The Los Angeles Lakers of the early 2000s were one of the better teams in NBA history. Led by Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant, as well as head coach Phil Jackson, the Lakers won three straight NBA championships and created many sweet memories for fans that live to this day.
But they came within a whisker of failing to win their third straight title. They faced a powerful Sacramento Kings team that featured star forward Chris Webber, sharpshooter Peja Stojakovic and clutch point guard Mike Bibby in the 2002 Western Conference finals.
Down the stretch of Game 7 in Sacramento, Bibby became the most dangerous player in basketball. He hit shot after shot to keep the Kings neck and neck with L.A. But the Lakers survived and won the contest in overtime.
That series was considered the true championship series that year, and Sacramento only has itself to blame for losing that seventh game. But Bibby still thinks his crew was better than O’Neal and Bryant’s crew, and he said as much during an appearance on the “Knuckleheads with Quentin Richardson & Darius Miles” podcast (h/t Lakers Nation).
“It was a championship that we should have got out of that because we go to Game 7 we shoot two for 13 from the three and under 50 percent from the free throw and go into overtime. I know we were a better team that season. Maybe the years before or years after maybe not, but that year we were the best team, I think, in the league all the way around.
“But going there was just fun to play. Playing in front of all the movie stars and the rappers and all that stuff. And just that gym’s so damn quiet anyway you could hear what anybody says to you. And it was just good that they used to get on me ’cause I used to talk a lot of (expletive) when I got out there. But I just hear stuff and just get me going and get me going. I loved playing in L.A., that’s probably one of the best teams I loved playing against because I knew going there it’s gonna be a movie.”
At a time when just about every other team kept the pace as slow as possible, the Kings looked to fast-break at every opportunity and shot the 3-point shot whenever they felt they had a good enough look. They ended up being a pioneer of today’s pace-and-space-oriented NBA.
Unfortunately for them, they always seemed to fold under pressure, especially against the Lakers.
Explaining how he used the snub as motivation, Pierce said, “Coming out of college, I was a First Team All-American, a projected No. 2 pick,” continuing on by naming every franchise that doubted him. “Thank you for passing on me and adding fuel to my fire,” he explained. “I appreciate that.”
But who were those teams, and who did they go with instead? Let’s look back at the top nine picks of that draft, and whether there’s any that didn’t end up regretting their selection, in retrospect.
WATCH: Where should we rank Celtics legend Paul Pierce among the NBA’s 50 greatest players? https://t.co/TVurEjxvKU
After the 2020 NBA Trade Deadline, the focus of basketball transaction rumors often shifts to the potential buyout market for contenders.
After the 2020 NBA trade deadline, the focus of basketball transaction rumors often shifts to the potential buyout market for contenders.
As noted by our own Frank Urbina, the buyout market “might actually be more interesting” than previously expected. While we recently collected a list of potential candidates for a buyout, ESPN’s Tim MacMahon reported that the last time a buyout addition played at least 100 playoff minutes for a team that won the title was in 2011. That would be Peja Stojakovic.
Aside from him, we broke down the biggest midseason free agency addition (via amnesty clause, buyout or otherwise) of the year each season since 2009-10.
2010: LARRY HUGHES, CHARLOTTE
(Photo by Kent Smith/NBAE via Getty Images)
Near the end of his career, former NBA guard Larry Hughes was included in a deal that sent Tracy McGrady to the New York Knicks. After the move, he was waived by the Sacramento Kings and was subsequently picked up by the Charlotte Bobcats. He played 14 games with the franchise but made just two appearances in the starting lineup. Hughes scored just 8.1 points per game during the regular season. He played all four games for the team in the postseason, too, averaging 14.5 minutes per game. But he did not make much of an impact, scoring just 6.0 points per game.
2011: MIKE BIBBY, MIAMI
(Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images)
During his second-to-last season in the NBA, former NCAA champion Mike Bibby played for three different teams. He started the year with the Atlanta Hawks and was then moved to the Washington Wizards. After playing just two games, he and the organization agreed to a contract buyout and joined the Miami Heat. Bibby played 26.5 minutes per game for Miami, including 12 appearances in the starting lineup. The point guard connected on his personal-best 2.5 three-pointers per 36 minutes while shooting 45.5 percent from beyond the arc. He also started all 20 games during the playoffs for the Heat. However, Bibby averaged just 3.7 points and 1.2 assists per game during these contests.
