When the season started for the Cavaliers, it was all about J. J. Hickson. He was the young buck power forward, physical and tough, who would lead them into the future. He was underhyped, overproducing, basically everything LeBron James wasn’t. Now just a month into the season, Hickson is on the block.
The News-Herald reports that Hickson could be on the block for a team that came calling, due to the fact that the Cavs have fallen off an absolute cliff in terms of team performance. It’s not known what the team would be looking to get back for Hickson, but including him in a deal along with a large expiring contract could net them the kind of star player they feel they need.
The issue with that approach is it’s not going to plug the hole in the boat, because you’re not going to land a true superstar like the one you just lost, and if you keep filling the gap with sub-stars, you’re never really going to get anywhere.
Hickson going from young stud to trade bait is another in a long line of disappointments, and you have to wonder Byron Scott’s role in all this. Scott hasn’t gotten through to the team, obviously, and they’re headed right back to where they were in 2003. Top of the lottery, with no franchise savior in sight. The draft may not even have most of the best players due to the lockout situation. This is the current Cavs’ world. It’s not just that things are bad. It’s that bad things are built on bad things.
