Mike

Bibby

The Kings could be very shorthanded against the suddenly-hot Jazz tonight if Bibby, Chris Webber, Cuttino Mobley and Michael Bradley are all unavailable for the game. If Bibby is unable to go, the starting five for the Kings will likely be Eddie House, Maurice Evans, Darius Songaila, Peja Stojakovic and Brad Miller, setting up perfectly for the Jazz to get their third-straight win over a quality opponent.

The Kings as a team managed only eight assists, setting a team record low since moving to Sacramento.

Bibby likely will play even if he’s not nearly 100 percent.

Bibby is day-to-day, and questionable for tonight’s contest. If Maurice Evans (head) can play, and Cuttino Mobley makes his debut, Bibby may receive an extra day of rest.

Philadelphia’s Matt Barnes, Syracuse’s Gerry McNamara and some local Sacramento talent are also expected to be on the team’s roster. Bobby Jackson, who becomes a free agent June 30, is on the roster and not expected to attend.

He’s looking to become quicker and have a better first step. He also has three years left on his contract, but has the option for early termination next summer. “Everything has to work for all of us,” he said. They’ve got to want to keep me. I don’t want to feel like I’m not wanted.” The Kings will probably want to keep him around, so we’d be surprised to see him leave Sacramento.

Jeremy Lin will play major minutes with the aging Mike Bibby expected to be his primary backup. There is a possibility that Toney Douglas finally gets into a game as well, but we’re not getting excited about it.

Berman calls Bibby “Woodson’s ace in the hole,” but we wouldn’t go that far when talking about Bibby at this point in his career. The veteran did have eight assists with just one turnover on Wednesday and doesn’t have limitations due to injury concerns, so it’s not a shocking idea that Bibby could see more time moving forward.

This was essentially a home game for the Knicks, despite playing at New Jersey, and Bibby did a nice job of filling in for Davis. Davis has been highly ineffective with his back, neck and hamstring injuries, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see Bibby get some more starts after this effort.

Baron finished with 10 points, two assists and three turnovers in 17 minutes. Iman Shumpert went down with a potentially serious knee injury, Tyson Chandler was limited by the flu, LeBron James played like a fancy-free MVP, and it’s hard to imagine a worse start to the playoffs for New York.