Jason Kidd and Mike Bibby
It wasn’t all that long ago that many (most?) Cavaliers fans couldn’t stop talking about the Cavaliers trying to trade for a legit point guard, whether that be Jason Kidd or Mike Bibby. We here at WFNY were far from immune from talking about it, as Scott, Rick, and myself all wrote many posts on this subject. Cavs fans were definitely split on how much we wanted Bibby, and with Kidd I would say that Cavs fans were in favor of getting him 70/30. Far from unanimous, but it was definitely the top subject when it came to talking about the Cavaliers. Well, instead, the Cavs wound up with Delonte West. But sometimes in basketball the hand you get dealt isn’t always as weak as it might seem, and in this case, I think the Cavaliers got a little lucky.
If these playoffs are doing anything, they’re exposing some major flaws in Jason Kidd and Mike Bibby’s game. Bibby, in particular, has been atrocious so far in the playoffs. He’s shooting 23% from the field, 14% from 3-pt, and is averaging 8.5 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1.5 turnovers per game. A point guard averaging ONE assist per game is unheard of. Bibby’s postseason PER is a paltry 3.32, which is 127th in the NBA in the postseason.
For his part, Jason Kidd has fared a little bit better. He’s shooting 40% from the field, 75% from 3-pt, and averaging 9.0 points, 6.5 rebounds, 8.5 assists, and 2.50 turnovers. He’s shooting the ball decently enough and his assist ratio is pretty good, but his turnovers are a little high. Kidd’s postseason PER is 15.91, which ranks 51st in the NBA. Decent enough numbers, but tragic when you consider what Dallas had to give up to get the 35 year old player.
Perhaps where these 2 players are killing their teams the most, though, is on defense. Both of these guys are just getting lit up. To be fair, Kidd is facing arguably the best point guard the NBA has seen since Magic Johnson in Chris Paul, but still, Kidd is having absolutely no affect on CP3 whatsoever. Paul’s postseason PER? Try 42.94. He is 8 points above the next closest player. Paul is averaging 33.5 points, 4 rebounds, 13.5 assists, 3.5 steals, 0.5 blocks, and 2 turnovers per game. Likewise, Mike Bibby is doing nothing to stop Rajon Rondo, whose 30.31 PER is 5th in the NBA. Rondo is putting up 13.5 points, 6 rebounds, 8.5 assists, 3 steals, and 0.5 turnovers per game.
It’s somewhat scary to think what the Cavaliers might have had to give up to get either Bibby or Kidd, but I’m starting to feel thankful we didn’t find out. Delonte West has been holding his own in his first postseason with the Cavaliers. West is averaging 9.5 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists, 1.5 steals, 1 block, and 0.5 turnovers. He’s only shooting 26% from the field, but is at 60% from 3-pt range in the playoffs and is 8-for-8 from the free throw line. Sure, West’s numbers aren’t better than Bibby or Kidd’s, but that’s not the point. The point is that his numbers aren’t worse than Bibby or Kidd’s. West is putting up comparable numbers to the veteran stars, but the cost to acquire Delonte was significantly less. West may not be the PG who is going to help LeBron lead this team to an NBA Championship, but I for one am thankful that the Cavaliers didn’t mortgage their future flexibility to acquire help by bringing in an aging and perhaps fading star.
Author: AndrewSchnitkey
Andrew Schnitkey is a founding editor of WaitingForNextYear. Though he has written about every Cleveland franchise over the years, his primary focus is the Cavaliers and NBA basketball in general.Andrew Schnitkey has written 522 articles for Waiting for Next Year.
Another thing I like about the trade we did make is the depth (even though Mike Brown doesn’t know how to use it). How many line-ups do you see step on the floor and you think “oh crap, we’re screwed” (except for Andy/Ben)?
If west is having a bad night he doesn’t play as many minutes. So in addition to not being worse, we are not relying on him either. What happens if Kidd or Bibby has a bad night? It would have a huge effect with a shallow bench.
And PER of 42 is just sick.
I chalk Bibby’s numbers to the fact that he’s playing on the Hawks and is going against the Celtics. Looking at it in context, I don’t see him getting all that many assists given the fact that he doesn’t have that many options to dish to for a consistent bucket. As for his defense, there is not much that can be said there to defend him.
Kidd…well, Kidd was a fool for not coming to Cleveland. How devastating might the Cavs be with a strong veteran with good court vision carrying the ball up the court. We saw in one of the games so far what happens when James finally gets the ball dished to him inside the 3-pt arc. Yes, Delonte has been relatively solid, especially given the price we paid and I don’t think we should have unloaded the wagon just to get Kidd. But, in the end, I think it could have been a better decision by Kidd to push for a trade to Cleveland.
I do still think that our team is great as it is when its got all cylinders spinning together. It’ll take a little more time to get that consistently, but it could very well be there soon.
I just think when you look at what Dallas had to give up to get Kidd, I don’t see how it would have been benificial for the Cavaliers to get him. His numbers in the playoffs are only slightly better than Delonte’s. I don’t think Kidd would be making a huge difference right now for the Cavs. Even in the regular season Kidd only had the 16th best PER among PGs. Kidd used to be a GREAT player, but now, I think he’s only slightly above average.
The Raptors have two +20 PER point guards who are both younger than 30….how long can they hang on to both of them? I’d prefer the Cavaliers try to get one of them than give up everything to get an aging Jason Kidd.
Adam: “And PER of 42 is just sick.”
I can’t even begin to comprehend how sick that number really is. The highest regular season PER ever recorded was 31.8 by Wilt. CP3 is ELEVEN points above that. It’s inconceivable.
“You keep using that word. I don’t think it means what you think it means”
in·con·ceiv·a·ble /ˌɪnkənˈsivəbəl/ Pronunciation Key – Show Spelled Pronunciation[in-kuhn-see-vuh-buhl]
–adjective
1. not conceivable; unimaginable; unthinkable
2. unbelievable; incredible.
Just to clear up any confusion.
Props to Rick on the Princess Bride reference.
You killed my father, prepare to die!
well i dunno about all that but whenever i look at West i just want to shove his head in a toilet and give him a swirly because of all his “beautiful” artwork on his neck…