42. Mike Bibby
With summer dragging on and on and on before the NBA tips off, we’ve decided to initiate a multipart series that will be the definitive look at the best players in the NBA today. Over the next month or so we’ll run down the 50 guys that we think are the 50 best players, right here, right now. Today T Ziller from sactownroyalty.com takes a look at Mike Bibby
With summer dragging on and on and on before the NBA tips off, we’ve decided to initiate a multipart series that will be the definitive look at the best players in the NBA today.
Over lunch at the Outback Steakhouse (word to Steve Irwin), your crack SLAMonline.com staff sat down and ranked the 50 best players in the NBA today. We realize that’s kind of ambiguous, but that’s how basketball is and that’s how we like it. Basically, though, we tried to list the 50 guys we think have the most value to their teams, right now, at this moment. This doesn’t mean they’ll never be traded, and it doesn’t mean they’re due tremendous contract extensions, but it does mean — since value is king in the NBA — that over the next month or so we’ll run down the 50 guys that we think are the 50 best players, right here, right now.
Before long it’ll be time for our annual NBA team previews. Right now it’s time for some law and order…
42. Mike Bibby, Sacramento Kings
By T Ziller of Sactown Royalty
There are three crimes seriously undermining the very existence of our sports world:
1) Michael Irvin has a job.
2) Al Davis’s heart is still beating.
3) Mike Bibby has never made an All-Star game.
That can’t be right, can it? Bibby has only been a top West point guard for, like, five years now. Seriously - there’s Steve Nash, Tony Parker, Chris Paul, and who else? Luke Ridnour? Baron Davis? Smush Parker?
Bibby is a star in exactly one place in the world - Sacramento. In fact, he might not be too big in Sacramento anymore - after the 2002 Western Conference finals played out like a Queensryche video for MB10, he was considered the savior of the team. He signed a giant deal and subsequently came somewhat back to Earth, being consistently great on offense and consistently mediocre on defense. When the Kings ended the golden era without a ring, Bibby faced major backlash locally, a lot of it regarding his lackluster guarding skills/effort. Bibby has been far more dependable than Webber ever was, and certainly more reliable in the big moments than Peja. But the level of Bibby-love has never reached the local fanaticism garnered by the other two, save for two crazy weeks in May 2002. Bibby has been expected to hit every dagger, to stop every oncomer, to end every match with the drunk version of Sam Cassell’s big testicles dance. Instead, he’s sprinkled some amazing games in with otherwise very good performances and maybe a half-dozen drunk big testicles dances. Sacramento wants more.
Every season in Sacramento, Bibby has gotten better. Last season, he turned into a shooter full-time and ended up scoring 20 ppg, despite having gunners like Peja, Artest, and Bonzi alongside him for parts of the campaign. He’s really Gilbert-lite - he’s going to go to the line 6 times a game, he’s going to shoot it 15+ times, and most of those shots are going to be threes. Gilbert is allowed (by personnel and coaching) to go full-throttle on the “point-gunner” mode, while Bibby is maybe 75 percent point-gunner, 25 percent wallflower. (Ron Artest doesn’t need anyone to set the table for him. In fact, he encourages you not to.)
One of these years, Bibby will make an All-Star team, and it’ll be awesome. This year would be terrific: Team Dime + Las Vegas + All-Star weekend = Eddie House in jail. That’s not a guess. That’s science.
57 Responses to “42. Mike Bibby”
Sep.19 at 12:09 pm
olly says:
with Parker and Paul in the west i cant see him makin an all star game anytime soon either-
Shame
Sep.19 at 12:16 pm
Hype says:
“to end every match with the drunk version of Sam Cassell’s big testicles dance”
Yes! Bibby has been on my “funny player” list ever since he did JKL (pre-Punk’d) a while back: check it out.
Sep.19 at 12:21 pm
J.E. Skeets says:
“This year would be terrific: Team Dime + Las Vegas + All-Star weekend = Eddie House in jail. That’s not a guess. That’s science.”
And that is brilliant!
Sep.19 at 12:25 pm
Sam Rubenstein says:
One correction: Al Davis does not have a heart.
Sep.19 at 12:32 pm
Marinman says:
“When the Kings ended the golden era with a ring, Bibby faced major backlash locally, a lot of it regarding his lackluster guarding skills/effort.” Come on man, do a little copy editing, especially when you’re claiming the Queens won a ring.
