As the Cleveland Cavaliers begin the 2010 portion of their 40th season in the NBA, not much has gone unnoticed. Boasting the Eastern Conference's best record (27-9) and two future Hall of Fame players has placed the Cavs directly under the sports media microscope all season.
This season, the Cavs feature one of the biggest, broadest frontlines in the NBA: Two seven-footers in Shaquille O'Neal and Zydrunas Ilgauskas, a 6'11" hustle machine in Anderson Varejao, and the unstoppable, supposedly 250-pound LeBron James will only be bolstered upon the return of injured power forward Leon Powe.
For starting power forward J.J. Hickson, it's easy to get lost in the expansive shadows of his larger-than-life frontline teammates (literally and figuratively).
Not much has been said about Hickson's play this season (other than writers and announcers saying that not much has been said and dropping it at that), but his role with Cleveland is a critical one that deserves much more discussion.
Since being inserted into Cleveland's starting lineup earlier this season, Hickson has taken a few cues from Varejao, the former starting power forward.
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NBA
Article written by Dan Delagrange
Cavs’ Key to a Title May Be in the Shadows
January 3rd, 2010 by Dan Delagrange Leave a reply »
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