jj hickson lost opportunity??

[LASToog36]

pardon me if im mistaken but diddnt we have a chance at this guy seems to be doin decently well for portland

[Chinook]

No. He was drafted before the Spurs could pick. Then he was traded for something the Spurs didn't want to give up (and didn't have). Then he was claimed by a team with the cap room to do so. Then he was re-signed for more money that the Spurs could offer.

Just no.

[freetiago]

most "headcases" the spurs passed on are doing pretty well for whatever team they joined
all ive learned is that if a player comes from sac/washington/bobcats caliber team hes being held back by the team
even andre blatche whos mom had to beg nba teams to sign him is having a very productive season

[Buddy Holly]

pardon me if im mistaken but diddnt we have a chance at this guy seems to be doin decently well for portland

We never had a chance to get the guy at any point.

[Spurs da champs]

The Spurs could have got him when he was released by the Kings...

[timvp]

The Spurs could have got him when he was released by the Kings...

Read slower. He was claimed off waivers before becoming a free agent. The Spurs didn't have room to claim him so Hickson was technically never available for the Spurs to sign.








That said, I was DEAD WRONG about Hickson. I thought he was a scrub after the way he flatlined in Cleveland and then sucked horribly in Sacramento. It turns out that he was stuck in toxic situations and was able to rebound almost instantly once he landed in a halfway competent organization. I don't think he's as good as his numbers say (his defensive rotations are still slow and he doesn't really protect the paint like you want from a center) but he's definitely not a scrub and probably has a value of $6-8M per year.

[maverick1948]

Read slower. He was claimed off waivers before becoming a free agent. The Spurs didn't have room to claim him so Hickson was technically never available for the Spurs to sign.







That said, I was DEAD WRONG about Hickson. I thought he was a scrub after the way he flatlined in Cleveland and then sucked horribly in Sacramento. It turns out that he was stuck in toxic situations and was able to rebound almost instantly once he landed in a halfway competent organization. I don't think he's as good as his numbers say (his defensive rotations are still slow and he doesn't really protect the paint like you want from a center) but he's definitely not a scrub and probably has a value of $6-8M per year.

Funny how moving to a good team who just a couple of years ago was in disarray, can improve peoples view of your game. I looked back at Hickson's stat over his career and discovered that what is putting up now is his ceiling. The only thing he is doing better this season is rebounding. That comes from getting with a team that rebounds as a team not individuals. His numbers, per 36, are about the same as at Cleveland. Difference in Hickson is team players and not individuals. He is a solid option at center for any team, but I dont see him getting any better than what he is now.