Sep.19 at 12:35 pm
jomay33 says:
Whoa!!! You just DID NOT put Mike Bibby No. 42! No way, son! Mike Bibby will ba an All-Star next season. Watch him, Reef and Ron-ron tear it up next season for the Sactown Cowbells. Mike Bibby wont be the next Rod Strickland. He’s just underrated like u guys just did. Mike is at least in the top 30 in the L. maybe u guys put ur thinkin’ caps on the wrong head, guys. ur not doing a great job at this.
Sep.19 at 12:37 pm
noah doucette says:
bibby looks like an alien….
Sep.19 at 12:55 pm
Boing Dynasty says:
HOW MIKE BIBBY SAVED BASKETBALL
BY: ME
i was in my early high school years, i had long forgotten about my love of basketball(started by all that Vinsanity stuff, (yes it still hurts)and was now only concerned with skateboarding(Fact: skateboarders hate sports)Maybe not. Then one night as im strolling my block i notice my niebour passed out on a couch in his garage. Why do i bring this up you ask? Good question, Because said niebour had a big screen t.v and happen to be watching the west finals. It only made sence to go into the garage and watch the rest of the game, that was capped off by Bibby hitting that 20 footer off a Vlade pick(maybe Webber?)Ahhhh, reunited and it feels sooo gooood, thanks mike.(N.H)?
1
Sep.19 at 12:59 pm
Shiz says:
my only problem with Bibby is that stupid knee-jerk-lame-race-horse-gallop he does after hitting a jumper. Other than that he’s an effective point guard if nothing else. I wouldn’t go so far as to call him spectacular, but he is very good.
Sep.19 at 1:18 pm
Troy Dallas says:
The bibby gallop is the best thing since Walker’s Shimmy.
Sep.19 at 1:23 pm
DBlizzy says:
Bibby is a good player, but I wouldn’t call him a point guard. The fact that he can beat other guards off the dribble is pretty remarkable given the fact thats he’s slow at crap. He basically makes his living on pull ups coming off of ball screens. He’s a very good shooter but he doesn’t bring much of anything else to the table…. except for his hairline. Bibby has quite possibly the lightest cut possible and he still manages to connect the sideburns to the beard and everything! It’s quite amazing…
Sep.19 at 1:26 pm
Aaron says:
Mike will always be a local legend out here in AZ. He tore it up in highschool and led U of A to their lone title under Lute. I will always give him respect but his game has remained largely the same since highschool. He was an amazing shooter then but not much of a distributor or defensive player. Today, he plays pretty much the same game. To top it off, he sounds like a muppet when he talks. Regardless, Mike will always get love in Phoenix.
Sep.19 at 1:38 pm
Sam Rubenstein says:
Boing, that was a webber pick on Derek Fisher. I remember it because after the game he was interviewed and said something to the effect of “I set the screen on Fisher cause we knew he would flop and leave Mike wide open” which was all true.
Sep.19 at 1:50 pm
Chris O'Leary says:
Bibby’s picked up where Mitch Richmond left off, flying under the love radar in Sacto. If Webber hadn’t torn his knee apart in the playoffs against Dallas a few years ago, the Kings would have taken the chip at least once. Their short rivalry with the Lakers was epic, though.
Sep.19 at 2:17 pm
Shiz says:
Troy:
No way, man! The shimmy was pretty fuckin cool. It was like a “yeah Im so fly you dont even gotta bend over to kiss my ass”.
The gallop is contrived, looks forced, and looks plain retarded. Is he gettin low? Is he ridin dirty? Or is he just skippin around the court like a jackass? YOU…MAKE…THE CALL
Sep.19 at 2:21 pm
Shiz says:
Chris: Actually Webber kinda picked up where Mitch left off, remember the wiz/sacto trade. Bibby picked up where Whit Eboy left off. And look who’s got the ring. Aint life grand?
Sep.19 at 2:31 pm
Rashaan says:
i kinda agree with the fact that Mike Bibby, one of the top points gaurds in the league, DISERVED an ALL-STAR appearence in previous years. but i guess the cookie dosen’t crumble the way people want it to. but for the years to come with Steve Nash and Chris Paul in the west his drought will continue………
Sep.19 at 3:29 pm
Dblizzy says:
Rock Richmond would bust Bibby’s ass any day of the week and twice on sundays though….
