AJC > Sports > Hawks > Blog > Archives > 2008 > February > 16
Saturday, February 16, 2008
Big thangs poppin’
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
NEW ORLEANS - You’ve had your fun here over the years lumping up Billy Knight’s dome for not drafting this guy and not making that trade, criticisms Knight has never once complained about to me or anyone else that I know of.
He’s Hammer tonight, though, “can’t touch this.”
Because he pulled off the deal of deals for Mike Bibby, swapping him for three expiring contracts (Tyronn Lue, Anthony Johnson and Lorenzen Wright), Shelden Williams and a second round draft pick.
In essence, Knight just traded Shelden Williams (who absolutely had no future with the Hawks with Josh Smith and Al Horford already set as two of the league’s best young big men) for one of the league’s top 10 point guards (and yes, I already went through the list).
Uh, where do I sign?
Bottom line, Bibby’s a monster. He always has been and always will be, mostly because he’s one of the few cats in the league who not only embraces performing in pressure-packed situations, he thrives on being the man in those situations.
The Hawks needed a point guard like him more than I think anyone realized, well everyone but All-Star shooting guard Joe Johnson - whose repeated calls for the franchise to do the right thing and add another veteran threat at a premium position were finally answered.
But when the details of the deal started percolating in Blog-Z’s world (that would be Thursday night, long before it became clear that this thing would get done All-Star Weekend), it was still a tricky proposition.
Would the Hawks spend the cash needed to get a guy making $14.5 million next season? And would they be willing to part with those valuable expiring contracts that can come in handy as the trade deadline draws near?
Yes and uh, yessssirrrr!
The Hawks were ready to deal. More importantly, Knight was ready to make deals. When he pulled me aside weeks ago (at practice in Seattle during the first West Coast trip) and told me I was on the money in a previous blog where I suspected the Hawks were actively pursuing a smashing trade because they were curiously absent from the rumor mill, I knew something was afoot.
But I honestly had no idea he was talking about a move this startling (you have to understand that Cleveland has been after Bibby for almost two years now, believing that he’s the perfect fit with their All-Star, LeBron James).
Keeping the core in place is just another byproduct of shrewd dealing, because the Hawks fielded calls from all over the league for guys like Josh Smith, Josh Childress and Marvin Williams. Some of us (yeah, I’m guilty, too) would have buckled and sent one of them packing for something much less than Bibby, for the sake of change.
Knight, love him or hate him, has never been accused of being a conformist. He did it his way and smoked the competition, snatching Bibby away while the rest of the league was focused on Jason Kidd and the other blockbuster deals involving Pau Gasol and Shaquille O’Neal.
Knight also has the unique distinction of having traded (when he was an exec with the Grizzlies) and traded for (Saturday) the same player. Bibby was three years into his career when Knight sent him to Sacramento for Jason Williams.
For all the hype that surrounded Chris Webber, Vlade Divac and Peja Stojakovic on those playoff teams that pressed deep into the Western Conference playoffs in Sacramento, Bibby was the catalyst. He was the guy that ran those teams. If you don’t believe it, just look at his playoff stats (averaged 17.9 ppg, 5.6 apg, 3.6 rpg and 1.5 spg (.418 FG%, .366 3FG%, .836 FT%). And he led the Kings to the Western Conference Finals in 2001-02 averaging 20.3 ppg, 5.8 apg, 3.8 rpg and 1.4 spg (.444 FG%, .424 3FG%, .826 FT%) in 16 playoff games).
That, my friends, is balling!
Bibby can score at a high level (he averaged 21.2 points per game just two years ago). And he can dish at a high level (he averaged more than 8.0 assists per game twice in his career). The fact that can do both at the same time is what makes him so valuable to the Hawks right now.
They needed a leader, a guy that would come in and take control of this team and alleviate the pressure on JJ, allowing him to play his game and face fewer gimmick defense designed to stop him.
They got what they needed in Bibby.
And they got him for next to nothing, thanks to the GM you love to hate.
