"In about three weeks Mike Bibby will finish what will be the least productive of his 12 NBA regular seasons.

It might be wise, however, to save any conclusions about Bibby being washed up.. Recent signs indicate Bibby, 31, is just now hitting his stride for the Hawks.

There was Bibby recently dropping 3-pointers on the Raptors in Toronto while bounding down the court and smiling at fans who jeered him. He was so dominant to start the game last week at Philadelphia that a Sixers fan held up a sign pleading for someone to guard Bibby.

That would have been an unnecessary message as recently as a month ago, when Bibby was playing so passively that coach Mike Woodson called him in for a meeting and asked him to be more assertive. Now Bibby often has been the most aggressive player to start games for the Hawks, who have been known to sometimes lack energy early in games."