Sacramento —- When the Hawks got to Arco Arena for Wednesday morning's shootaround practice, Mike Bibby was already on the floor that he called home for seven seasons.

It was the start of a Twilight Zone day for both the Hawks and the Sacramento Kings, who played each other four days after a five-player (and one draft pick) trade that saw Bibby come to the Hawks and Anthony Johnson, Tyronn Lue, Shelden Williams, Lorenzen Wright and a second-round draft pick go to the Kings.

The trade itself wasn't uncommon; this is arguably the busiest trade season in league history, with blockbuster deals coming seemingly by the day.

The strange dynamic for the Hawks and Kings came Wednesday night, as both teams played their second game since the trade. And this time, the connections ran deep.

Bibby felt like he never left. And before the game Hawks forward Josh Smith was in the Kings' locker room greeting his former teammates, whom he never got a chance to say goodbye to formally.

"It's weird," said Bibby, who spent the night at his home here Tuesday and was treated to a video-highlight montage before the game and a rousing standing ovation just before the opening tip. "You get to a point where you're so comfortable, and you've been somewhere for so long, that anything would have been different.

"But it's definitely a different look."

Williams, who was the one keeper in the deal for the Kings, said he's happy to have a fresh start.

"You don't have any hard feelings, and you hope nobody has any hard feelings towards you," Williams said. "It's a fresh start for everybody. And sometimes I guess that's all anybody can ask for. You just hope your hard work and dedication was appreciated."

Bibby's contributions here certainly didn't go unnoticed.

The Kings' owners, Joe and Gavin Maloof, took out a full-page ad in Wednesday's Sacramento Bee thanking Bibby for all he had done to help make the Kings one of the league's premier franchises during his tenure.

It was a classy move that wasn't lost on Bibby's new and former teammates, all of whom acknowledged the awkwardness of Wednesday's game.

"Having been traded before, you just have to understand that this is a business first and foremost," Kings forward Ron Artest said. "You can't take it personal."

Artest rushed into the Hawks' morning shootaround before it got started to greet Bibby and his son Michael, who accompanied his dad to practice and back to the Hawks' hotel afterward, spending as much quality time with his father as possible before the Hawks depart for the rest of this road trip and then back to Atlanta.

"The only thing I hate about trades is the upheaval it causes," Hawks coach Mike Woodson said. "It's really not fair to Mike to have him out here like this, with just a couple of days of work trying to lead our team. But it is what it is. And you have to commend him for doing what he's doing."

Bibby also played on a sore right heel that he injured in the Hawks' loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday.

He could barely walk on it Wednesday morning and acknowledged that it wasn't feeling much better before the game. But he refused to back off an inch with one last chance to play before all his family and friends here, many of whom turned out to pay their respects to one of the best players in franchise history.

"I wouldn't miss this game for anything in the world," Bibby said. "I'll rest [my foot] on the off day."

NEXT FOR HAWKS

> Who: at Warriors

> When: 10:30 p.m. Friday

> TV; radio: SportSouth; 680 AM