JJ Hickson to SAC? I like this guy and wish

Hickson is way better than Batum. Sorry guys batum will not be the next scottie pippen. Gotta get a return on batum while his value is still high. We could play hickson at 3 also and have a real nice big lineup. If he's unhappy with his pt and becomes a problem he's also still a great asset to send us another great talent. BPA theory, Hickson>Batum. You seem to think of him as just a basketball player and not as an asset. A good GM wouldn't just think X's and O's. Stacking talent and trade chips to make blockbusters and get Phenom's is important. That's why we take so many euro-stashers, in hopes they break out and have value to us. Think outside the bun

 

Hickson is good but to categorize him as way better then Batum is an overstatement. Hickson is good and will be a starting PF in the league but he is overrated because he put up decent numbers on one of the worst teams in the NBA. Hickson would be nice as a backup for 15m a game but to expect him to average more then 15 to 20m when he would be behind LMA/Oden/Camby/Johnson(Not sure here, Hickson isn't very smart on D so I can never see him playing center) isn't worth trading Batum, especially when Hickson is going to ask for a lot of money after the year. I'd much rather try and package Batum with Camby to get a nice player in there prime and it is annoying that Batum is considered untouchable by this franchise. He will be a great role player in the league but unless his attitude somehow changes and he stops being so passive he won't even be close to a borderline all star.

 

You are right batum will not be the next Scotty Pippen. And Hickson is a decent player. But trading Batum for him would be filling one hole and creating another. Batum can cover 3-4 positions. He is an asset. And throwing in another asset (first round pick) is not stacking talent IMO. Even if we suck at drafting the pick still has value. And what if we do suck next year as so many of you are suggesting, you want to give the 17, 16, 15th pick in the draft too?

I would pass on that.

 

Here's some stuff from an Ohio sports writer at Ohio.com:
"But it was also about consistency, the hallmark of NBA professionalism. The quintessential Hickson might have come in last season’s stunning opening victory over the Boston Celtics. Hickson poured in 10 first-quarter points, went scoreless in the second quarter and finished with 21.

At the time, it seemed like a promising effort from Hickson. By the end of the season, nights like those had to be maddening. It practically became his M.O. — go crazy in the first quarter, finish with laudable halftime totals, then fade into oblivion. When he played well in the fourth quarter, it seemed like a bonus.

Short of a heart transplant, Scott might have run out of ways to motivate Hickson. The fact that Scott had to do that on more than one occasion defies logic. A coach has to try to make a professional player try? How laughable does that sound?

The 19th overall pick in 2008, Hickson averaged 13.8 points and 8.7 rebounds last season; 9.1 points and 5.7 rebounds for his career. Considering his talent, 5.7 offensive rebounds per game should have been more like it.

Hickson was in the final year of his contract next season and might have commanded $8 million to $10 million per year on the open market under the system that was to expire at midnight. The Cavs couldn’t afford to pay a Jekyll-and-Hyde player like Hickson that much. And they didn’t want to run the risk of getting nothing for him, although they do seem ready to contradict that premise if they let the trade exception they received for Mr. South Beach lapse.

 

We wouldn't create a hole, we have enough wing players, and hickson would be able to cover the 3 as well. I don't think we'll suck, I think we'll be trading away a 25th or 26th pick so not too much value there. Hickson would be important because he'd be able to take a lot of the load off of LA. We'd only be able to have Batum for 1 more year anyway, might as well get some value for him now instead of letting him walk later without getting anyone back. Wing players (like batum) are the easiest players to get in the league and everyone overvalues their young wings, especially portland trail blazer fans. Batum is very replaceable. We need help in the front court, not the backcourt.

 

He was 15th in rebounds per minute, if minimum 1000 minutes.
http://bkref.com/tiny/AxVbs

4 players exceeded both his rebounds and points per minute.
http://bkref.com/tiny/GT770

 

Maybe he develops into the player you stated (that changes things), but Run you need to look at efficiency more. He had a nice April, 8 games. You can't look at the rest of his season and say he was useful at all. Not trying to single you out either.

Allen Iverson has better shot selection, at least his jumper isn't pitiful. Hickson is a bad offensive player when he uses the most possessions. And no one on that team defends.


http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/h/hicksjj01.html

 

...but would you sign Hickson off of waivers less than a year later?

 

2 teams have mysteriously given up on him. I'm guessing that the reason is that teammates can't communicate with the unsmiling hard guy, and coaches can't get through his tough outer crust to teach him anything.