The Atlanta Hawks are trying balance out their backcourt and make a playoff push by bringing in Mike Bibby.
Hawks coach Mike Woodson said Bibby, acquired from the Sacramento Kings for four players on Saturday, will provide scoring help for Joe Johnson. Atlanta’s All-Star shooting guard often faces gimmick defenses because he’s the team’s only outside shooting threat.
“There’s another option now,” Woodson said. “It’ll be like a one-two punch in the backcourt.”
Bibby has averaged 16.7 points for his career and is making more than 36 percent of his 3-point shots for the ninth straight year.
The Hawks sent starting point guard Anthony Johnson, 2007 first-round pick Shelden Williams, backup point guard Tyronn Lue, veteran forward Lorenzen Wright and a 2008 second-round pick to the Kings.
The Hawks, in ninth place in the Eastern Conference and percentage points behind the eighth and final playoff spot, are trying to make the postseason for the first time since 1999.
Woodson and Michael Gearon Jr., one of the team’s owners, were pleased the team did not have to touch its core of promising young players to acquire Bibby.
“We’ve still got Marvin [Williams] and Josh Smith and Josh Childress; we were able to keep the core group together, along with Al Horford and Zaza [Pachulia],” Woodson said.
The trade is pending league approval and physicals.
wow i haven’t heard from bibby since stojacovic was in sacramento.