THINKS THE EAGLES STOLE ONE
When agent David Falk recently called the 76ers about Atlanta Hawks point guard Mike Bibby, it apparently was mostly about checking out the marketplace in a difficult economy.
As it turned out, staying home became the best option. In a development reported by Sekou Smith of the Atlanta Journal Constitution and confirmed by the Daily News, Bibby has agreed to remain with the Hawks via a three-year contract. The Journal Constitution estimated the value of the deal at $18 million.
The Sixers discussed the possibility of a one-year contract, but--according to a source familiar with the situation--never made a formal offer. The Sixers' thinking was that Bibby might consider a one-year deal, allowing him to again become an unrestricted free agent next summer when a number of teams will have stockpiled salary cap space.
The Sixers remain interested in acquiring a veteran point guard, possibly to start and to help mentor first-round draft choice Jrue Holiday. They have been negotiating with Andy Miller, the agent for Andre Miller, their unrestricted free agent, but seem far apart on money and length of term.
Andy Miller told Jason Quick of the Oregonian in a blog post on OregonLive.com that Andre Miller would be ''a good fit'' for the Portland Trail Blazers and that he ''puts them over the top'' because the Blazers ''desperately need a starting point guard to take the pressure off Brandon Roy.''
The Bibby agreement comes on the heels of Jason Kidd agreeing to a three-year contract worth a reported $25 million to remain with the Dallas Mavericks, and former Simon Gratz High star Rasheed Wallace taking a two-year deal to join the Boston Celtics.
Bibby averaged 14.9 points, 5 assists and 3.5 rebounds with the Hawks last season.
Phil Jasner joined the staff of the Daily News in 1972. He has covered the 76ers and the NBA on a full-time basis since 1981. He won the 2004 Curt Gowdy Media Award, presented by the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame for outstanding contributions to the sport during his career; he was a finalist for the award in 2001, when he also received a lifetime achievement award from the Professional Basketball Writers Association during the NBA Finals. He is a past president of the Professional Basketball Writers Association and the Philadelphia College Basketball Writers Association. Along the way, he has covered high school sports, the Big 5, the Eagles and the NFL, the World Football League, the North American Soccer League and what was then the Major Indoor Soccer League. He is a proud graduate of Temple University, and spent his early professional days at the Pottstown (Pa.) Mercury, Montgomery Newspapers (Fort Washington, Pa.), the Norristown (Pa.) Times-Herald and the Trentonian.
Bob Cooney has been at the Daily News for almost 20 years, working in the sports department the past 12 years. This is his first season on the Sixers beat. He has covered just about everything, but mostly college basketball, where he has been the La Salle beat writer for the past six seasons.
