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Ball Don't Lie

Tue Jul 07, 2009 10:51 am EDT

Mike Bibby stays in Atlanta

By Kelly Dwyer


The ridiculous turns continue, apparently.

The Hawks need a point guard. The Hawks need to keep Mike Bibby(notes) around, and keep Mike Bibby happy. The Hawks like Mike Bibby.

But handing him the average salary for three years? For a guy who isn't average, right now?

Seems lazy. Seems the easy way out. I went over and over this for a good chunk of the morning, and this still seems like a committee decision made with the costs all known. Something you do when you don't have a clear leader full of ideas. Mike Bibby. Bringin' him back, because everybody knows his name.

At this point, in 2009, he's OK. He's 31, 15 and five assists, league-worst defense. Six million a year may not seem like the end of the world, but you watch this guy drag up the court in 2010-11, knowing that he has a year and a half left. You make sense of this, even when he expires in 2012.

This is the easy way out. This is where you go when you are tired of thinking. It's not the worst re-sign in NBA history, but it is a cop out, a lazy move, an uninspired turn. You just bid against yourself to keep Mike Bibby around. That shouldn't be applauded.

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56 Comments

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  1. Coach Isiah Thompson
    1. Posted by Coach Isiah Thompson Tue Jul 07, 2009 11:19 am EDT

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    Reggie Miller's looking good. Bibby passes to the man, Rodney shoots the 3 and "BOOM" goes the dynamite! Discuss!
  2. KFD07
    2. Posted by KFD07 Tue Jul 07, 2009 11:21 am EDT

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    Hey it is Atlanta... bad decisions is all they know!
  3. Anton
    3. Posted by Anton Tue Jul 07, 2009 11:22 am EDT

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    Who cares? As long as the Hawks and Heat do not have a bad playoff series last time. That was painful to watch. And it ironically coincided with one of the best first round playoff series ever (Chi-town and Celtics). Ugh.
  4. rouse
    4. Posted by rouse Tue Jul 07, 2009 11:22 am EDT

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    seems a bit negative KD. not a whole lot of other PG options atm. come on mate.
  5. Sarah M
    5. Posted by Sarah M Tue Jul 07, 2009 11:32 am EDT

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    I swear that this guy is STILL living off of his playoff reputation when he scored a lot because Shaq wouldn't come out far enough to challenge his shot on the pick and roll.
  6. Travis
    6. Posted by Travis Tue Jul 07, 2009 11:36 am EDT

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    if hedon't is worth more than $10 million per year, bibby is worth $6-8, and i'm worth about $2 mil per.
  7. YingZ
    7. Posted by YingZ Tue Jul 07, 2009 11:42 am EDT

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    Below average? Check his numbers again there buddy.
  8. QuAzY
    8. Posted by QuAzY Tue Jul 07, 2009 12:05 pm EDT

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    He's only worth $1 in my books
  9. Bronn
    9. Posted by Bronn Tue Jul 07, 2009 12:05 pm EDT

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    Gee, Kelly, tell us how you really feel.
  10. bernie mac
    10. Posted by bernie mac Tue Jul 07, 2009 12:07 pm EDT

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    A little harsh on this one KD. Below average? Bibby is nowhere near below average. 6 million per year for a quality pg sounds pretty good to me.
  11. Balaam D
    11. Posted by Balaam D Tue Jul 07, 2009 12:13 pm EDT

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    Did Kelly even watch a Hawks' game last year? Did Kelly watch one prior to the Bibby acquisition? Bibby runs the offense while Woodson scratches his head in confusion from the sidelines. To lose him would have been devastating to Atlanta's offense.
    Sure, the guy can't play a lick of defense but he took a paycut from $15 mil to $6 mil to stay in Atlanta. He can mentor Teague for 3 years and keep the offense going as well.
  12. Maverick X
    12. Posted by Maverick X Tue Jul 07, 2009 12:13 pm EDT

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    Your an idiot Kelly, Bibby is a proven vet. He's part of the reason why the Hawks are playing good basketball and making the playoffs. Bibby is clutch, and can pass and shoot. I don't know why yahoo is paying you to write.
  13. Joe
    13. Posted by Joe Tue Jul 07, 2009 12:17 pm EDT

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    Maybe needs to shave his head again to find his defensive rhythm. Actually, he can run an offense which is what they want him to do. It's a rare point guard that is an offensive play maker and a defensive stopper. You obviously don't like the deal, but perhaps you could suggest what their viable alternatives are at this point. Wasn't too long ago that the Cavs were courting the Bibbster.
  14. A A
    14. Posted by A A Tue Jul 07, 2009 12:18 pm EDT

