You’re going to have to stay up late this week, but it will be worth it.
The Hawks embark on a five-game Western swing starting Tuesday night in LA against the Lakers.
That game will be your first opportunity to see Mike Bibby running the show for the Hawks.
Atlanta was able to secure the services of Bibby, not Cleveland, and the Hawks fortunes have taken a dramatic turn for the better.
The five-for-one swap, announced last weekend, shook up the Eastern playoff race. The Hawks hit the break having lost four in a row, including just an awful overtime loss in Charlotte.
Atlanta has dropped to seven games under .500, and had lost their enthusiasm for the game. There were a lot of long faces and dejected looks when the club disbanded for the all-star break.
But as the team reconvenes in Los Angeles Monday, there is a new spirit. One of hope that only a quality point guard could bring to this team at this time.
But let’s be clear about this---Bibby has to be given time to achieve quality results. This five-game Western trip would be daunting to the best teams in the league. And for Bibby, he’ll have only one practice with his new mates under his belt before the trip begins.
We also are not sure of the extent of the knee injury suffered by Josh Childress in the Detroit game last week. Chills was to be checked again early Monday morning before the team departed for the West Coast.
With a new roster, a new rotation must be worked out. Guys like Salim Stoudamire and Solomon Jones would probably find themselves playing new-found minutes. The team certainly cannot afford any injuries to the top seven.
But this much is clear: the Hawks are relevant again this season. They have a chance to recapture the positive buzz that surrounded the club after its big home wins in November and its great run of success in December.
As for Bibby, the Hawks are getting the proven point guard that the fans have been clamoring for, really, since Mookie Blalock left.
Just two seasons back, Mike averaged a career-high 21.1 PPG. He holds the Kings franchise record for consecutive free throws made (51) in the 02-03 season.
He is one of 61 players in NBA history to amass 10,000 points and 4,000 assists in a career.
Bibby was selected by Vancouver with the second overall pick in the 1998 NBA Draft. He went to the Kings in June of 2001 (with Brent Price for Jason Williams and Nick Anderson.)
Bibby is in a Hawks uniform. And the stakes have been raised accordingly. We have what we wanted Hawks fans: a legit point-guard, a real shot at the playoffs, and for the first time since Philips Arena opened the anticipation of meaningful games in March and April.
Hey, the Hawks are now must see TV!