2012: BORIS DIAW, SAN ANTONIO
(Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
Among all of the midseason free agency additions during the 2010s, former first-round selection Boris Diaw perhaps made the largest impact during his time with the team that signed him. The forward was waived by the Charlotte Bobcats in March 2012. However, within two days, he was picked up by the San Antonio Spurs. He started in seven of 20 games for the Spurs in the regular season and then all 14 appearances for the team in the playoffs. During the postseason, he was 9-for-18 (50.0 percent) from the three-point line. Diaw, who was originally claimed in 2012, remained with San Antonio until 2016 (winning a title in 2013) and became one of the more consistent figures in their rotation.
2013: CHRIS ANDERSEN, MIAMI
(Photo by Jordan Johnson/NBAE via Getty Images)
More famously known by his nickname Birdman, former NBA big man Chris Andersen was waived and amnestied by the Denver Nuggets in 2012 so that the franchise could avoid the dreaded luxury tax bill. After some push by head coach Erik Spoelstra, the Miami Heat signed the 6-foot-10 veteran. He played on two ten-day contracts before eventually getting a deal for the remainder of the season in 2012-13. He played in just over half of the games (42) for the team in that campaign, averaging 14.9 minutes off the bench. He helped Miami go on a 27-game win streak shortly after he was signed. But most notable was his performance in the postseason in which he made all 15 of his first field goal attempts in Game 1 through Game 5 against the Indiana Pacers. Overall, he shot a postseason-best 80.4 percent from the field en route to the Heat winning the title in 2013.
2014: DREW GOODEN, WASHINGTON
(Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
Former NBA forward Drew Gooden signed a five-year, $32 million deal with the Milwaukee Bucks in 2010. However, he was waived by the team using an amnesty clause back in July 2013. Gooden was picked up by the Washington Wizards in February 2014. After two ten-day contracts, he was signed for the remainder of the season by the Wizards. Gooden played 18.0 minutes off the bench for Washington, scoring 8.3 points and grabbing 5.2 rebounds per game. After playing 10 contests in the postseason for the team, he signed a new deal with the Wizards and briefly became the starting power forward in 2014-15.
2015: AMARE STOUDEMIRE, DALLAS
(Photo by Ron Hoskins/NBAE via Getty Images)
Six-time NBA All-Star Amare Stoudemire was once a fixture for the New York Knicks. However, his role began to diminish during his final few years with the team. During his final 180 games with the Knicks, the big man was in the starting lineup just 50 times. He was waived by New York and was picked up by the Dallas Mavericks, averaging 10.8 points per game in 23 appearances during the regular season with his new team. The big then scored 7.8 points per game for Dallas during the playoffs.
2016: JOE JOHNSON, MIAMI
(Photo by Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images)
Seven-time NBA All-Star wing Joe Johnson was a major pickup by the Brooklyn Nets in 2012. But the franchise began to change its identity during the offseason leading into the 2015-16 campaign, letting longtime point guard Deron Williams test the open market and eventually sign with the Dallas Mavericks. Johnson, who had previously scored a field goal in a record 937 straight games, did not score against the Memphis Grizzlies on February 10, 2016. He played just three more games with the Nets before his contract was bought out on February 25. Johnson was fantastic on the Heat, scoring 13.4 points per game during the regular season and 12.1 points per game in the postseason.
2017: DERON WILLIAMS, CLEVELAND
(Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
Three-time NBA All-Star guard Deron Williams signed with the Dallas Mavericks in 2015. He re-signed with Dallas the following season, though Williams missed time with a toe injury. Williams was waived by the team in February 2017 and was then picked up by the Cleveland Cavaliers. Williams averaged 20.3 minutes per game in 24 appearances during the regular season for Cleveland. His best performance was a near-triple double in April, putting up 35 points with 7 rebounds and 9 assists. This ended up being his final year in the NBA, retiring after losing in the Finals to the Golden State Warriors.
2018: MARCO BELINELLI, PHILADELPHIA
(Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images)
Former first-rounder Marco Belinelli signed with the Sacramento Kings in 2015 after winning the NBA championship and three-point contest with the San Antonio Spurs in 2014. He was traded to the Charlotte Hornets in 2016 and then to the Atlanta Hawks in 2017. The wing was waived by Atlanta in February 2018 and then claimed by the Philadelphia 76ers. Belinelli then put up a career-high 13.6 points and 2.0 three-pointers per game. He then scored 25 points against the Miami Heat in the postseason. He also hit a game-tying buzzer-beater to send a game against the Boston Celtics to overtime.
2019 WESLEY MATTHEWS, INDIANA
(Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
After an impressive tenure with the Portland Trail Blazers from 2010 until 2015, Wesley Matthews signed a four-year deal with the Dallas Mavericks. He was traded to the New York Knicks, where he played just two games for the team before he was waived in February 2019. Matthews was picked up by the Indiana Pacers, then connecting on six three-pointers against the New Orleans Pelicans later in the month. He played 31.5 minutes per game in his 23 appearances during the regular season, starting in each contest. Matthews also started all four games he played in the postseason for Indiana.
