Tuesday, July 07, 2009

FanHouse: Ziller: Hawks Keep Mike Bibby

Tom Ziller:
You know, Billy Knight may have gotten a bad rap. We'll need to reassess his Atlanta legacy at some point. Among other solid draft picks (Josh Smith, Al Horford) and signings (Joe Johnson), the 2008 trade for Mike Bibby -- Knight's final move at the helm of the Hawks -- looks pretty good right now.

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Knight landed Bibby 1-1/2 years ago, giving up only some expiring contracts and ultra-bust Shelden Williams. Of course, instead of drafting Williams, Knight could have had a solid point guard (Rajon Rondo) or playmaker (Brandon Roy) in the 2006 draft. But that's just picking nits. While overpaid the previous three seasons, Bibby provides just what the J.J.-led Hawks needed: someone to take ball-handling pressure off Cool Joe, and someone to hit shots. Bingo. Bibby will be doing that for the Hawks through 2011-12 at a really fair rate of pay.

7 comments:

M said...

i think the only point that needs to be made regarding bibby is the hawks play with bibby vs their play before he came...AJ and Lue or Bibby?

Bret LaGree said...

I don't know that spending half a decade running average backups and should-be third point guards out there is a great argument in favor of Bibby. That a league average (starting) point guard could be such an upgrade is rather part of the problem with envisioning how this franchise ever plans to contend for a championship.

M said...

Bret,

I see what youre saying but who would you have gone after to upgrade the position? If we did not resign Bibby and let him leave what is the solution? Flip at 1?

Bret LaGree said...

Sessions, Felton, Lawson, and Collison are all decent bets to provide equal value to Bibby over the next three years and figure to have far more value beyond that.

Andre Miller is a better basketball player than Mike Bibby. He'd cost more, but had the Hawks not acquired Jamal Crawford (and gone after the superior Nate Robinson instead) they likely could have afforded Miller.

Jarrett Jack's ability to defend both backcourt positions would fill a need for this team and not so obviously block Jeff Teague.

With $30 million invested in Bibby, Johnson, and Crawford, if Sund doesn't solidify the frontcourt I'll be tempted to bring up DeJuan Blair every time the Hawks get outrebounded.

thirdfalcon said...

I get Sessions, but that's not realistic. The Bucks are gonna match whatever we could have signed him for.

Felton is a headcase. Not particularly good defensively, a terribal shooter, and hardly any more of a distributor than Bibby

Lawson is unproven, and if I recall off the board when we picked.

Collison is a center, so not sure where your going there.

Andre Miller is like 50, and can't shoot at all. And while he is better defensively, he has even worse potential to be good beyond next year then Bibby.

Jarret Jack is interesting, but I don't even know if I would call him a starter. I'd love him as a backup, though.

rbubp said...

Darren Collison, not Nick.

The guy we should have picked instead of Acie Law V.

M said...

jarrett jack was in front of me in line at publix a few weeks ago (he lives in buckhead) and i asked him about the hawks and he said he would love to play here.. said hes waiting on their call.. i guess that never happened (for the record, he purchased like 20 6 packs of gatorade, assorted flavors, nothing else but gatorade).