Sep.19 at 4:07 pm
Shiz says:
True ting Dblizzy, Rock was the shit! And way better than Bibby at his respective position.
Sep.19 at 4:09 pm
Jasen Nielsen says:
I like these little features. With football season (college and pro) starting and pennant races ongoing, there is very little hoops news out there, despite the fact that the regular season starts in less than a month and a half. Lakers-Suns, on October 31, TNT-HD - Kobe will bust that “kid”. However, I’d like to see a Top 50 list, comprised of the Top 10 per position. SG and SF would have to be relatively interchangeable, as would PF and C. I think the list of Top 10 centers would be very surprising…
Sep.19 at 4:46 pm
Ben says:
Be it leadership, more of a willingness to share the ball or being better with the media (likely all three), there is something off with Bibby and it prevents him from being viewed as a superstar. But as far as talent–particularly on the offensive end–MB is definitely one of the top players in the game. More like 22 than 42, in my opinion.
Sep.19 at 5:25 pm
scott says:
I guess this is about the right spot for Bibby. He just never seemed to reach his full potential. Wouldn’t count on seeing him in an all-star game anytime soon. The west has some point gods that are just plain better then Bibby. Someone explain how Bibby is ahead of Josh Howard?
Sep.19 at 6:03 pm
scott says:
Having myung withdrawal. Where are his sometimes
long but insightful posts?
Sep.19 at 6:03 pm
Ang says:
4 years ago, I would have put him in Top 25-30. In those playoffs, he was WAY better than Nash, and always controlled the tempo of the game. Today, I agree with scott. He should probably be behind Howard.
Sep.19 at 6:23 pm
A_B says:
Uhm bibby is better maybe? He’s of more value to his team then howard?
Sep.19 at 6:29 pm
serbia23 says:
mike bibby is good hes to underestimated
Sep.19 at 6:35 pm
scott says:
Please explain how Bibby has more value to his team? Seeing how Sacramento barely snuck into the playoffs and Dallas was in the finals. By the way Dallas’s lone bad streak coincides with Howard’s injury. That is strange. Plus, Bibby has reached his potentail and Howard just keeps improving every year.
Sep.19 at 6:36 pm
scott says:
Serbia 23 nice to see you back!!
Sep.19 at 6:41 pm
albie1kenobi says:
the relative lack of comments show that this pick is a good pick, I suppose. should have just put the maloofs here, THAT would sure to stir up plenty of convos.
as of my 2cents on Bibby? he’s too quiet and seems to be too nice. he needs to start doing elbow passes so we can rank him higher/lower. seriously though, the only somewhat interesting thing i can throw into this discussion is that his dad, Henry Bibby, used to coach USC while Mike was at Arizona, and that Henry is now an sixers assistant coach (i think). that was some useless trivia crap.
Sep.19 at 7:24 pm
Joe says:
That year after the Laker loss in the west coash finals I think he mentioned too much partying. That season definitely hurt him, coupled with his injury that year I believe. If he would’ve been productive like in the past he would’ve made the all star team on that Lakers series alone.
Sep.19 at 7:55 pm
Tim Dogg says:
We haven’t heard from Myung yet? Maybe someone should call and make sure he’s OK.
Sep.19 at 8:05 pm
Chief says:
Mike Bibby?
He is not anywhere near Gilbert’s performance level, maybe 30% but definitly not 75%.
His D picks up and he might up his stats but he aint popular to edge those PG’s in the West, and that’s For Shizzle
Sep.19 at 9:07 pm
myung says:
I’m alright, Tim Dogg. Thanks for the (sarcastic?) concern. Just 1. Got nothing to add (you guys covered it all) and 2. Figured you all needed the break from my comments (judging by some of the things many of you said yesterday). Maybe I’ll have more to offer on tomorrow’s player…(btw, your “myung withdrawal” comment made me laugh, Scott. Thanks, brother.). The dude from yesterday who told said he didn’t like my comments because I didn’t capitalize words? I mean…yeah…I’ve now heard everything.
