J.J. Hickson as 'Brokeback J.J.

In other Cavaliers Rookie Hazing News, J.J. Hickson has a new nickname amongst teammates.

As detailed earlier this week in the outtakes from Delonte West's correspondent piece for ESPN's Rome is Burning Show, J.J. Hickson is referred to as 'Brokeback J.J.' by Delonte West and company.

Why? No that's not why. They call him 'Brokeback J.J.' because simply...he has a broken back...according to his latest MRI.

And you thought it was something else!

Let the JJ Hickson Era Begin

I like Ben Wallace. I would trade him for Larry Hughes 100 times out of 100 and not think twice about it. However, this Ben Wallace - when healthy - is a mere shadow of the Defensive Player of the Year that used to play in Detroit. I am not trying to throw dirt on a guy that is down, but I am trying to say that losing Ben Wallace does not spell the end of championship aspirations.

It does two things really, that could both work out fine. First, it begins the JJ Hickson era right now. I have no problem with that. The youngster looks real solid to me, real solid. What exactly can't Hickson do that Wallace can anyways? Are you going to say that you don't think JJ is able to guard low post scorers? Neither can Wallace anymore, so that's at worst, a push. On the offensive end, it is not even a debate. The upside of Hickson is huge, and Ben is an offensive liability at best. A statistical breakdown is below:

Ben Wallace: 24 mpg - 3 ppg - 6.6 rpg - 1.4 bpg

JJ Hickson: 12 mpg - 4.4 ppg - 2.9 rpg - 0.53 bpg

For the sake of argument, double Hicksons mpg to match Wallace's. Then, averaging the same mpg, Hickson would project to average 8.8 ppg - 5.8 rpg - and 1.06 bpg. There is no drop off there, and if Hickson could get you around 10 and 6, and average a block a game, playing half of it, that's an upgrade. What was Marcus Camby gonna get you? Nothing more than that.The second thing the Wallace injury does is more of the challenge. That being, filling the 12 mpg that Hickson averages currently. Lorenzen Wright or Darnell Jackson are going to have to step up and give you that. Or, if not, Z and Anderson are going to have to give you another five or six minutes each. If not that, the Cavaliers other option is to play a combination of those things, and small for those 12 minutes.Whatever happens, while I look forward to Ben coming back, I think the Cavaliers are deep enough to find 3 points and 6 boards a game somewhere on their roster.

They'll Miss The Big Guy

'Heavy Z' sprained his ankle Wednesday night against the 76ers, and according to Brian Windhorst, the early reports indicate that he could miss 2-4 weeks with the injury. This is a shame for Z personally, who has been off to a fast start this season, and certainly warranted more All Star consideration than he has gotten so far.

However, this could be a positive for the Cavaliers in the long run. With Z out for the next few weeks, JJ Hickson and Darnell Jackson should get some big minutes backing up Varejeo and Wallace in the low post rotations, and I expect the duo, Hickson especially, to do well.

With Varejeo playing the way he has thus far, there won't be too much of a drop off in the starting five, but the question will be whether or not the young 'bigs' will be able to contribute as rotation players in Z's absence. From what I have seen from Hickson thus far, I think he will step in and give you a solid 20 minutes of action. I also think Jackson can give you 10, but we will find out what these guys got come Friday. Assuming Z comes back at full strength, in May or June, we may find that additional 'big' people are talking about adding, in the form of a rookie, who already wears Wine and Gold.