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Coach Brown says goal is to baptize rookie by fire with matchups
By George M. Thomas
Beacon Journal sports writer
Published on Friday, Oct 24, 2008
COLUMBUS: J.J. Hickson showed his Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde in the Cavaliers' preseason game against the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday night.
First the ugly: Hickson missed his first four shots — the Pistons blocked two, he tossed an airball on another and hit the padding on the backboard with still another. It wasn't the stuff of which hoops dreams are made.
The good: Hickson came back in the second have to make two of his next three shots and finish the game with eight points. It showed that Hickson has the mental strength to bounce back from in-game adversity.
Cavs coach Mike Brown said that he's intentionally tried to baptize Hickson, a rookie from North Carolina State, by fire with his matchups. Against the Philadelphia 76ers earlier this week, Brown tried to get Hickson the ball against the 76ers' Elton Brand. He did the same in Detroit, getting him matched up against the Pistons' Rasheed Wallace.
''I think he was a little shell-shocked. I don't think he came close to hitting anything besides air,'' Brown said jokingly. ''It was good for him to see action against those types of guys and to see him come back and respond the right way after kind of struggling at first.''
LeBron James has taken Hickson under his wing and recognizes that he will have to grow into his role with the team.
''You joke around with him at times because he's young, but he has to know that he has a lot of potential,'' James said. ''He has to be mentally focused and mentally prepared to go out there and play well every night. You have to learn from the mistakes you had.''
Even after Wednesday night, Brown likes what he sees in Hickson, 20, and how he's progressed in his first NBA training camp.
''You're optimistic about him because he's talented,'' Brown said. ''He's got size and there's athleticism there, but you don't know what you're going to get until you're in a few tough spots with him.
''But he definitely has a chance to be an effective player in this league for a long time.''
Roster at limit
The Cavaliers cut guard Ronald Dupree to arrive at the 15-man roster. It didn't help Dupree's cause that the Cavs are deep at the guard position.
That means Jawad Williams, a graduate of St. Edward High School in Lakewood, made the team.
Williams averaged 5.5 points, 3 rebounds and 19 minutes played. Brown said he liked the versatility of Williams, an undrafted rookie.
''It was a tough decision,'' Brown said of the final cuts. ''Basically, with Darnell (Jackson) being hurt and out for a while, Jawad is a person who has played some four in practice, so with him having the versatility that he does, we chose to stay with him.''
NBA expands replay
The NBA Board of Governors expanded game officials' ability to use instant replay in certain game situations during the upcoming season. The two scenarios are:
• To determine at any point during a game whether a field goal was correctly scored as a 2- or 3-point field goal, and, for the purposes of awarding the correct number of free throws, whether a shooter was fouled while taking a 2- or 3-point attempt.
• When the game clock malfunctions during a play concluding with no time remaining on the clock at the end of any quarter or overtime period.
James on Gameday
The Cavs play the Washington Wizards in Columbus tonight and LeBron James will stick around to appear on ESPN's College Gameday Saturday to make college football picks in the show's closing moments. The program, which features Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit and Lee Corso, is broadcasting from the Ohio State University campus in advance of the Ohio State-Penn State game that will air at 8 p.m. on ABC (WEWS Channel 5).
Dribbles
It was a homecoming of sorts for Brown. He was born in Columbus, but he recognizes the fact that because the Cavs are the only NBA team in the state, they have fans throughout Ohio.
''Anytime we can come back and reach our fans in Ohio, wherever they are, it's a good thing, so it's a joy to be out here,'' he said.
George M. Thomas can be reached at sportswriterabj@sbcglobal.net. Read his blog at http://www.ohiomm.com/blogs/sportsblitz/.
COLUMBUS: J.J. Hickson showed his Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde in the Cavaliers' preseason game against the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday night.
Get the full article here.
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