BIBBY, SPARKS DECIDE TO PART WAYS HOPE MOVE WILL `INSPIRE' TEAM TO MAKE PUSH FOR FINAL PLAYOFF SPOT.

Byline: Ramona Shelburne  Staff Writer

For the second time in nine months, Henry Bibby isn't going to finish a season that started with high expectations.

Wednesday afternoon, the Sparks made official what many had assumed a night earlier when Bibby was abruptly replaced on the Sparks bench by assistant coach Joe ``Jellybean'' Bryant less than 30 minutes before a game against Sacramento.

Bryant, the father of Lakers guard Kobe Bryant, will coach the underachieving, injury-plagued Sparks in their final five regular-season games.

Bibby said he and Sparks president Johnny Buss came to a ``mutual agreement'' that it would be best for the team's playoff chances if he stepped down as coach.

``We had a great parting,'' said Bibby, who was fired last December after nine up-and-down seasons at USC. ``Johnny and I sat down and came to an agreement that this is what was best for the team. It's not about what's best for Henry Bibby or Johnny Buss. It's about what's best for the team. There was no talk of firing. We never talked about that.

``Hopefully, this will inspire them. Maybe I'll get a ring at the end of the season. ... Overall, I loved my time here. This is the most I've learned from any of my 30-something seasons of coaching. I'll miss all of these ladies. These women wanted to learn more so than the guys. It sharpened me up as a coach.''

Buss corroborated Bibby's account, calling his meeting Tuesday afternoon with Bibby ``cordial'' and emphasizing that ``this, in no way, will be regarded by us as a firing.''

The Sparks were a preseason favorite to win the WNBA title after adding perennial All-Star Chamique Holdsclaw in the offseason. They have limped through the season with injuries to center Lisa Leslie and guard Nikki Teasley, among others.

The Sparks (13-16) are in sixth place in the Western Conference with five games remaining. The top four teams from each conference qualify for the playoffs.

``Injuries really derailed this team,'' Bibby said. ``We tried to mix and match as best we could, but we couldn't get the right mix. It was tough to overcome that.''

Bryant, who was hired July 18 as an assistant coach by general manager Penny Toler, said he was ``dazed'' by Bibby's departure but excited about the opportunity to coach the Sparks, who are in danger of missing the playoffs for the first time since 1998.

``Some people may have thought this could happen, or that it would happen in the offseason, but when it does actually happen, you're still kind of in a daze,'' Bryant said. ``But this is a good opportunity. This is special because it is the Buss family, and the Buss family has been very good to my family over the last few years.''

Byrant said he was planning to coach the Tokyo Apaches, part of a six-team pro league in Japan, for six months beginning in October, but the commitment wouldn't affect his availability to coach the Sparks next season if Buss were to offer him the job.

Ramona Shelburne, [phone]

ramona.shelburne(at)dailynews.com

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