J.J. Hickson and Byron Scott have talk

Via Nick Borges of ESPN...



Cavaliers head coach Byron Scott and J.J. Hickson have had a strained relation this season. Scott has been unhappy with the production from the power forward and yanked him from the starting five. That did not sit well with Hickson. The constant criticism from Scott has also bothered Hickson.

The Akron Beacon-Journal reports they met last week to discuss their issues, although it appears Scott did most of the talking.
"We had a conversation the other day," Scott said. "We'll just leave it at that."

"It's no secret our relationship hasn't been the best," Hickson said. "But as a young player, it's up to me to be humbled by the whole situation and listen to him. He played in the league for a long time. Who am I to question his actions?"
Hickson admits he is young and must listen to Scott.

"I think me and him are both competitive," Hickson said. "It's like a clash of the titans. Me being young and the respect I have for him, I'm going to be humbled by the situation and listen to him and do what it takes to stay on the floor. I want to help this ball club win games."
Hickson, who is averaging 10.4 points and 5.1 rebounds so far this season, has a lot of talent, but he won't last with a coach like Scott if he doesn't turn his game around. The Cavaliers refused to trade him last season, but that could change by the February trade deadline.




There were rumblings earlier this week that the Cavs were possibly interested in Wizards forward Andray Blatche.  While Hickson was seen as a building block for the Cavs future after LeBron James's departure last summer, he could see himself in another uniform soon if his relationship with Scott doesn't improve.



UPDATE via Nick Borges of ESPN...

Earlier this week it was reported that head coach Byron Scott and J.J. Hickson had a meeting recently to clear the air. Scott did most of the talking.

Hickson followed that up by missing practice on Monday. Hickson was fined and benched for Wednesday's game against Toronto.

On Thursday Scott refuted the notion that there is a conflict going on between the two of them.

"We're not clashing. He missed a practice, and he didn't play [Wednesday] night. He understood that you're not going to get rewarded for missing practice," Scott told Akron Beacon-Journal. "Last night he cheered his teammates on, he was terrific in practice. We talked a little during practice and after practice; there's no clashing."

They may not be "clashing," but they clearly are not on the same page. Hickson will either lose his spot in the rotation or find himself leaving the Cavaliers via a trade if he doesn't step up.



This news shouldn't help Hickson's trade value.  Who wants to take on a guy who misses practice and is causing headaches with the head coach?  On top of that, the guy has been playing terribly, as noted by John Hollinger of ESPN...

"He's been average at best as a rebounder and defender despite a strong build and good leaping ability, while his usefulness as a go-to scorer is limited by a lack of creativity in the post and his obliviousness to the other four guys on the court. Hickson's 4.4 assist ratio is the 10th-worst in basketball worst of any player with a usage rate above 20."

Look for Hickson to lose his rotation spot before a trade happening.  While teams, specifically the Wizards, will continue to monitor the situation, there is no reason to trade for a guy not even playing at the level of an average player.