J.J. Hickson making a name for himself ... just don't label him a hustle player

This was supposed to be the night Kenneth Faried showed the Trail Blazers what they missed when they passed on him in the 2011 NBA draft.

Instead, Thursday was yet another night that J.J. Hickson showed the Trail Blazers what they found when they plucked him off waivers at the last minute last March...


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Hickson had 18 points, 18 rebounds and three blocks to help the Blazers beat the Denver Nuggets 101-93 and reach .500 for the season. It was Hickson’s 14th double-double of the season, which now includes six in a row. He is just the fourth NBA player this season to record at least 18 points and 18 rebounds in a game - and he has done it twice.

Pretty heady stuff for a guy who was waived last season by Sacramento.

Faried entered the game saying he didn’t like the Blazers. He said they were “disrespectful” for telling him they were going to draft him, only to pass on him in favor of Nolan Smith. He said he would show them what they were missing.

The Blazers didn’t miss much. Faried was ill - he threw up during Tuesday’s game against San Antonio - and he played like it, finishing with six points and eight rebounds.

Obviously, Faried is a better player than Smith. The 6-foot-8 forward entered the game averaging a double-double - just more than 12 points and 10 rebounds - and among the league leaders in energy exerted on the floor.

The irony here, is that if the Blazers would have made the right choice in that 2011 draft, they wouldn’t have filed a waiver claim on Hickson last March 15. They would have had their backup power forward for LaMarcus Aldridge.

And right now, an argument - a very strong one - could be made that Hickson is better than Faried.

Denver coach George Karl raves about Faried’s energy and effort. In Denver, they call him “Manimal” because he plays like half-man, half-animal.

But does he play harder than Hickson?

There are a lot of things Hickson doesn’t do - defense is one of them - but nobody can ever say he doesn’t play hard. In fact, in the last decade, outside of maybe Ruben Patterson, I can’t think of a Blazer who has played harder every night.

But in talking to Hickson about his nightly effort, it struck a funny chord with the 6-foot-9 center. There was part of him that was offended.

“Let me ask you a question,’’ Hickson said in the middle of my interview. “So just because I go out and get whatever how many rebounds, that makes me a hustle guy?’’

“No, I’m not saying you are a hustle guy,’’ I said. “I’m saying you play hard every night.’’

“OK, then why do people misconstrue playing your butt off for being a hustle guy?’’ Hickson asked. “I have no problem with it, I’m just asking you. What’s that line?’’

“I wouldn’t say you are a hustle guy, I would say you are an energy guy,’’ I countered.

He thought for a second.

“Ok, I will take that. That’s the only way I know how to play - all gas, no brakes. That’s the way I was taught to play the game,’’ Hickson said.

It was clear he is sensitive about being pigeonholed as a hustle, or energy player, though. I wondered why.

“I feel like it takes away from my overall game,’’ Hickson said. “I’m much more than a hustle guy: I can shoot, I can make basketball plays ... but I will take it. It’s all good.’’

Before he came to Portland, there were far worse ways Hickson’s game was being described. At the top of the list was malcontent after he landed in the doghouse in Sacramento last season. He played in 35 games, and averaged 18 minutes, but things got so sideways that a terrible Kings team waived him.

“Getting waived was kind of like a sigh of relief,’’ Hickson said, adding that it was the low point of his career. “But it wasn’t the low point because I got waived, it was just the situation.’’

In Portland, he has never shown any signs of being a malcontent. He is gregarious. A cut-up. Always trying to get his teammates to laugh. He says he has never been more “mentally stable” in his career.

“It’s the best situation and the best feeling for me,’’ Hickson said. “I’m happy.’’
And he’s making a name for himself. Not as a malcontent, not as a hustle player, but rather as a standout. For the season, he is averaging 12.3 points and 10.8 rebounds.

“Making a name for yourself is being consistent,’’ Hickson said. “And when you are consistent, you kind of make a reputation for yourself, and that’s what I’ve been doing - being consistent and playing hard.’’

And that’s something that can make an organization forget about Kenneth Faried real quick.

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