HoopsHype’s Alberto de Roa contributed research to this report
After a disastrous Hoophall West, Mike Bibby and Hillcrest Prep basketball “mutually agreed to part ways.”
Mike Bibby is no longer coaching at Hillcrest, the national high school basketball team that was ranked No. 3 in the nation by USA Today last week, before losing to Prolific Prep and Hamilton Heights in the Hoophall West on Thursday and Saturday.
“Both parties mutually agreed to part ways,” Bibby said. “I wish nothing but the best for those kids.”
Bibby brought four Phoenix Shadow Mountain assistants with him after he got the job to lead the national high school team in October.
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After four days with the team, they went to California to scrimmage national high school powerhouse Sierra Canyon.
Hillcrest blew out its first eight opponents, before losing to Prolific Prep (California) and Hamilton Heights (Tennessee) at Scottsdale Chaparral.
Hillcrest Athletic Director and co-founder Nick Weaver said: “We have mutually decided to part ways for the 2019-2020 season.”
“We got treated great by all of them,” said assistant coach Michael Warren, who was part of Bibby’s staff at Shadow Mountain, where they won the past four 4A state titles.
Hillcrest had been working out with another staff, before Bibby and his staff took over in October.
With Mike Bibby at the helm and nationally-ranked players abound, Hillcrest Prep is one of the best teams in the country.
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During his run of state championships at Phoenix Shadow Mountain, most of coach Mike Bibby’s players were under 6-foot-5.
Now, in his first season leading Hillcrest Prep, they’re mostly over 6-5.
“It’s the most talent I’ve seen,” Bibby said. “If they don’t play the right way and don’t play together, it will be tough for them.
“But if they play the right way and play together, they’ll be unstoppable.”
Welcome to the national high school stage, and the Bruins with Bibby will take center court against Prolific Prep on Thursday at 7 p.m. in a Hoophall West game at Scottsdale Chaparral High’s gym.
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Hillcrest (8-0), averaging well over 100 points per game, is ranked No. 3 nationally by USA Today. Prolific Prep (11-0) is ranked No. 5.
Last year, at Hoophall West, the gym was packed to see marquee teams and players, including a showdown between Phoenix Pinnacle’s Nico Mannion and San Joaquin Memorial’s Jalen Green on the first day.
It was a show of shows with Mannion scoring 33 points and dishing out 12 assists and Green matching Mannion’s point total in Pinnacle’s 90-69 win.
Mannion has taken his game to the University of Arizona, and Green, now a senior, is at Prolific Prep and the No. 2 ranked player nationally in the 2020 class. He’s also teamed up with senior combo guard and No. 25-ranked Nimari Burnett.
The Hillcrest-Prolific game will be nationally televised on ESPN2.
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Shadow Mountain won the last four 4A state basketball championship in the Arizona Interscholastic Association and five of six during Bibby’s tenure at his alma mater. Most of his Shadow Mountain teams were clearly the best in Arizona in any classification.
Bibby stepped into a gold mine at Hillcrest Prep, where he was greeted by 6-foot-9, 235-pound junior Michael Foster and 6-10 sophomore Sadraque Nganga. Those guys already have major-college basketball physiques, and yet Foster is still 16 and Nganga 15.
Add in 6-foot-6 senior and Arizona-bound point guard Dalen Terry, 6-7 wing Puff Johnson (a North Carolina signee, whose brother Cam starred at UNC and was drafted by the Phoenix Suns), 6-5 sophomore guard Devontes Cobbs and 6-8 junior forward Keon Edwards (a five-star who has an Arizona State offer), it’s no surprise they’re ranked so high.
They’re coming off a 115-81 victory over CIBA out of Irvine, Calif.
Prolific Prep will be by far the toughest opponent they’ve seen.
Hillcrest beat Prolific Prep twice last year. But that team didn’t have Green, and, combining with the 6-3 Burnett, they have national championship aspirations.
“I’ll be guarding one of those guys,” Terry said. “I know both of their games pretty well.”
The moment Hillcrest hit the national scene in 2015, it loaded up with the vision of co-founders Nick Weaver and Matt Allen to turn this into a national power that would surpass Henderson (Nev.) Findlay Prep.
It had current NBA players Marvin Bagley III and Deandre Ayton to start. Got a big Nike sponsorship (last year the program switched to Adidas). Bagley left after a few exhibitions in 2015, before moving with his family to Southern California, where he ended up as the California Player of the Year at Chatsworth Sierra Canyon and reclassified and became an instant sensation at Duke.
