That's pretty easy. If you operate under the assumption that Hickson gives up as much as he gives, it stands to reason that there's not much to be lost if you let him walk and give yourself a chance to get a player who can make a difference in free agency or unbalanced trade. Hickson plus a MLE signing are highly unlikely to propel this team where they'd like to go. Go big or go home.
Teams trying to win this year could still potentially give up something, however. Sullinger and Boston's pick for Hickson makes them a better team, doesn't hurt them for the future. And they can still try to convince Hickson to sign for the MLE if he likes it there. Also, while Hickson seems happy here, and could very well like it and want to stay, there's also the issue of him currently playing out of position. Maybe he prefers moving on to play PF somewhere. http://www.hoopsworld.com/j-j-hickson-could-be-free-agent-commodity/ There was an article or comment about Stotts getting people to buy into their roles or something, and I imagine it was Hickson he had to correct" on what his role is. Hickson has mentioned not wanting to be called a hustle guy, which is the way he is viewed here. If he were traded to potentially start elsewhere at PF, or have a role as one, I imagine he would ok it. ANd Boston is one of those options.
But that's not true. One can't assume that just because his opponent is scoring at the same level as he is that the team isn't benefiting. In fact, looking at his stats, he is out rebounding bigger centers he's up against by 3.
I see no team giving anything of value for Hickson without some sort of insurance that he will be signing long term with the team.
Teams trade for players all the time who are expiring contracts, and they have no guarantee they will re-sign with them.
That is pretty much meaningless. The team's rebound rate is better with him off the court. What does that tell you about his impact on the game and the importance of the rebounds he collects? I get that you like his energy and his hustle (I like it too) but his contributions are nowhere close to being irreplaceable, in fact I think there's a pretty compelling case to be made that for this team they'd probably be better off if they could find a more traditional defensive oriented pivot to help shore up their interior defense and take some of the burden of paint defense off of Aldridge.
Yes, that'd be nice to get a defensive C. But let's not pretend that "paint defense" is any sort of burden on LMA at the moment. If we want to get marginally better at defending the paint we should have LMA guarding the best post player and put Hickson on the less able big. Also, I'm not so sure that the rebound rate improving with Hickson off the court means that Hickson's rebounds aren't important rebounds. This could easily just be another advanced stat that's making more noise than meaningful insight. It could be the result of the opposition's better rebounders sitting at the same time Hickson is sitting. I would love to see a "Contested Rebound" stat - that to me is a true measure of a player's ability to rebound. I wish I could get paid to gather the data for this...
I didnt even read the last page of this thread, but can anyone deny the Blazers record in the last 15 games? Production is production, and Hickson is the most productive player in the NBA based on his contract! That's the truth! U really wanna trade what we've been lookin for all these years? Then ur crazy...dont give me Drtg as an argument
This is Zach Randolph all over again...if u don't see it I don't know what to tell ya...we must keep JJ!
TYPE THE WORD YOU! I HATE THE LAZY FLAGARANT IGNORANCE! It's TWO LETTERS and you look like a fucking moron when you do it.
Ya totally..Is that what you remember about Zach? Do you remember that we basically traded him for Greg Oden? The hookers still got paid, so did Oden
here's a comprehensive list of centers in their 20s who are averaging at least 9 rebounds and 2 blocks per 36 this year. Gortat, Ezeli, Koufos, McGee, Howard, Thabeet, Jordan, Hibbert. Are any of these realistic or desirable trade targets? If not, then I would suggest that the idea of trading Hickson for a more "traditional" center should be shelved.
So everybody close your eyes and try to envision a JJ Hickson, LMA front-court for the next 3 years. How's that going to work out?
The ones out of that list that I would deem realistic are Ezeli, Koufos, and Thabeet. That is not to say I would want those ones....
U look like the psycho when u call someone out for it WITH ALL CAPS! settle down u nob from the west!
Pretty damn good, IMO. Especially since we still have hopes Leanord will come into his own in 3 years.
