Wednesday, March 26, 2008

What should have happened

Addendum to my previous entry concerning the Hawks.

How much better would the Hawks and Mavs be if the trades for Mike Bibby and Jason Kidd had been switched?

First the Hawks, I would argue that Bibby isn't right for this team at all. He's not the kind of point guard that creates opportunities for other players. He is a better shooter and ball handler then the Hawks previously had but that isn't what the team needs out of it's point guard. They need someone who can push the ball up the floor, penetrate and dominate the ball which isn't Bibby's game. Enter Jason Kidd. While he doesn't help the Hawks dismal outside shooting he does create easier shots for others, controls the tempo of the game and provides veteran leadership on the floor and in the locker room. He dominates that ball, which is fine as the other Hawks players aren't great passers. In addition, he attracts fans and potential free agents this summer.

Second the Mavs, Kidd isn't really hurting the Mavs, but he also isn't making them any better. Dallas isn't a team that looks to push the tempo of the game and in a half court set defenses sag off of Kidd and dare him to shoot, which makes things harder for the other Mavs players. (Note given the Hawks personnel with Kidd they would be a team that would look to push the ball at every opportunity). The Mavs already had great team ball movement before Kidd and now that he dominates the ball the movement has come to a halt. This doesn't nessesarily kill the Mavs it just makes the game harder for everyone. Enter Mike Bibby a solid ball handler, great shooter and good passer in a team passing game. Bibby could hit the outside shot to take pressure off of both Dirk and Josh Howard and still get the the rim enough to keep defenses on their toes. He wouldn't need to create shots for others, Dirk and Howard can create their own shots. He also could be a part of the team instead of being expected to be a team leader. This is something that isn't working with the Mavs since Dirk is obviously the man, which is something Kidd isn't used to.

The bottom line: We need a do-over. The Hawks need a point guard to push the tempo, create shots for others, dominate the ball and provide leadership. The Mavs need a point guard who can hit the outside shot, handle the ball, and fit into their team passing game.

~Viggy

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

I agree that Bibby is a better fit than Kidd but a big reason for getting Kidd was his defense (which is also an issue for Bibby). I understand why they made the trade but neither Kidd nor Bibby is an improvement over Harris. The problem with Dallas is Avery Johnson and his lack of creativity on offense and his inability to let go of the fact that he isn't on the floor. When you have the MVP on your team and can't figure out how to get him the ball versus Golden State, it's a coaching issue.

M. Viggy said...

I would argue that the MVP needs to be more assertive, I don't see Kobe letting someone (even nine ring, Hall of Fame coach Phil Jackson) take the ball away from him with the game on the line. Dirk needs to step up say "F*ck you Avery get me the ball and get out of the way!"

Anonymous said...

It's a good point and it you can see how Avery's controlling nature hurts the team. It also calls Dirk as MVP into question.

Truth About It said...

The thing is, Kidd has a much higher perceived value than Bibby, a lot of it because of his superior career, but Kidd also has momentum from his performance in FIBA this past summer. Bibby has what again? An All-Star appearance? (Ok, that doesn't necessarily mean anything, and yet, it does.)

I know one thing, there is no way in hell that the Hawks would have got Kidd for Anthony Johnson, Tyronn Lue, Shelden Williams, Lorenzen Wright, and a 2008 second round draft pick.

There is probably a lot more to Bibby, his team attitude, and inability to be a winner (aside from the 97 NCAA title game) that we don't know about. Essentially, there's a reason as to why the Kings were so willing to give him up and why Kidd was in such a high demand leading up to the trade deadline.

Our hindsight now is easily 20/20. The Lakers would be floundering now if they gave up Bynum and Odom for Kidd like Kobe wanted them to do this summer. As hard a pill it is to swallow for Laker fans, Mitch Kupchak had some of that hindsight.

I still like the fact that the Hawks traded for Bibby...because they didn't give up anything for him. And if it doesn't work out, cap room. To get Jason Kidd, the Hawks would've been waving good-bye to an asset.

Now, who's to say that Bibby to the Mavs wouldn't work? But I think you are giving Bibby a lot more credit than he deserves.

If it comes down to Bibby now vs. Devin Harris now, I'm choosing Harris every time. Hell, most believe that giving up Harris for Kidd wasn't the thing to do.

The move was pretty risky to me, but hey, if that's how the Mavs felt....that their window was closing, then so be it. With the current state of affairs, it looks like Kidd to Dallas is going to be a head-scratcher.

And I'd imagine that the thought of being in the ATL would make Kidd miss New Jers, hence, a pouting point guard.

The do over? So, I don't see it.

M. Viggy said...

Great arguement, it goes without saying that Devin Harris is likely to be outstanding player and he's also much younger with a much smaller contract. It also hurts Dallas to give up so many draft picks. As far as I'm concerned Dallas had some good young players in Howard, Harris and Diop and they panicked. Again I'm thinking more about the systems the Hawks and the Mavs employ and which player fits better in each team's system. I don't debate that Kidd has proven to be a better player.

dmosones said...

Why did you have to bring the Lakers into it? I think you are a closet-Lakers fan Mr. Truth About It.

Truth About It said...

Hey, any time I can throw in an example of your precious Kobester being a baby, I will.