But his offense is damn good, IMO. And the one thing that really gets me giddy is teams must play 5 on 5. No more cheating off the center to double the PG or Aldridge. As much as I hate seeing how badly Hickson is on the defensive end; that scoring sure helps open things up for Lillard and Aldridge. If Hickson could just set better picks. This goes for Aldridge too. I just don't know why it's so hard for our bigs to stand their ground and knock the other guard on their ass!
Had two blocks last night. His D would suffice if he was playing the 4, or in the second unit. Wish we could functionally retain him, he's been a savior this year.
Defense and Offense form a whole of performance: shots you stop + shots you make = your overall worth. Hickson could be replaced by someone half as good on offense if they were twice as good on defense, and nobody would miss him. Replace him with someone as good on offense and twice as good on defense, and we're improving big-time.
Agreed, but other players could do the same in that situation. What he brings is not necessarily priceless.
Would we really? Hickson on/off court stats Net Points per 100 Possessions On court -2.2 Off court -2.0 Net -0.2 Net Points On court -76 Off court -8 Net -68 Total Rebounding On court 50.1% Off court 50.9% Net -0.8% That being said, he has been better statistically than Leonard, who is next, but if Leonard had had the opportunity to play as much would he be better in the areas we need him to be? Maybe
Hickson has consistently been the X-Factor of this team. For example, last night without his garbage points and all out hustle we don't even get a shot at a comeback. Stats don't tell the whole story with him, he's the consummate hustle guy that infects the entire team.
You realize the comeback happened with JJ on the bench, right? Babbitt came in and cleaned up all of the piss poor defensive rotations JJ was making all game
Yes but in the first half, if Hickson and Aldridge didn't score as efficiently as they did; there would be no talk of comeback.
But in the first half, if Hickson doesn't allow the Mavs to score at will due to poor rotations, there might not be a need for a comeback?
I think the first half woes had more to do with Batum, Matthews and Lillard having less than 20% shooting.
IF Hickson is okay with being our super-sub, and won't pout... I am TOTALLY OK with him staying. While part of our need is improving the bench (which this does), another is improving our Center play. If Hickson needs to start, well, we're not trading LMA to keep him as a PF.
Well said. Hickson likes Portland, the city and his teammates. If, big IF, we can make the money work (for both parties) I think he'll except the super-sub role.
I will add the insider scouting report on Hickson. Keep in mind that this was made before the season started; so I don't know how much has changed. I would actually agree on everything it states though.
Oh ya, I'm totally on board with Hickson playing back up 4 at 4 mm a year. Renounce him, go for a big score in FA or via trade, and if that doesn't work then re-sign him for 4mm. But absolutely do not use our cap room to sign him before exploring many other potions
I am on board too. But if Hickson demands anything like 8-9 mil per; then it's insane to pay that amount for a back up PF/C.
What that tells me is the 6'9" guy we got on a cheap contract is holding his own playing out of position against other starting centers. Not sure how you can find fault with that. He has exceeded all expectations. He's the 5th option on offense, yet averages a double-double. Yes, he has trouble guarding taller players, but rebounding is also part of defense. Even though he averages less than 30 MPG (the least of all our starters), Hickson is 7th in the league in offensive rebounds, 8th in defensive rebounds, 6th in total rebounds and 6th in RPG. What's even more impressive are his rebound percentages. He's 6th in ORB%, 4th in DRB% and 4th in TRB%. Hickson is an elite level rebounder - and that's that's what this team needs. We'd be getting killed on the boards without him. He's also 7th in the league in FG%. As the 5th option, the team doesn't run many plays for him. He gets most of his points off offensive rebounds and broken plays. Do we need an upgrade at starting center? Definitely. We need someone bigger who is a better defender. Hopefully, Meyers Leonard can become that guy, but he's not there now, not even close. Hickson is a great stop gap, temporary solution. It's really hard to assemble an entire staring line-up of above average players. If your 5th best starter manages to hold his own, that's pretty damn good. And yes, we wouldn't be close to .500 without Hickson right now. Remove him from the starting line-up and our starting line-up would be much worse. And, promoting Meyers Leonard to starting center makes the worst bench in NBA history even worse. I don't know if we can, but I'd love to keep Hickson. I now that isn't the popular stance round here, but I don't think we're going to get anyone better for less money. He's not a star, but he's a great hustle guy and a great role player. He scores efficiently and is an elite rebounder. That's not bad for your 5th starter, but would be better if he eventually comes off the bench to back up both the 4 and 5 (when Leonard is ready to start). If he can hold his own against other starting centers, just imagine how he would destroy back-up 4 and 5s. BNM
