more of a playmaker. His defense has most definitely picked up since the arrival of Ron Artest, but one could make a case that any PG would have trouble if there's no big man behind to help... With Ron there, Ron at least comes over and gets his hands on the ball and such. I think Mike is one of if not THE most important to our team, because he is the ONLY one that can hit an outside shot consistently. If he's off, teams will just pack it in. You have to take the good with the bad, Ron is great defensively, but often settles for bad shots and forces sometimes. Bonzi can't hit outside shots, Miller can't play a lick of D or rebound, KT struggles with finishing. Mike was the leader out there for 3 quarters last night, and by drawing Ross on him and making Cassell guard Bonzi gave the Kings a big advantage... It's a tough call as to say who is more important, Ron is the most important to the D, and Mike is most important to the O... So I'd say it's a tie...

[Rome]

I like what Bibby brings to this team. He's a proven scorer that is probably the most consistent shooter on this team even with his so called "off nights". He's been showing signs of improvement on defense lately with the motivation of Artest and we already know how Bibby plays in the playoffs. One of the most clutchest pgs in the NBA.

I think he has been a big part of the Kings run in the 2nd half of the season. I also think that he had some trouble playing with Peja because he was too concerned with helping Peja run his offense but with Artest he doesn't have to worry a lot by finding him open shots because Artest can create his own shot.

[Burrito06]

Originally Posted by SacKings384

I think Bibby draws all too much criticism... People want him to be able to shoot well, pass well, defend well, rebound well... No player can do everything. He runs the offense, he hits big shots, he spreads the floor, and draws fouls, what more do you want? Well apparently people want more defense, and him to be more of a playmaker. His defense has most definitely picked up since the arrival of Ron Artest, but one could make a case that any PG would have trouble if there's no big man behind to help... With Ron there, Ron at least comes over and gets his hands on the ball and such. I think Mike is one of if not THE most important to our team, because he is the ONLY one that can hit an outside shot consistently. If he's off, teams will just pack it in. You have to take the good with the bad, Ron is great defensively, but often settles for bad shots and forces sometimes. Bonzi can't hit outside shots, Miller can't play a lick of D or rebound, KT struggles with finishing. Mike was the leader out there for 3 quarters last night, and by drawing Ross on him and making Cassell guard Bonzi gave the Kings a big advantage... It's a tough call as to say who is more important, Ron is the most important to the D, and Mike is most important to the O... So I'd say it's a tie...

I agree with everything you say. His defense is more noticeable because of the fact that we dont have a dominant shot blocker. Bibby has been the player that we can rely on playing every game even if he is hurt. If Bibby ever gets hurt (Knock on wood) we will see his true importance to this team. We dont have a Bobby J anymore that can help out at the PG. And I am sure that we all can agree that we dont want Hart starting at the PG.

[chelle]

Originally Posted by Burrito06

I agree with everything you say. His defense is more noticeable because of the fact that we dont have a dominant shot blocker. Bibby has been the player that we can rely on playing every game even if he is hurt. If Bibby ever gets hurt (Knock on wood) we will see his true importance to this team. We dont have a Bobby J anymore that can help out at the PG. And I am sure that we all can agree that we dont want Hart starting at the PG.

Oh man! Some thoughts should NEVER been given voice. I do not even want to begin to imagine what would happen if he was unable to play for a long stretch !

[SacTownKid]

One rules the offensive end, Artest rules the defensive. Face it, without Bibby we'd be sunk, without Artest we'd be just as sunk.

[Kamehameha]

It would be a cold day in hell before you can say Mike Bibby = John Stockton without me breaking into a fit of laughter.

Bibby is playing great and all - but just remember, when he didn't have a squad around him he was no better than Shareef Abdur-Rahim in winning percentage.

Is this all Artest? No. Truly, I believe that Artest is a top player but our winning percentage owes as much to him being here as it does to Peja NOT being here. Peja was killing us on both ends this year, and not having Peja playing good basketball was just as awful as Ron playing well is good.

Just my thouights.

[VF21]

Originally Posted by Kamehameha

It would be a cold day in hell before you can say Mike Bibby = John Stockton without me breaking into a fit of laughter.

Bibby is playing great and all - but just remember, when he didn't have a squad around him he was no better than Shareef Abdur-Rahim in winning percentage.

Is this all Artest? No. Truly, I believe that Artest is a top player but our winning percentage owes as much to him being here as it does to Peja NOT being here. Peja was killing us on both ends this year, and not having Peja playing good basketball was just as awful as Ron playing well is good.

Just my thouights.

In all fairness, quick dog didn't ever say Mike Bibby = John Stockton. What he said was:

Bibby is really our only reliable court leader. In my opinion, he is reminiscent of John Stockton of the Utah Jazz in that regard.

I don't think anyone is ready to elevate Bibby to the level of John Stockton. I took his comments to mean that Bibby is as much the reliable court leader for the Kings in the same way Stockton was for the Jazz. The roles are similar; not necessarily the players themselves.

BTW?

Welcome to the board!

[Variant]

The Bibbitron (when he's on) is definitely an all-star caliber player. And more often than not, even when he's not shooting lights out, you notice a tangible difference in how the team runs when he's on the floor vs when he's not. Other teams key on him and try to deny him the ball because he's such a catalyst for us.

I wish he was a better defender and a just a bit more consistent. I still scratch my head when he goes from a 30+ pt game to one where he's completely off, scores 5pts and is almost a non-factor. Not what an All-Star should do...

However, much more often than not, Bibby is the man