Once a Hawk, Mike Bibby could become a big man in Miami
Will the little man become LeBron's new little buddy? (AJC photo by Curtis Compton)
Mike Bibby might just have found a way to the Eastern Conference finals. He couldn’t get there it as a Hawk, but from Chris Broussard of ESPN comes word that Bibby, last seen being grumpy over being traded to Washington, might take his talents …
To South Beach.
I mean, doesn’t everybody?
Broussard reports that Bibby has bought his way out of his remaining contract with the Wizards and has, in what is described as “a stunning move” agree to forfeit his $6.2 million salary for next season to become a free agent now. Writes Broussard:
Bibby is eager to sign with a title-contending team after clearing waivers, and sources say the Los Angeles Lakers, Boston Celtics, Miami Heat and Portland Trail Blazers are interested in him.
Bibby will clear waivers on Wednesday. While [agent David] Falk said Bibby has not made a decision yet about which team he will join, one source close to the situation said he’s headed to Miami.
For the record, such a move would not come as a complete surprise to Hawks management. When Bibby became a free agent in July 2009, it was believed in-house that he had two options: Re-sign with the Hawks for less money and remain a starter, or go elsewhere as a backup on a contending team. He chose to stay.
Last Wednesday he was shipped to Washington in the Kirk Hinrich deal, and it was clear he wasn’t thrilled about joining a loser. (He missed the team’s first practice, although he did play in two Wizard games. He scored a total of two points.) And now he’s on the market again, and if he lands with the Heat he mightn’t even have to be a backup. Writes Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel:
Bibby, 32, with his playmaking and shooting, would provide the Heat with an instant upgrade over current starting point guard Mario Chalmers, although he would not address the Heat’s lack of deference deterrence at the position.
(We Hawks-watchers pause here to snicker and say, “Got that right.”)
But seriously … Bibby in Miami could fill the same stylized role he did here: Handling the ball some, tossing it to a big-name wing and then stationing himself on the perimeter for a three-pointer. Here he played with one Joe Johnson, who’s very good. There he’d play with LeBron and Dwyane Wade, who are better still.
And if you’re wondering: As a Miami man, would the Bibster face his former mates in the playoffs? As it stands, no. The Hawks are fifth in the East, and the No. 5 seed would face No. 4 with the winner opposing the top seed, presumably, in Round 2. Boston leads the Heat by a half-game atop the conference. But if the Heat rise and the Hawks wind up fifth or even fourth … yeah, it could happen. And wouldn’t that be a hoot?
By Mark Bradley
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92 comments Add your comment
Joe Hater
February 28th, 2011
9:37 pm
I don’t have much to say but Damnnn that gives Miami another shooter.
Dino Gaudio
February 28th, 2011
9:46 pm
Is that Ga. Tech job open yet?
Dr. Warren
February 28th, 2011
9:51 pm
I wonder what the precedence is for sacrificing a year of salary to go to a winner? I’m betting it doesn’t happen very often in the NFL or MLB either.
Skeezix
February 28th, 2011
9:53 pm
Know what’s worse Hawks fans? Being a Bobcats fan.
Report: Bibby to choose Heat over Celtics – WEEI.com
February 28th, 2011
9:55 pm
[...] PostGuard Mike Bibby reaches buyout agreement with WizardsUSA TodayMiamiHerald.com -AFP -Atlanta Journal Constitution (blog)all 252 news articles » yahooBuzzArticleHeadline = "Report: Bibby to choose Heat over [...]
dawg day afternoon
February 28th, 2011
9:57 pm
Mike Bibby will play the same role as Eddie House: overweight shooter off the bench.
Hawks fan
February 28th, 2011
9:58 pm
Why does LD give Marvin so many minutes?? He is giving the team virtually nothing.
Shonuff
February 28th, 2011
10:42 pm
If Mike Bibby is an upgrade over Mario Chalmers…then Chalmers should immediately retire.
Once a Hawk, Mike Bibby could become a big man in Miami – Atlanta Journal Constitution (blog) | Miami news on Twitter
February 28th, 2011
10:44 pm
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Once a Hawk, Mike Bibby could become a big man in Miami | Mark Bradley | ENA news
February 28th, 2011
10:53 pm
[...] Original post: Once a Hawk, Mike Bibby could become a big man in Miami | Mark Bradley [...]
seanb
February 28th, 2011
11:03 pm
MARVIN WILLIAMS is so painful to watch!! He is so soft! How can someone with a body like that be so afraid to attack the basket? I wanna see him gone as it is just a constant reminder of what we could have had in the draft!!!!
