Back in May, 2008, we featured a little series called “Re-Sign or Release” where we went through every player on the Cavaliers roster and turned to the readers to see what they would do if they were the general manager of the Wine and Gold and – hypothetically, of course – all of the players were up to have their respective contracts renewed.
Same hypothetical this time around: We’re looking to build for the future; all players are restricted free agents, likely requiring a bit of a pay raise from last season. Do you re-sign them? Andrew has already laid out the roadblocks currently facing the Cavaliers in 2011; now it’s your turn. Vote below and leave your support in the comments.
When the Cavaliers landed the first-overall pick, many fans wondered just what a young, talented, pure point guard would mean for the team’s 22-year-old athletic power forward. No one had a more up and down season than one James Hickson – but does that impact whether or not he should be a part of this team’s future plans?
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2010-11 Salary: $1,528,920
2010-11 Statistics:
| PTS | REB | AST | BLK | TO | eFG% | TS% | PER | USG | WS |
| 13.8 | 8.7 | 1.1 | 0.7 | 2.2 | 45.8 | 50.3 | 15.6 | 25.8 | 1.5 |
2010-11 Recap: The year 2010 was supposed to be that of JJ Hickson. The only “sure thing” within the offensive rotation, the talented power forward was going to be given carte blanche to show what he can do on the floor. The difference therein was that what Hickson could do on the floor was not what he was doing.
Missed defensive assignments, a lack of effort on the boards and an all-around poor attitude quickly drew the ire of head coach Byron Scott. But after a relatively long standoff, Hickson gave himself a goal of 10 rebounds per game and seemed to be rejuvenated through the second half of the season.
Post-All-Star Game, Hickson saw averages of 16.8 points, 10.8 rebounds and a field goal percentage that was over 30 points higher than his mark before the break. Sure, some of this may be due to the fact that the team was forced to play the 6-foot-10-inch power forward at the center position, but a lot can also be attributed to Hickson’s new-found desire to be successful even though his team was not in the midst of another 60-win season.
When it was all said and done, Hickson said all the right things and showed that things are certainly better between he and his head coach. It is worth noting that, this being the fourth year of Hickson’s tenure, he will be up for a new contract between now and the end of this coming season.
Re-Sign or Release: Samardo Samuels (73 percent say re-sign)
Re-Sign or Release: Alonzo Gee (55 percent say re-sign)
Re-Sign or Release: Daniel Gibson (58 percent say re-sign)
Re-Sign or Release: Baron Davis (84 percent say re-sign)
Re-Sign or Release: Christian Eyenga (95 percent say re-sign)
Re-Sign or Release: Anthony Parker (76 percent say release)
Re-Sign and Release: Ramon Sessions (87 percent say re-sign)
Re-Sign or Release: Manny Harris (68 percent say re-sign)
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David Liam Kyle/NBAE/Getty Images