Sep.19 at 9:58 pm
Louie says:
scott, bibby has more value to the Kings b/c behind ron ron, bibby is the Kings’ most valuable player. howard is arguably the third most valuable player on the Mavs if not lower, as he is/was less valuable to the Mavs than dirk and terry.
Sep.19 at 10:32 pm
Clay says:
Mike Bibby is more like a Chauncey Billups type of player these days… I think they both suck and only time will tell on how valuable they REALLY are to their teams. Yeah, where the F!#@ is Myung? I have so much free time at work to actually do work since there are no epic Myung comments…
Sep.19 at 10:35 pm
Dean says:
you said why he hasn’t made the all-star team, there are other guards who are quite simply just better.
Sep.19 at 11:04 pm
Bryant Reeves says:
Who else is a better Western Conf. point guard than Bibby?
Jason Terry
Sam Cassel Even if you don’t think they’re better than Bibby (you’d be wrong), how many point guards could the West possibly take? With all the superstar power forwards the West lineup will always be BIG.
There is no way Bibby makes the allstar game this year unless Nash, Paul, Parker and Terry get hurt. Artest is so much more important to the Kings than Bibby is. Just look at their record pre and post Artest.
Sep.19 at 11:28 pm
myung says:
The thing that of course still baffles me is that people continue to complain about the length of my comments…is scrolling down past them (aka ignoring them) that hard to do? My computer comes equipped with a scroll bar on the right side. I’m assuming everyone else’s does too. Yesterday’s Josh Howard entry was astounding to me with how many time people made cracks about my comments. I’m not sensitive enough to go, “Fine, I hate you guys…I’ll quit.” But it definitely makes me think twice about leaving a comment now. It seems that for every person who enjoys my comments (and thankfully, guys like Shiz, Hype, Albie, and a few others have shown me some love), there are people who complain about them (too long, off topic, I have OCD, I don’t capitilize my words, I caused the AIDS epidemic and world hunger, etc). I write too much, and people complain. I chose not to write all day at work today, and a few people made wisecracks about where my comments are. Lose-lose, dig? But yeah…I’ll try to take your comments in stride and try to have a sense of humor about it. Some of them are actually funny. But to those who try to anaylze me or think they know me (I.e. “Get a job, man”), those are the ones that irk me the most. But yeah, Clay…I’ll limit my words again tomorrow so you can have a more productive day at work. Your boss will appreciate it.
Clay, I’ll gladly refrain from leaving any more comments if helps in your productivity.
Sep.20 at 12:03 am
Clay says:
And it worked.
Myung, I’m a fan dude… don’t let all those haters get you down man.
My comment was meant to tempt you into coming out to play
Screw being productive! Bose Australia can wait, I have insightful Myung comments to read!
I love all this discussion on who should be in this top 50 list. It makes me forget that I’m on the other side of the world where we don’t even get ANY NBA games on free to air TV or even have a descent basketball league to bitch about… come to mention it, we don’t even show our crappy NBL games on free to air TV!
Anyway, I agree some these other guys, Ron Artest is more important to this Kings team than a washed up Mike Bibby.
Sep.20 at 12:43 am
Teddy-the-Bear says:
I thought Manu Ginobli would be number 42. How Ginobli better than Mike Bibby? the only excuse for this would be to not have Manu in the top 50 at all, which would be kind of harsh.
Sep.20 at 2:11 am
Paolo says:
This is a steady pick. I don’t think that Mike Bibby’s position as one of the 50 best players or the 50 most important players to their teams is debatable. He has been productive through the years. He may not be the quintessential point guard (as proven by Chris Webber, the power forward, leading the team in assists for a whole season) but he is a proven player. All-star or not, this was an expected pick. Perhaps the most boring pick so far. Boring but undisputed.
Sep.20 at 2:14 am
Patrick says:
I’m not sure why all the hate, but Bibby is one of the best pgs in the West easily. For those that say he’s not a distributor, he had to pick up the scoring the last few years, if you watched him in Vancouver running the pick-and-pop with Shareef Abdur-Rahim you’d retract the statement. Back then he was always among the league leaders in assists. He’s a joy to watch and shows that you dont have to be insanely athletic to score the ball at the 1.
