The Cavaliers 19th pick overall, J.J. Hickson. (glengriffin/flickr)
Cavs Go Big, Times 3
So as you guys probably already know, the Cavaliers got 3 players on Thursday night’s 2008 NBA Draft. The first being J.J. Hickson out of NC State, taken with the 19th pick overall. The second being Darnell Jackson out of Kansas, in a trade. Jackson was acquired for a 2008 2nd round pick (the lower of ours and Chicago’s). The third being Sasha Kaun out of Kansas, in a trade as well. Kaun was acquired for cash considerations.
Amar already introduced you to J.J. Hickson, so I won’t go in-depth about him since you guys should know about him by now. Although I will introduce you guys to former Kansas teammates and now Cavalier teammates, Darnell Jackson and Sasha Kaun.
So what was the purpose of drafting 3 big men? Who are they? And what does it mean?
Well first off let’s start with Kansas forward/center Darnell Jackson. Jackson is a kid who took a long, weird journey to get to where he is at right now. He’s been through a lot in his life and has persevered through it all. You love to hear stories like these ones and if his tough, gritty play transfers over from college, he should be a fan favorite just like he was at Kansas. He’s not the most talented or most athletic kid in the draft but he managed to get the most out of his game. He didn’t start until his senior season, when he was put into the starting role for the last 35 games of the year. He was the glue of that national championship team; the one that held them together. He’ll never be a star and he’ll never be confused for one. But he is a warrior and will always be one. He gives his heart every game and it shows in his game. Ask any Kansas fan about him and I’m sure you’ll hear a glowing report about how hard he played. His stats weren’t the greatest but they were good enough. It’s doubtful that he’ll contribute for the Cavs this year but that probably won’t stop him from working his rear-end off every day waiting for his opportunity, just like he did at Kansas, and making the most of it. He’ll never be a great scorer (he did score efficiently), he’ll never be a great rebounder (he is a solid one), he’ll never be a shot-blocker and he’ll never be a great defender but it won’t stop him from trying.
Second is Kansas center Sasha Kaun. Kaun will be starting his career playing overseas for CSKA Moscow (signing a 3-year deal) and not with the Cavs. Coincidentally, he will be coached by Ettore Messina. Messina was the coach that Mike Brown went over to Europe last summer to study offense with and is where he learned what the “hockey assist” was. So we’ll see how that relationship goes and how Kaun develops. Kaun is 23 years old so it’s very unlikely that he develops his game that much more, to the point where he’ll be an amazing prospect. But it is possible that he could improve his game to the point where he could be a viable backup. Much like what Toronto’s Anthony Parker did after finishing his schooling at Bradley University. Even if he doesn’t develop into anything much, the Cavs only gave up cash for him. So it’s not like it was a very risky move. Plus, it’s always nice to have a few overseas prospects to dangle for trade bait. But the best part of it, is that he can play in a very competitive league in Europe, develop there and not take up a roster spot. It’s one of the pluses to developing overseas players. As far as Kaun’s game, it’s nothing spectacular but he gets the job done. He scores most his points around the paint on offense and is a pretty good man-to-man defender defensively. He’s a pretty physical player who enjoys contact down low and is far from a finesse big man. He’s a decent rebounder and shot-blocker, as well.
Last but not least our first round pick, J.J. Hickson. It’s nice to finally have a player like Hickson. We’ve needed a player like for some time now. If I had to describe him with two words, it would have to be: a bulldog. That’s his playing style and that’s his mentality. He’s the type of player who tries to bury you on the low-block with his strength and dunk everything in your face. He’s the type of guy who finishes everything around the rim and likes the physicality of the paint. With having guys like Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Joe Smith, we need someone who can score on the the low block and in the paint. As both of those guys get older, the more and more they are becoming jump-shooters. Not only that but they’re becoming less athletic. And with Hickson, you get a 19 year old kid who is pretty athletic, explosive and long. We needed to infuse some athleticism into our lineup and we got that. While he may not be the greatest of defenders, I don’t think I’m too worried with the Cavs being pretty good at bringing along big men. And if Mike Brown can turn guys like Wally Szczerbiak, Damon Jones, Sasha Pavlovic, etc., into good defenders in our system then I have faith he’ll do the same with Hickson. Hickson isn’t lacking the physical tools, it’s the mental tools that he’s lacking. He’s doesn’t write with Crayons like Drew Gooden, but he did have a tough time mentally on defense last year. Although, it’s nothing a kid with his attitude and work ethic can’t fix.
