Life Without Bibby
A familiar face will be missing from Sacramento’s lineup when it takes the court to start the second half of the season.
The rebuilding Kings begin adjusting to life without Mike Bibby on Tuesday night when they visit the Portland Trail Blazers in the first game since the All-Star break for both teams.
Oddsmakers from Sportsbook.com have made Portland –4.5 point spread favorites (NBA Odds) for today’s game, the over/under has been set at 195 total points (Matchup). Our public betting information shows that 72% of bets for this game have been placed on Portland -4.5 (View NBA Bet Percentages).
The Kings (23-28) traded Bibby to the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday for point guards Anthony Johnson and Tyronn Lue, 2006 first-round pick Shelden Williams, veteran forward Lorenzen Wright and a 2008 second-round pick. Bibby, a 10-year veteran that missed the start of the season with a thumb injury, is averaging 13.5 points and 5.0 assists in 15 games.
"I want to thank Mike for his terrific all-around play," Kings president Geoff Petrie said in a statement. "He’s had a great run here as a King and has participated in and contributed to some great moments on the court and I wish him all the best."
Bibby was the last holdover from the successful Kings teams from the start of the decade. Bibby, who came to Sacramento before the 2001-02 season and helped the Kings reach the Western Conference finals that year, teamed with Chris Webber, Peja Stojakovic, Vlade Divac and coach Rick Adelman to form one of the NBA’s best teams for five seasons, even if it never reached the NBA finals.
Those days are well behind the team now, however. The Kings are mired in 11th place in the Western Conference, 8 1/2 games out of a playoff position, and have dedicated themselves to rebuilding.
"We’re excited about adding another young frontcourt player who was the fifth pick of the 2006 draft in Williams, along with some experienced veterans to the team," Petrie said. "We’re looking forward to seeing how they integrate in with the rest of our roster."
The Kings dropped their last three games before the break, including Wednesday’s 89-87 loss in Houston. Ron Artest scored a game-high 30 points, and Bibby chipped in 14 points in his final game with the team, which is wrapping up a four-game road trip.
Sacramento has dropped three of its last four games against Portland (28-24), which will be trying to rebound after going winless on a four-game road trip heading into the break. The Trail Blazers are 10th in the West, but are 4 1/2 games ahead of the Kings thanks in large part to an NBA season-high 13-game winning streak in December.
Portland, though, is just 10-12 since the streak ended.
"We’re just not sharp right now – executing, offensively, defensively. We’re having breakdowns in key situations and we don’t have both units playing well," coach Nate McMillan said.
Portland wrapped up the first half with Wednesday’s 96-76 loss in Dallas. Brandon Roy had 25 points, but LaMarcus Aldridge managed only six, ending his streak of three straight 20-point games.
Roy, who leads the Blazers with 19.7 points per game, had 18 points and nine rebounds in the All-Star game. He missed the first two games of the losing streak because of a death in the family.
By: Marc Young – theSpread.com – Email Us
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