Blazers at Clippers Game Thread 3/30/12- "We're not tanking," says management

[THE HCP]

Wheelz up LAX-PDX! Gus showed some grit tonight! Tough loss/ more ping pong balls! Timbers game tomorrow....... Peace FAMS!

 

[UKRAINEFAN]

The perfect tank. Entertaining, tense, and lost on a bad non call. Perfect!

I agree, that was a perfect game. Chance to see Hickson, Babbitt and Flynn continue to show they are NBA players, but Canales plays his part by playing Felton and Crawford just enough to lose the game for us.\

One thing I noticed in this game; Felton works a lot better with an active PF like Hickson (and Stoudamire) than with a stationary Aldridge.

 

[UKRAINEFAN]

Hickson has checked at times on a rookie contract, and is playing now for a "coach" whose best attribute seems to be flailing his arms while running up and down the coaching box.

I'd hate to be the team that gives him $24m/4 years. Hope it's not Portland under the new cap rules.

Hopefully Hickson has got a wakeup call by being waived and can become a more consistent player.

 

[MickZagger]

Hickson has checked at times on a rookie contract, and is playing now for a "coach" whose best attribute seems to be flailing his arms while running up and down the coaching box.

I'd hate to be the team that gives him $24m/4 years. Hope it's not Portland under the new cap rules.

Thats his best attribute? I thought it was that his players want to compete for him.

 

[Boob-No-More]

Yeah, this feels a lot like a classic "guy playing out the last year of his contract" He was good with Lebron, but you gotta wonder how much of this is real?

That's a popular misconception I'd like to clear up - that Hickson was only good when he played with LeBron in Cleveland.

2009-10 with LeBron, 2010-11 without LeBron:

Games - 81, 80
Games Started - 73, 66
PTS/G - 8.5, 13.8
REB/G - 4.9, 8.7
AST/G - 0.5, 1.1

PTS/36 - 14.7, 17.6
REB/36 - 8.5, 11.1
AST/36 - 0.9, 1.5

PER - 15.2, 15.6
TRB% - 14.1, 17.7
AST% - 3.9, 7.5

In these areas, Hickson's raw stats, per 36 minute and advanced stats all improved after LeBaron left.

However, there were two areas where Hikson's numbers post-LeBron suffered. He shot the ball at a lower percentage without LeBron creating for him and drawing defensive attention away from him. In other words, Hickson had to work harder for his points (a lot fewer easy baskets) without LeBron. No surprise there. And, of course his WS/48 suffered, but there are a LOT fewer WS to go around on a 19 win team than one that wins 61 games.

Here's those numbers:

2009-10 with LeBron, 2010-11 without LeBron:

TS% - .580, .503
eFG% - .554, .458
WS/48 - .123, .032

I actually like what these numbers represent. It shows that Hickson, in one season, at the age of 22, went from a very good role player on the best team in the league (61-21) to one fo the best players on the second worst team in the league (19-63). If all Hickson did was put up good numbers on a crappy team, I'd be very leary of giving him any kind of significant contract, but since he also was a very solid role player on a 61-win team, it shows some versatility. It shows that he is able to adapt his game to what his team needs. And, I like that. If the Blazers resign him to a contract of any length, he can fill the role of a solid starter on a bad team until the younger guys we draft are ready to become starters, and then as the team improves, he can once again be a solid contributor on a contender.

BNM

 

[Boob-No-More]

Is Hickson really this good? Sacremento must feel stupid for waiving him. He should be starting!

Yeah, as bad as Sacramento is, you don't think they'd be willing to give away a player like Hickson for nothing. Or, perhaps they are that bad for that very reason - stupid player personel decisions.

Hickson was the odd man out in Sacramento and wasn't really given a chance. DeMarcus Cousins and Jason Thompson were both lottery picks and they signed Chuck Hayes to a big dollar deal to be their primary back-up big man. That left Hickson without a role in a truly crappy team. Cousins definitely has talent, but he's such a total head case he's his own worst enemy. Sacramento seems to not just be commited to him, they actually see him as a major building block for the future. They hope he will outgrow his stupidity. I'm not so sure. Stupid is as stupid does. And Thompson is consistent, if not spectacular and seems to be a coach's and crowd favorite. So, as bad as they are, they really didn't have a role for Hickson and his play suffered. Bad for them Good for us.

BNM