And please don’t compare him to either former Cavalier big man Drew Gooden or Cedric Simmons. He’s got more physical tools and a different offensive game than Gooden and is more polished offensively and produced more in college in Simmons.
So yeah, yeah, enough about them. Why did we draft them?
Well I have a feeling it was for one purpose: to create depth so we can sustain the loss of Anderson Varejao. I think Varejao is pretty much gone by the start of this season. Now I don’t expect Jackson or Hickson to come in and contribute a lot this year but they do provide the depth and youth we need if we were to lose Varejao. We would no doubt be bringing in another big man to backup Ilgauskas if Varejao left, but this type of depth really allows you to move Varejao without worrying as much.
Look at our roster and how it is compiled right now. We have 8 big men (Ilgauskas, Wallace, Smith, Varejao, Kaun, Allred, Jackson and Hickson), 4 wings (James, Pavlovic, Szczerbiak and Thomas) and 4 guards (Snow, Jones, West and Gibson). To me it looks pretty obvious that we’ll be trading for a legit guard sometime in the near future. That’s just pure speculation on my part as there is no way we go into the season with that unbalanced of a roster. No way.
I hope I’m right because the market for a 2-guard is quickly trying out. We need one badly but we might have to wait until the trade deadline to get one, so we’ll see.
But all I know is that going for 3 big men on draft night was not some coincidence. I think it was pre-mediated move. A move that was smart and could help us out down the road.
This entry was posted
on Sunday, June 29th, 2008 at 6:10 pm and is filed under NC State, JJ Hickson, Cedric Simmons, Anthony Parker, Kansas, 2008 NBA Draft, Darnell Jackson, Sasha Kaun, Lance Allred, Billy Thomas, Bradley University, Ettore Messina, CSKA Moscow, Wally Szczerbiak, Damon Jones, Daniel Gibson, Eric Snow, Mike Brown, LeBron James, Chicago Bulls, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Sasha Pavlovic, Anderson Varejao, Delonte West, Drew Gooden, Joe Smith, Ben Wallace, Cavaliers.
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13 Responses to “Cavs Go Big, Times 3”
June 29th, 2008 at 6:17 pm
BTW—The Cavs targeted IUPUI’s George Hill in the 2nd round before the Spurs took him with their 1st round pick… He was their guy that they wanted to trade up for…
Just a little nugget of info I thought I’d pass along.
Also… I think Kaun might have gone higher had he not signed a 3-year deal with CSKA before the draft. So I think we got a better player than some people anticipated.
June 29th, 2008 at 9:54 pm
I’d be really excited about this team if Varejao was in the long-term plans. We all just consider him gone and want to put his name in any and all trade rumors and speculation, but he’s definitely the kind of role player off the bench that any championship-caliber team needs.
That being said, his agent and brother have been the biggest douchebags this side of Drew Rosenhaus and Kevin Poston. I’d hate to see us lose a guy who was at one point such a big part of our future all because his agent has soured what used to be a good relationship between Andy, the organization, and the fans of Cleveland. It’s not like Varejao became a dick overnight. Fegan had a large, large part to do with it, and now it seems like there’s no going back.
And that really sucks. AV showed flashes last season of becoming one of the top 5 rebounders in the league. Up until that one play in Game 3 of the Finals last spring, I really loved everything about this kid’s game.
June 29th, 2008 at 10:16 pm
Andy was certainly hurt by injuries last year, but that is no excuse for the countless mental errors he had on offense all season long. Because of that, he will never become anything more than a role player, and while we do need players like him who can defend and rebound, other teams see value in him since he is young and has at least some potential. If he is a part of a trade that helps bring in a quality 1 or 2, I wouldn’t miss him
I think Hickson will be rotation worthy after the all star break this year anyways, and by his 2nd season he will be a serviceable player, making Varejao less important to this team
June 30th, 2008 at 2:34 am
The Cavs don’t need more bench players. The Cavs don’t need more defensive help. The Cavs need someone who can create his own shot . Continuining to surround James with bottom feeders that bring “energy” or “toughness”,but cannot score is insane, and will not lead to a championship.
