J.J. Hickson: What Others Are Saying

If you were a part of our Live Blog yesterday evening, you were a part of the surprise that many of us felt with several first round selections.  Russell Westbrook going fourth overall, Sacramento going with Jason Thompson.  The list goes on.  But when the 19th selection was named, and J.J. Hickson scrolled across the screen, I really didn’t know what to think. 

I was screaming Darrell Arthur from the second he slipped past the Wizards.  But the fact the Arthur did not hear his named called until 27 overall shows that we may have been on to something.  But that didn’t mean I was all of sudden going to be excited about Hickson, a guy that I did not know much about. 

Frankly, I still don’t know much about him – but I fully plan on spending the next few days trying to analyze what Danny Ferry did last night.

What I do know is that the first word tagged with Hickson’s name is “tough.”  I also know that Hickson was being wooed by Ohio State for some time, as he was a top-20 prospect coming into last season.  Rumors have it that Shareef Abdur-Rahim (who attended the same high school as Hickson) was a part of the team that directed him to the hands of N.C. State.  More on that later…

The frustrating part is the “needs” analysis that ESPN placed with each team before their selection.  For the Cavaliers, we were told that we needed a second star player to go with LeBron James.  The catch is, we were picking 19th.  Not many “stars” can be found at this point in the draft.  Instead, we drafted a solid physical player that should have a decent career, but as a role player.

But to save you all some time in searching, I’ll direct you to what others are saying.  Others that know a lot more about the 6’9″ freshman out of N.C. State, and that can offer you a lot more insight than I can.

With Pau Gasol leaving Memphis, the guys from 3 Shades of Blue were hoping to add some toughness last night.  They listed the top 10 guys that they felt would add a sense of durability across the board.  And number eight on that list?  J.J. Hickson.

J.J. Hickson – He is young and physically imposing plus he has good hands. Not as skilled as some others on this list but he knows where his game is located…in the paint. He will be knocking people around in this league for the next 15 years.

While we’ve dogged Chad Ford’s rumor-breaking around here, his analysis is usually on point.  While most of us wanted a guy that could contribute now, after reading this I think that we could expect a great post presence for the considerable future.

Grade: A-

Analysis:Hickson has been one of my sleepers in the draft. He has an NBA body and great athleticism, and he can play inside and out. His game needs to develop, but the raw tools are impressive. He could be a nice long-term replacement for Joe Smith. At No. 19, he was one of the few players left on the board with a chance of being a great player.

The ever popular “Wine and Gold” over at RealCavsFans has an interesting take on our selection, as he feels the school from which he came from actually depressed his perceived value.  Excuse the typos…

Let me tell ya, if Hickson decided to play for another college like UNC or Duke, instead of NCState, he would have gone in the top ten easy, and if he had any representation at all, he would have benn getting pumped up in the press far more than he was, but, even as drft day approached he had yet to sign on with any agent. […]

He’ll be tough to keep out of the paint, and from getting to the hoop, but once there, he will abuse many of these weak post players that were all over this draft board, including Arthur, who at a true 6’7 1/2 and 210 was hardly what I’d call a “big” ..he was more SF than PF in the NBA in my book. But, at the time we picked with who was left on the board; it had to come down to Arthur, Hickson, or possibly Koufos …But the only TRUE power forward that couldn’t be deemed FINESSE was Hickson.

So, does any of this make you feel better?  Sure, Arthur might be a better player while facing the basket, and there may have been a few more NBA-ready types out there.  Buckle up for the next few weeks, as all you’re going to hear is how the Nets not only created cap space, but have Lopez and Chris Douglas-Roberts that could wind up being a better supporting cast than what we would conceivably have down the road.  As Rock pointed out, it took all of seven minutes last night for ESPN to start stirring the pot.

But we need to realize that that point in time is actually two years away, and we have to trust that Danny Ferry will focus on “now.”  Lest you think that Ferry is done adding pieces before next season, I think you’re in for a rude awakening.