Sep.20 at 3:40 am
Esco says:
meh, Bibby isnt top PG in the West or whatever, he’s a great shooter but thats it, he isnt a scorer like Gilbert. Mike can shoot but he cant get score at will….and he’s a terrible defender. I watch this guy get burned every night by all the Parkers, Nashs and Marburys. Bibby’s a nice complementary player to a Garnett or a Duncan but he aint no All-Star. please
Sep.20 at 4:43 am
Boing Dynasty says:
Clay how can you say you dont even get NBA games on free to air TV (which im guessing is cable?), and then procede to make comments about the players that you dont watch very often, being washed up?
Sep.20 at 11:07 am
Cyle says:
Bibby is way better than 42. I think he proved that in the 2002. He hasn’t slacked off since then. He’s even an (get this) 18 pounds lighter this season. Hope he sees this for even more motivation.
Sep.20 at 8:06 pm
Clay says:
Boing, I may not be able to watch games but I can read nba.com just like you.
Sep.21 at 1:37 am
Ardy says:
Noway Bibby’s only 42! He’s the top 5 point gaurds in the league! i loved mike ever since his vancouver days. i used to watch him throw half court alley-oops to michael dickerson lol. Does ne one still remember that?
Sep.21 at 10:38 pm
Patrick says:
Funny Esco, you said you watch Bibby get burned every night by Parker Nash and Marbury, but which of those guys is All-NBA Defensive Team material themselves? You put Bibby on the Spurs and they don’t miss a beat.. and what has Stephon done lately? I’m not as crazy as to suggest he’d win MVP on the Suns, but you’re underrating the guy.
Sep.22 at 1:07 pm
Carlos says:
mike bibby is not overrated and baron davis is overrated! id put josh howard above bibby. he is what he is, pretty good pg that should have been on an allstar team a few yrs ago but now is just on the outside looking in. he had an amazing playoffs back in 02. his D is weak. He is not gilbert lite thats for sure that comparison does not make sense considering gilbert is like 20 times faster.
Sep.22 at 1:08 pm
Carlos says:
opps what i meant to say is that bibby was not underrated perhaps underappreciated by sac fans but not underrated as a player
Sep.25 at 3:51 pm
Carlos says:
i stated a few days ago that bibby is not underrated that in fact he was a pg that a few yrs back should have made an allstar team but now is on the outside looking in…but slam has obviously underrated him by puting him freakin behind the aussie
Sep.27 at 2:00 am
DVLb0y613 says:
too late, just like my comment..he was all star 2002 material….
Sep.27 at 2:20 pm
Justin H says:
Bibby Has already reached his prime. It’s all downhill from here for the Kings.
Sep.28 at 5:51 pm
You'll never know says:
I think people are being a tad too pessimistic. I don’t know where the hell any of you people live but every city has something to be proud of and Sacramento’s pride and joy (well, one at least) is Bibby. Sure, everyone misses Webber, the CRYBABY, but he’s gone and someone else needs to take the stage…although, people aren’t really taking action. Hey, who knows what the future holds? Whatever, freedom a speech, what a wonderful thing, no? Anywho, I’m just glad the Kings are still being faithful to Sacramento…screw Vegas, if they move there I might kill myself.
Sep.29 at 4:26 am
Jerry Cuellar says:
What r u talking about Mike Bibby is a star what,last season career high in ppg he played every single game including that he played through a lot of injuries, bibby is is not going down hill he is going up hill insted taking the kings with him with the help of Ron, Brad, Sharef, and Kevin last season they had a bad record cause of injuries but watch this season kings are going back to the top were they belong!!!!
Mar.27 at 1:53 am
Beandawg says:
THis one is easy, has beens. Sure Bibby is a great pg but his team isnt going up for the west any time soon. Webber is gone, Divac gave you more than Miller, maybe not points but assits and his flopping changed momentum. dont forget the man of the hour Pollard he was useless but I know it got ur panty’s wet. Think OF the D you also had Christie with the Steals. Sacramento isnt as big in the media as La and the other Western Teams so Bibby sint as big as a name as the other pg’s.Peja Webber Divac, even Turkalou had a bettr chance at getting him an allstar then he will now with the Has been Crew.
Apr.6 at 3:01 pm
jimmy says:
Hey Bibby is a great point guard, he s in the wrong system. In vancouver he was top three in assist for two years, and once he gets a good system he will be the best. Belive it. Micheal Jordan once said he is J-Kidd with a jumpshot.