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    The Hawks just drafted a PG (Jeff Teague) that will need a year to develop. They signed a great locker room guy that the other players were all calling for his return. He didn't try and get a crazy deal based on his stats, though he certainly could have if he went to one of the other teams in need of a starting PG (NY for instance). I admit he's a terrible on ball defender but he hits clutch shots, can pass the rock, and has a ton of playoff experience. That isn't bad for 6 milllion a year and when his contract expires it should be time to re-up Teague, or they could dump him in two years with his expiring contact as trade bait. I am a lifelong Atlanta fan and have suffered through all of the mind blowing personel decisions (not taking Chris Paul?), but I think Kelly Dwyer is way off on this one.
  15. Courtizone
    15. Posted by Courtizone Tue Jul 07, 2009 12:20 pm EDT

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    You're saying he's lazy and so is Atlanta. Must be the sun and the peaches that just make letting time run idly by so easy.
  16. Matt S
    16. Posted by Matt S Tue Jul 07, 2009 12:20 pm EDT

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    We always knew Kelly hated the Hawks and hated Bibby. But this is just absurd. The Hawks paid $6M/yr for a veteran starting PG who averaged 15 and 5 last year. Look around the league at how much other PGs are getting paid and try to say with a straight face that that's not a bargain. Wow...congrats, Kelly. You've reached a new low.
  17. Ken C
    17. Posted by Ken C Tue Jul 07, 2009 12:23 pm EDT

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    I'd pay Mike Bibby 6 million to play before I'd pay you a nickel for your opinion.
  18. jerrell
    18. Posted by jerrell Tue Jul 07, 2009 12:27 pm EDT

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    I think K.D is the one being lazy.Bibby is the leader on the team and a good point guard.Good eoungh to make it to the 2nd rd of the playoffs and is a great teacher on a very young team.
  19. Sarah M
    19. Posted by Sarah M Tue Jul 07, 2009 12:32 pm EDT

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    Damn the haters are out in full force today...
  20. Matt S
    20. Posted by Matt S Tue Jul 07, 2009 12:32 pm EDT

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    Also, do you REALLY think the Hawks bid against themselves on this? Do you REALLY think no other team would have given Mike Bibby at least the mid-level. If so, this post is even dumber than I initially thought.
  21. Gaia S
    21. Posted by Gaia S Tue Jul 07, 2009 12:38 pm EDT

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    Wow. Terrible post. This is a good deal. Bibby can mentor the young guys, and not to mention he has a great three ball and is great in the clutch. Yes he is a liability on defense, but he makes up for it with his offensive prowess. Bibby is a good ball player with a proven track record.
  22. love
    22. Posted by love Tue Jul 07, 2009 12:39 pm EDT

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    all you hater need to stop mike is a good player in a league with just a few great players and alot of average players .I might not have gave him three years but I would have gave him two years.
  23. R P
    23. Posted by R P Tue Jul 07, 2009 12:41 pm EDT

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    Ridiculous!!
  24. flim
    24. Posted by flim Tue Jul 07, 2009 12:45 pm EDT

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    Kelly, once again, bad article. I thought I'd stop reading your articles, but I guess not. I guess I gotta leave a comment on something, and yours always is the best pick. Bibby's contributions to the team the last year or so makes the price well worth it. And Kelly, unless you're that Arab oil shiekh (pardon the spelling, I'm not that sure) who owns two Boeing 747's as private jets, any multi-year commitment worth millions of dollars is something that has a lot of thought going into it. Sure, sometimes it's not a wise decision, but it sure ain't going to be a lazy decision, an easy-way-out kind of thing. The easy way out of this situation is to wait for Bibby to sign elsewhere. That's the lazy decision. To not do anything.
  25. Maverick X
    25. Posted by Maverick X Tue Jul 07, 2009 12:48 pm EDT

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    Bibby did Atlanta a favor, he could of been paid more if he went to any other team, me i was hoping Houston would of resign Artest, and then picked up Bibby. I came from the Old Sac team that had great Offense with Divac, Miller, Webber, Stojakovic, Turkoglu, G. Wallace, Christie, K. Martin, B. Jackson, Bibby. BTW Houston would of had a great line up:
    C: Yao Ming
    PF: Luis Scola
    SF: Ron Artest
    SG: T-Mac
    PG: Mike Bibby

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