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Lowe: Cavs a great fit for Hickson
N.C. State coach Sidney Lowe said he had an inkling all along that J.J. Hickson would be drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Cleveland was the first NBA team to schedule a workout with Hickson, a 6-9 freshman forward who led the Pack in scoring and rebounding last year. Lowe, a former NBA head coach and assistant, went along with his player.
"I kind of thought that's who it would be after that workout," Lowe said today. "They were very thorough and J.J. did very well. I was able to talk with some of their people personally rather than do it on the phone.
"It's a great organization, a very solid organization. After being there, and from what I was hearing as things went along, I thought they might take him."
The Cavaliers did, taking Hickson with the 19th overall pick of the 2008 NBA Draft. Hickson joins a team that was 45-37, that lost to the eventual champion Boston Celtics in seven games in the playoffs. A team with LeBron James.
"What a great opportunity for J.J., to play with arguably the best player in the world," Lowe said. "I really think it will be a great fit for J.J., to be able to come in and have players such as LeBron around him and help him."
Comments
JJ and the Cavs
Sun, 06/29/2008 - 09:05 — JPDOhioI do agree that JJ has a bright future in the NBA, although I believe he will struggle at first. JJ is pretty one-dimensional and he will be guarded every night by players that are better than most that he played against at State. He needs to develop more of an overall game to succeed in the pros.
That said, JJ has the work ethic and physical gifts to get better each day. He will learn from Joe Smith and Ben Wallace and improve by practicing against them every day. He also won't be the focal point of the offense like he was at State.
This fan is looking forward to watching JJ help the Cavs contend for a championship, but it may take a couple of years for him to become a key contributor.
Great PICK!!!!!!
Fri, 06/27/2008 - 15:08 — Johnny Florence (not verified)I think the Cleveland have just put themselves back in the NBA finals,and maybe a chance to win it. I would have pick JJ after Mike Beasley. He is a beast in the paint. I seen him play this year and can see he is a future All-Star.This is a steal if you ask me,because he is a better player than the 19th pick.He just could not get the chemistry going with NC State.He will average a double-double this year.
Agree
Fri, 06/27/2008 - 08:12 — JPDOhioI was surprised at first, but the more I thought about it, the more it made sense. The Cavs still have Ben Wallace and Joe Smith, so JJ will have a year or two to work on the weak parts of his game. The talent and work ethic are there. Whether the so-called "Basketball IQ" can improve is the big question in my mind.