James
February 28th, 2011
11:15 pm
He’s going to the Heat his brother in law is Eddie House he probably would likely join him in Miami.
seanb
February 28th, 2011
11:17 pm
Marvin drives.. kicks out… Marvin tip miss Marvin blocking foul… GO BACK TO UNC!
Legend of Len Barker
February 28th, 2011
11:19 pm
<— Worst trade in Atlanta history.
Bibby's going to be a chicken eater with the Heat. That was a term an old coach of mine invented to describe the end of his bench. They were only on the team to get in the team picture, collect their individual trophy, and eat the fried chicken dinner the booster club served every spring.
seanb
February 28th, 2011
11:20 pm
MARVIN misses a key layup! SOFT!!!!! DONE WITH THESE LOSERS~
DHD
February 28th, 2011
11:22 pm
Once again, the AJC obsesses about former players. It is incredible the number of articles written about former players. And….where’s my daily Vick article today?
seanb
February 28th, 2011
11:22 pm
That’s because they go away and become WINNERS!
P. Bull Terrier
March 1st, 2011
1:12 am
The NBA is so broken that it is hardly worth watching anymore. A combination of the salary cap rules, a lack of money, and poor decisions by ownership hamstring Atlanta with overpriced, underperforming players for years to come. On the other hand, bigger market teams like Miami load up on All Stars who are willing to leave money on the table to be part of a winner.
Bibby may not have been the answer as a starting point guard anymore, but it sure would be nice to have him sitting around on the end of the bench waiting for the right moment when his remaining skills might be useful.
Due to their incompetence, the ASG might deserve to be stuck with a mid-level team that has no hope of getting much better for the next decade, but the fans in Atlanta don’t deserve to have to suffer along with them. The same can be said of most other cities outside of Miami, LA, New York and Chicago.
Mike Bibby Heat
March 1st, 2011
2:08 am
[...] are very much in the hunt for both Troy Murphy and. Yea there leaning towards the heat Im sure mMike Bibby Heat – Heat-ed battle for help – Boston Herald Globe and MailHeat-ed battle for helpBoston HeraldThe two [...]
WTF!?
March 1st, 2011
6:01 am
MARK BRADLEY ISNT A TRUE ATLANTA FAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
WTF!?
March 1st, 2011
6:01 am
MARK BRADLEY ISNT A TRUE ATLANTA FAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
WTF!?
March 1st, 2011
6:02 am
MARK BRADLEY ISNT A TRUE ATLANTA FAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
WTF!?
March 1st, 2011
6:02 am
MARK BRADLEY ISNT A TRUE ATLANTA FAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Fark Badley
March 1st, 2011
7:17 am
If only Bibby had Paul Johnson as his coach, then he would be an All-Star
BALI
March 1st, 2011
7:39 am
good enough to start for the heatbutnot good enough for the hawks….interesting
dap01
March 1st, 2011
7:58 am
Bibby will really help Miami’s defense!
D21
March 1st, 2011
8:50 am
@Ted M
“However there payroll is higher now. Sure it cost them 2 1st round draft choices but they would have surely wasted those picks on worthless bums”.
Right, but some other teams don’t waste the picks, and could have been interested by the picks.
It’s because we, Hawks, are wasting the picks, that the picks have no value at all.
Maybe you could get an offer before the draft, improving the roster, but that requires ATL 1st.
Now, you won’t.
Mathias of the Wood
March 1st, 2011
9:56 am
New Orleans sucks
marcus
March 1st, 2011
10:00 am
as much as i like bibby, his shot and his legs at this point are gone. bibby was really good during his sacramento days and even then he could not get it done with chris webber and his crew. i will always remember his ncaa run with arizona and the focal point of his tenure then, was his non-relationship with his father (henry)and the love and admiration he had for his mother. i hope he can contribute to the “dreaded” heat and their run for a title, but not at the hawk’s expense. if he takes this time to have a limited role with them and rest those worn legs, maybe that competitive fire will return and the 6.2 million dollar gamble will pay off. other than that, i hope he invested well, because his next contract will not come close to 6 mill.
