Draft Night Concludes with J.J. Hickson Joining Cavs
One year ago, Delonte West was a member of the Boston Celtics. Traded on draft night alongside Wally Szczerbiak, West headed west and landed in Seattle to start the season for the Seattle SuperSonics.
Months later, West and Wally were packaged up again - this time headed back east. They arrived in Cleveland and worked to back up LeBron James for a team that hoped to get back to the NBA Finals.
The playoffs were difficult and despite bringing the Boston Celtics home for a Game 7 contest, the Celtics prevailed and dominated the rest of the playoffs, earning their 17th NBA Championship.
For the Cleveland Cavaliers, it’s now time to put additional pieces together so that the Cavs can once again reach the Finals. With the 19th Overall pick in this year’s draft, the Cavs selected J.J. Hickson, a Power Forward out of North Carolina State.
Here’s some of the feedback we came across from “experts” in the media.
First up, Chad Ford of ESPN:
I’m surprised they passed on local hero Kosta Koufos of Ohio State. But I do like Hickson, who’s a sleeper. He’s strong and athletic and he can score in multiple ways. He was 12-for-12 from the field in his first college game.
And next, a lengthy Strength/Weakness glimpse provided by nbadraft.net:
NBA Comparison: Chris Wilcox
Strengths: Very strong and mobile big man … In addition to great upper and lower body strength, he has a very long wingspan, making his package that much more promising … He has a nice first step that he utilizes effectively from the high-post, where he faces up and takes the ball to the hoop … Shows nice patience and understanding of how to get open in the post, working from block to block to receive a pass in the best possible scoring position … His repertoire in the post is decent and has shown some nice development; he can throw a variety of hook-shots, spin moves and up & unders at his defender from the block … He has a fadeaway that is very difficult to defend because he gets it off with a mix of shoulder fakes … Can be a difficult match up for bigger post players, because he has the body to mix it up inside, but also the speed and willingness to run the floor effectively … Uses his length to block a number of shots and alter many others around the basket … His broad shoulders allow him to clear space in the paint giving him a big advantage when it comes to rebounding …
Weaknesses: Is still not ready for the next level, could use an extra year or so of college to mature further and develop his game … Does not have the great leaping ability that so many other young 4 men in the league possess … Although he shows a strong preference towards operating from the high post, his almost non-existent jump shot and subpar ballhandling will initially restrict him to the low blocks … The limited range on his jumpshot can be attributed primarily to his flawed mechanics, as he does not square up to the basket and his elbow goes out too far on the release … His touch around the hoop is very unrefined and he struggles to catch passes while on the move, which raises some questions about his hands … He was able to get away with a lot offensively in college because he could always overpower the defender with his strength, but until he develops a dependable and consistent post up game he will struggle against the more athletic/aggressive players in the league … Although he has been able to limit his fouls, his defensive game has shown minimal growth … He is very undisciplined, leaving his feet to try and block every shot that is put up, he also gets out of position frequently, allowing his man to score with ease …
There’s lots more out there too if you just search around for it. Ultimately, only time will tell.
And, as we all know, a lot can happen in a year.
Delonte West makes 29′ Three as First Half Ends
The Cavaliers were behind for much of the low scoring first half, but persistence paid off as time expired. Delonte West put up a 29 foot shot to score three off a sloppy Celtics’ turnover.
With those three added to his stat line, West scored 8 points and pulled down 3 rebounds while hitting on 3 of his 6 shot attempts.
LeBron James and Kevin Garnett are the games leading scorers with 13 points each.
With Back Against Wall, West & Cavaliers Hope to Defend Home Court
I’m late updating the site in what is probably the biggest series Delonte West and the Cleveland Cavaliers have ever participated in.
Tonight at 8PM ET, the Cavaliers will try to defend their home court against the Boston Celtics who are one win away from the Eastern Conference finals and the Detroit Pistons.
With Daniel Gibson out with a separated shoulder, Delonte should get a lot of minutes tonight. Stay tuned!
Delonte Delivers 21 in Cavs Blowout of Celtics
Delonte West showed up, and showed up big. Scoring 21 points and sharing the role of game’s leading scorer with LeBron, West earned himself some big time respect on national television.
For those who have been fans of Delonte for a while now, this is the kind of performance we love to watch. Aside from a few errant passes, West showed gritty determination and excellent shooting skills as the Cavaliers defended their home court in front of millions watching at home.
West’s stat line was impressive — 21 points, 7 assists and 5 rebounds with 7 for 11 shooting including 4 of 6 for three. With the win tonight, Cleveland scores their first win of the series and has some confidence to build from. Monday night, Boston will once again try for their first road win of the playoffs which will be difficult given their lackluster performance tonight.
In the end, Cavs fans are smiling with an easy win at home by the final of 108-84.
Delonte West Returns to Boston as Cavs Battle Celtics in Semis
While many are surprised that the Celtics needed seven games to dismiss the Hawks, one thing is sure — winning in Boston will not be easy.
On Tuesday night, Delonte West and the Cleveland Cavaliers will try to avoid a blowout as the Eastern Semifinals between the Cavs and the Celtics kicks off.
For Delonte, this series will become one of his strongest tests to date. He’ll be matched up against Rajon Rondo, a dramatically improved player now that he’s playing alongside Garnett and Allen.
Delonte West has a clear history with the Celtics, beginning with his being drafted by the team with their 24th pick in the first round of the 2004 NBA Draft.
After spending three seasons with the organization, Delonte was traded (along with current Cavalier Wally Sczcerbiak) to the Seattle SuperSonics in a Draft Day deal that had Boston acquiring Ray Allen. Earlier in this season, the Cavaliers executed a trade that brought Delonte to Cleveland, making him the starting PG for the team.
In his two games against Boston, Delonte is averaging 19.5 points, 5 assists and 4.5 rebounds in 30.5 minutes per game. The last time the Celtics and Cavs met, Boston won the game — but Delonte played extremely well. In that February 27th contest in Boston, Delonte was 8 for 13 from the floor scoring 20 points in the Celtics’ 92-87 victory.
The series is slated to play out as follows:
Tuesday, May 6 Cleveland 8:00 PM
Thursday, May 8 Cleveland 7:00 PM
Saturday, May 10 @ Cleveland 8:00 PM
Monday, May 12 @ Cleveland 8:00 PM
Wednesday, May 14 Cleveland*
Friday, May 16 @ Cleveland*
Sunday, May 18 Cleveland*
* Denotes games scheduled as needed. Television converage not yet determined.