Baffled and Confounded by the "Hickson Situation"

I'm going to use this post to make the case that Hickson is very good at basketball, so bear with me, folks.

Did you know Hickson leads the Blazers in PER at 20.4, ahead of our perennial All-Star and our two likely-to-be future All-Stars? It's not that close, either. Did you know Hickson checks in at #8 in the NBA for PER among listed centers? Ahead of Cousins, Chandler, Splitter, Monroe, Horford, Pek, Dwight, SANDERS!, et al.? Did you know he's 5th in FG%? Shooting a respectable 69% from the line? Did you know he's 8th in RPG, 5th in RP48? Finally, as I'm sure you DO know, he's 24 years old with top-notch athleticism and motor.

Okay, okay, we know what he's NOT. He's not a "defensive anchor"? He's not a "stopper" or "shot blocker." Frankly, he's a defensive liability. Does that mean he's not a useful player? After seeing many "draft BPA" discussions gravitate toward post players, I couldn't help but think we'd be extremely lucky to get someone as good as Hickson in the late lottery.

With all that said, you don't have to convince me of Hickson's lack of value around the league. The trade deadline fully convinced me (reports were we dropped our asking price to a 2nd rounder??). But if his value around the league is really as low as the trade deadline indicated, I'm starting to find a way to hope we keep him. Hickson is awesome in the pick and roll and is a skilled post player, and he gobbles up rebounds out of nowhere.

At worst, isn't he like the post version of no-defense 6th man scorers like JR Smith and Jamal Crawford? Isn't he a poor man's version of superstar no-defense post players like Amar'e Stoudemire and Blake Griffin? No contender thought it might be worth a 2nd round pick to add him down the stretch?

 

Don't have to convince me. I have wanted to keep him for a long time.

Backup PF (and C in small lineups) off the bench for 5.6-5.9 MIL a year would be just fine with me. I think that contract is doable now. People were saying he would get 9 a year earlier in the season.

Not. Gonna. Happen.

 

Good case. You will hear replies of how he puts up good numbers; but allows average centers put up nearly the same numbers against him. Others will say the team rebounding suffers when he is on the floor.

Personally, I think he should stay. I do understand the other concerns though.

 

...this! He is the perfect "banger" off the bench that this team has so desperately needed for quite some time now. C'mon Neil-O, get it done!

 

Heck, we may already be using him wrong. Maybe we should start Leonard alongside Aldridge but still plan on Leonard and Hickson getting around 24 mpg apiece. I think Hickson would be even more effective carrying us through our second-unit scoring droughts.

 

I thought that was something that might happen after the deadline but it seems POR is just going to give more minutes for Leonard but not start him. Can't argue with that either. He is improving but not ready.

 

I'm thinking that it wasn't low value that kept him from being traded, it was the fact that he kept himself from being traded to a team for whom he did not want to play.

How's school treating you, Towelie? Good to see you...

 

Ya. Aldridge has a PER of +2.4 at PF and a +14.4 at C vs his opponent, and JJ has a PER of -3.7 at PF and +.8 at C. So yay, it's higher, but he gives a lot more as well. Not even close I believe is the term you used.

Hickson grabs a lot of rebounds, but the Blazers actually rebound better than their opponents when he is not on the floor.

Yep, great motor in a contract year. A player that has been traded once, released once and was unable to find a team to give him any more than a 1 year 4mm deal

If JJ wants to re-sign with us for lottery money I am all for it.

So you want a player no one else sees any value in?

At worst he is a defensive sieve who doesn't command a double, unlike Amare or Griffin who no one in the entire league wanted for any sort of an asset.

 

Then what does that make LMA? Their defensive rating is essentially the same (slight edge to Hickson), and Hickson is guarding players he's physically incapable of guarding, whereas LMA is always given the easiest defensive assignment on the court.
http://www.basketball-reference.com...m=0&p1=aldrila01&y1=2013&p2=hicksjj01&y2=2013

 

You could have a valid point about him exercising his veto behind the scenes. Everything's great. Still don't know if I can get used to this message board format, but here I am.

 

Defensive rating is a misleading stat.

LMA is also not a very good defender.

 

I agree with all. JJ is a perfect off the bench player and I'm very high on keeping him.

 

And the stats you're spouting off aren't?

 

Agreed. But it's also misleading to dismiss Hickson's rebounding by saying the team is better at rebounding without him. That shouldn't detract from Hickson. Rather it should tell you that his teammates don't put enough effort in when Hickson is on the floor.

 

PER for and against and the Blazers being better at rebounding without JJ on the floor? I don't think so?


PER is by no means the end all be all stat, but I feel it's more important than D rating. Batum's D rating is 108, 3 points lower than Hickson. Damon Stoudamire of all people had a higher D rating than Batum's 108 several times

 

Ya, it could mean that. It could also mean JJ is rarely in the right place on rotations.

I feel if a player was as good as his stats have "shown" him to be, he would not have been traded from Cleveland, nor would he have been released from Sacramento after they were unable to fine ANYONE willing to take him, nor would he have had to settle for a 1 years deal with Portland last year

 

Or that he rebounds so well that his teammates can afford to (and are instructed to) leak out on the break rather than crash the boards hard...

 

I thought SAC waived him as part of a wink-wink deal with another team, and we surprised both teams by snatching him up?

 

Nope

GS was going to sign him, and JJ was all excited to go there, but Portland signed him instead.

 

Batum isn't very good at defense either