I guess it depends on what you think their ceiling is. Do you take a Young Battier/Prince type in Batum or do you think Hickson can stay consistent and be that Brian Grant type? I still go with Batum -- It's way too early on Hickson.
It's not way too early on Hickson. He's shown in the past that he can play this way when given the minutes. His splits at the end of last year prove this. He's the same age as Nic and is still growing as a player. If he works on his jumper he's a formidable offensive threat as he already has a pretty good burst in his first step and can get past his defender. He's also clearly shown he's a good rebounder. This isn't some mirage with Hickson. He has clearly shown he has the ability to put up 15/10 every game if given the minutes.
Do you plan on playing him at the five long-term? LMA does not like playing the five so you're going to have to play on out of position. Hickson is kind of a weird tweener -- he's a center in a PF's body.
Being a good rebounder and wait for it....scrapper that he is I think you can get away with playing him and Aldridge at the same time. As long as Przy is out we'll get a look at how that works the rest of the season. What gets me excited is getting a really good PG for both Aldridge and hickson. Alley-oops all day for Aldridge while Hickson destroys in the PnR.
I don't know... I might change my choice to Batum. I like Hickson, but he seems pretty one-dimensional to me. Not much of an outside shot and no real post moves.
Yeah, but if we're talking about only being able to keep one or the other, I'm definitely leaning towards Batum. I like Hickson, but if it means having extra cap space to go after Deron, I would say renounce his rights. A core group of Williams, Batum, Matthews, and Aldridge would be one of the better starting fives in the west I think.
This especially becomes true if the Blazers draft a power-forward type with either their lottery pick or New Jerseys
I think the answer to this question should have been Batum for obvious reasons. I was surprised the number of people that actually wanted to keep Hickson OVER Batum. Nonsense.
Well, you would think that a talented big is easier to replace than a wing... but it really seems like Batum has found his rhythm and is showing a lot of confidence on the court now. Really encouraging signs from him. He could be a legit second option if he keeps progressing like this. Put him with a guy like Deron Williams and I think he could flourish.
Fantasy star today on the first day of the playoffs. Any guy who can give you 3 blocks and 4 threes is amazing.
He put up 13.8 & 8.7 just last year, in 28 mpg. Translates to 17.6 & 11.1 per 36. I believe that qualifies as "showing the ability to put up 15/10 if given the minutes".
