Mike Bibby's arrival improved the Hawks' offense.
| M. Bibby | Offensive Efficiency |
| On Court | 113.2 |
| Off Court | 105.5 |
Mike Bibby's arrival did not improve the Hawks' defense.
| M. Bibby | Defensive Efficiency |
| On Court | 113.9 |
| Off Court | 108.1 |
Considering that Bibby took over the minutes that were going to Anthony Johnson, Tyronn Lue, and Acie Law IV who were not, collectively, effective defenders, I think it's safe to say that Mike Bibby was an awful defensive point guard during his time with the Hawks.
Injuries didn't help him defensively but Bibby is a 30-year-old point guard of below average size who is on the downside of his career in every aspect of his game. His PER (Despite my dislike of "single number" attempts at capturing a player's value, PER is a decent catch-all measure of the value of a player who's contributions are primarily of the offensive variety.) has declined each of the last four years. He's due $15.2M this year. It's the final year of his contract. Atlanta spent the 11th pick of the 2007 Draft on a 22-year-old point guard who has shown glimpses of offensive ability but struggles defensively.
Mike Bibby can't be long for Atlanta but his short time here has to be viewed as a relatively positive experience. He may have been worth the extra win that got the Hawks into the playoffs. His play in the playoffs should disabuse anyone of wanting to keep Bibby around for any length of time beyond the expiration of his current contract. He can be expected to provide league-average production until Acie Law is able to play sufficient minutes at a competent level and Bibby's expiring contract will either draw welcome attention from other NBA teams or give the Hawks the opportunity to acquire one or two useful, younger free agents in the summer of 2009. That's a pretty good return on Anthony Johnson, Tyronn Lue, Shelden Williams, Lorenzen Wright, and a 2nd-round draft pick.
Up next: Acie Law IV
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