O-well
March 1st, 2011
10:15 am
The hawks are dead in the water…they’er not going anywhere, what a shame.
Mr. Mojo
March 1st, 2011
10:37 am
why aren’t we looking at any of these players being bought out? Our ownership is pathetic they dont wanna go over the luxury tax so they will not add a piece that can maybe help this team. I cant wait until this team is sold.
chipload
March 1st, 2011
10:43 am
What the heck is “deference deterrence”?
Zing
March 1st, 2011
11:58 am
I think the trade was basically an even one (though it pained me to see Jordan Crawford go). The Hawks franchise really made their big move by signing JJ to that massive contract. They really can’t do anything big anymore without shifting big pieces away–like Josh Smith.
Always been a Bibby fan… from his days at Arizona winning the NCAA championship as the 8 seed, to the Kings days opposing the official-assisted Lakers. I wish him well–I hope he goes to Miami and wins a championship.
True Hawk Fan
March 1st, 2011
12:17 pm
Mark, it may not have been the Hawks dumbest trade it’s up there. We traded 2 vets, our current first round pick (you know, the one who dunked on Lebron in summer ball), and our next first round pick for a 30 year old bench player who lost his job to a 19 year old rookie. Now he’s injured. Notice I didn’t even mention Armstrong. That is a non-event. Means nothing. In checking the Wizard’s blog I noticed the Wizard fans are ecstatic and amazed the the Hawks made such a stupid trade. If you total Mo’s and Mike’s stats and compare them to Hinrich’s we’re giving up about 4 points and a couple rebounds per game. Where do we find those on a team that is struggling to find points and rebounds? A team that is scoring less per game this year compared to last year. Then there is the lying ownership group that claimed they were not interested in selling. Turns out they have been trying to sell pieces or all since the moment they bought the teams and arena. I agree, the situation and the owners are pathetic. You don’t give up the farm for one horse.
BravesFan79
March 1st, 2011
1:31 pm
Bibby was a solid player for the Hawks. I dont want him to join the Heat, because i hate the Heat, and he would be a good addition to that team because hes one of the best 3pt shooters in the league this year!
dap01
March 1st, 2011
2:45 pm
Bibby could shoot the 3 but absolutely nothing else. He was definitely the worst starting PG in the NBA.
bigeasy830
March 1st, 2011
3:11 pm
@Najeh Davenpoop, many forget about that Jermaine Dye trade it was truely a terrible trade, I am happy for Bibby that he landed on a good team. I think it will be a terrible trade only if Jordan Crawford turns out to be a star player, I liked Jordan Crawford, he plays with heart. But anyway support the Clayton State University women baskettball team, they are undefeated and #1 in the nation in Division II. I will be at the game wednesday night as they host a team in the quater finals of the Peach Belt Conference Tournament.
JM
March 1st, 2011
4:39 pm
Good for Bibby. I would rather have kept him as a spoot up shooter if he was willing to buy out that contract, but what’s done is done so I’ll cheer for him when he comes to town. Go Hawks!
World Spinner
March 2nd, 2011
4:40 am
Once a Hawk, Mike Bibby could become a big man in Miami | Mark Bradley…
Here at World Spinner we are debating the same thing……
Trey
March 2nd, 2011
8:41 am
Mike Bibby is smart, I would have done the same. I would have trade my $6.2 Million in for a chance to get a ring. Mike Bibby might be slow, but he is a winner. Joe Johnson is not a playoff player that is why the Hawks didn’t get over the hump when Mike Bibby played for the Hawks. It not all Mike Bibby, we shouldn’t hate. When he played for the Kings, he had Chris Webber and a big man. Mike Bibby is a person you need in the Playoffs and the Heat know it thats why they made a roster spot for him. Mike Bibby knows he is getting older, and here is his window of opportunity. Good luck Mike Bibby win a title!!!!!
Horford is so dope
March 2nd, 2011
4:19 pm
Atlanta…Imagine if we could buy alcohol on Sunday
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TOM_UuQzc0
Atlanta Rocks!
March 2nd, 2011
8:36 pm
The only error that I found in the write-up was the statement that Joe Johnson is NOT very good. Josh Smith, Al Horford and Jamal Crawford ARE very good. Get rid of no heart, no pass, slow poke Joe and we will have a team!!!! Everything else was pretty accurate.