June 30th, 2008 at 9:05 am
Since we have such a plethora of “tough, energy guys,” it’s a wonder why it’s so difficult for Ferry to trade some of these, ahem, “assets” for the younger, more athletic Amon Ones-es of the league. Maybe other teams don’t value the energetic 6th-man as much as we do. Maybe we overvalue them- in our system of help-D/pass to Lebron it works as long as Lebron is here to hide its glaring weaknesses. But remember that 0-7 stretch when Lebron was sidelined? That cannot happen again for this team to be taken seriously. We need a player that can create his own shot when LBJ is not in the game but can also complement him when he is.
Maybe we’re asking for too much for what little we can give. It’s arguable that our frontcourt depth helped take us to seven games with the eventual champs (plus Lebron going off, of course), but I’d say that it also has to do with some of our guards playing above their heads. If we can get a consistent threat at that 2/combo 1-2 position (and maybe West can develop into that, but a proven commodity would be appreciated given the timeframe involved), we’d be that much better off.
June 30th, 2008 at 9:54 am
I wish a lot of Cavs fans didn’t look at Michael Redd as the panacea for all our wounds. It’s imperative that the Cavs keep all their first-round pick in tact for the next several years, try to acquire a veteran two-guard who can be a good scorer, and have that guy hold the seat warm for somebody they draft within the next several seasons.
The Vince Carter deal makes a lot of sense. It may cost a lot less in terms of assets to get Carter than it would Redd. If they can get Carter while giving up no future first-round picks and minimal young pieces (including Varejao), then it would certainly help elevate this team while keeping a number of options open for the future. Guys like Redd and maybe even Corey Maggette might cost a first-round pick in the process, and there is no reason that the Cavs should be in a rush to part with draft picks after seeing how decimated they became in the draft in the past several years.
June 30th, 2008 at 12:15 pm
Do the Cavs have any interest and/or cap space to go after any free agents that are out there? I am not sure how the whole restricted free agency thing works, other than the team gets a chance to match, but there are some pretty good names on that list. Any word out there?
June 30th, 2008 at 5:05 pm
Any chance of Elton Brand opting out and… ??
LOL, I did see that Kirk Snyder will be UFA after today… Brown & Ferry seemed to like his potential…
p.s. Lebron was quoted today as preferring Brooklyn to Manhattan… of course, ESPiN spun it as “fueling” the LBJ to New York rumors…
July 1st, 2008 at 5:14 am
Baron Davis opted out of his deal yesterday…
July 1st, 2008 at 6:06 am
What does BD opting out mean? All I heard was that it was NEVER going to happen.
July 1st, 2008 at 7:20 am
Maggette and Brand have opted out as well. The Clips are reported to be heavily pushing for Davis…
July 1st, 2008 at 9:56 am
Almost all the guys who had player options for ‘08-09 declined them. Arenas, Davis, Brand, and now Maggette. Unfortunately for the Cavs, they don’t have the cap room to go after any of these players. Ron Artest didn’t opt out, but I don’t know how aggressively Ferry will pursue him.
Brand would be wise to head elsewhere…his exposure has taken a hit playing with that sorry-ass franchise. But money talks, and the Clips can offer more than anyone.
July 1st, 2008 at 12:42 pm
I think that Danny Ferry, just like how he did it this winter, is going to make a reach on someone in order to make Lebron happy. That isn’t a terrible thing, trying to make Lebron happy, but i also feel as though just shoveling around huge contracts (Hughes and Marshal for Wallace and Wally) could make us end up having even worse ones then when we started. Wallace’s might end up even being that one. I think that this team, as is, can do alot of things, in fact it did. The Cavs pushed the Celtics harder than anyone else this post season and that was with out a whole year of gelling. With Wally’s huge contract coming off the books next year, the Cavs can NEXT off season make a legit push to grab a real second option to put next to Lebron with out giving away draft picks and valuable bench players that have and will help us.
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