Louder, please

Sporting News, The, Dec 18, 2000 by Sean Deveney

His coaches want him to be more vocal, but Vancouver's MIKE BIBBY leads with actions, not words

Mike BibbY is the quiet sort, not one to bluster about his talents, about problems with coaches or management, about politics, religion or the details of particle theory. Really, there are not many topics that would incite Bibby to raise his voice. That's not his style. But there is one subject that makes Bibby snap like a carrot: vegetables. That's right, When the subject turns to "string beans and lettuce, Bibby gets steamed like spinach

"He won't go near them," says Bibby's college roommate, Josh Pastner. "Nothing green. I have seen him order something in a restaurant and send back the whole thing because there was a sliver of parsley the plate."

"No vegetables," Bibby says. "If I get a hamburger, it better not have tomatoes or anything on it. No lettuce. No onions. I am pretty picky about this."

Bibby, the point guard for the Vancouver Grizzlies, has been chatting for about 20 minutes on a rare sunny morning in Vancouver. He has been fidgeting the whole time, strumming his thumbs on his thighs in some imaginary rhythm, and looking down at his feet like a nervous kid at a middle-school dance. He talks freely about the evils of edible vegetation, but he is clearly uncomfortable talking about himself.

Did you know, for instance, that Bibby has started every game his team has played since his sophomore season in high school? That's 314 games, and it includes a game he played on a sprained ankle at Shadow Mountain High School in Phoenix. The ankle had swollen and turned eggplant purple by game time, but Bibby still scored 28 points.

Of course you did not know that because Bibby would have to tell you that himself, and self-promotion is not his style. He doesn't talk about himself. He doesn't talk much at all. He was raised by his mother, Virginia, and had a well-known alienation from his father, Henry, who was an NBA player and not around much in Mike's formative years. Maybe a psychoanalyst would use that to explain Mike's inward personality. Whatever the reason, the result is plain. Bibby is shy.

TIME TO BE HEARD

Shyness is not a character flaw, especially in today's NBA, where it's a wonder more players don't hit the injured list with bruises brought on by excessive chest-thumping. But being shy can be a hindrance on the court, especially for a point guard and especially on an already hush-hush team like the Grizzlies. Bibby is one of the league's best-shooting point guards, averaging 14.3 points, and is as good passing a basketball as he is passing the peas. He ranks sixth in the NBA in assists per game (8.0). His talent speaks for itself, but now, in his third season, at age 22, it is time for Bibby to start speaking for himself.

"For me, I want the point guard for me to be the toughest guy, the most vocal guy on the floor on your team," says Grizzlies coach Sidney Lowe, who played four seasons as an NBA point guard after his leadership helped North Carolina State to an NCAA title in 1983. "That symbolizes leadership, and I think the guys look for that. With Mike, we're working on it and working on it. It doesn't just happen, though. It's a project."

It's an especially important project for Vancouver. The team is in its sixth year, with a franchise record of 78-300 entering the season and a run of draft-day blunders (Antonio Daniels, Roy Rogers, Steve Francis). Toronto, which entered the league with Vancouver, is 135-243 in the same span, including a playoff appearance.

Lowe is the franchise's fifth coach, having replaced Lionel Hollins, a close friend and mentor of Bibby's, at the end of last season. New owner Michael Heisley, who bought the team last December, and team president Dick Versace wanted a clean slate.

It seemed to work: The Grizzlies started the season 4-1. But the fast start was followed by a seven-game losing streak, the kind of stretch that has come to typify the team. During the streak, Vancouver lost four times by four points or fewer.

"Maybe with the Grizzlies, because of their history, because of their past, they're thinking, `Man, maybe we can win this game, maybe we can win,'" Vancouver general manager Billy Knight says. "We need someone to take hold of the team, to force us to win.

"Certainly, it would be nice to have your point guard be that player."

NO DRILL FOR SHYNESS

Bibby lingers after most Grizzlies practices, shooting jumpers. He sets number -- 150, 200-- and keeps shooting until he gets to that number. That is, until he makes that many shots. It's an approach he learned from Pastner at Arizona: Don't just take a set number of shots; force yourself to make that number.

The shooting is easy. It falls within the standard logic of practice makes perfect. You can train yourself to shoot by sheer repetition. Bibby is willing to do that. He is also willing to be more vocal and more of a leader, but how do you practice that? What drills are there for speaking up? Who do you work with? Pavarotti? Barry White? Tony Robbins?