"Mike Bibby took the detour to the visitors' locker room before his latest visit, stopping to chat with security guards, with Kings staffers, with a few of his old coaches and ex-teammates.

He feels healthy.

He looks great.

With his hair considerably longer, the dark curls kept in place by his familiar headband, the former Kings point guard appears to have shaved off a few of his 31 years.

"I can still go out and play big minutes," Bibby said before his Atlanta Hawks beat the Kings 113-105 Wednesday night at Arco Arena. "I prepare for that. What I try to do is lead the team, make sure everybody gets their touches. I'm not going to complain about how many shots I get, things like that. I'm all about winning. I learned that from Vlade (Divac), Doug (Christie), Peja (Stojakovic). Scoring a lot of points on a bad team doesn't mean anything."

Bibby was spoiled. He admits it. The ball movement on the memorable Sacramento team earlier this decade was a once-in-a-career experience. Run to the spot. Turn your head. Open your hands, and there it was, the ball delivered perfectly, precisely, by any number of players. It might have been Divac with a one-bounce feed from the post, Christie with look-away toss as he penetrated the lane, Chris Webber or Bobby Jackson lasers from the wings.

"You won't see teams passing like that," said Bibby, who scored 13 points in 34 minutes of action Wednesday. "That was special."

In his second full season with the Hawks, Bibby, who signed a new three-year, $18 million contract during the offseason, is the calming influence on one of the league's younger, more athletic rosters. He shares a backcourt with high-scoring Joe Johnson, and occasionally, with the much-traveled Jamal Crawford."