JJ Hickson Suspended 5 Games: Latest Details, Comments and Reaction
Denver Nuggets forward J.J. Hickson has been suspended for the first five games of the 2014-15 regular season for a violation of the NBA/NBPA Anti-Drug Program, the league announced on Wednesday.
The move was first reported by Chris Dempsey of The Denver Post:
Hickson's penalty will begin the first game of the season. He will be eligible to practice and play with the team during the preseason and training camp before his suspension begins, as dictated by the league's collective bargaining agreement.
The seventh-year big man's status for opening night was already in question as he recovers from a torn ACL. He missed the last 13 games of the season last year and a timetable has not yet been set for his return. The suspension will run for the first five games regardless of his health status.
Listed at 6'9" and 242 pounds, Hickson spent most of last season playing an undersized center role amid a rash of Nuggets injuries. He averaged 11.8 points and 9.2 rebounds per game during his first season in Denver after signing a three-year, $16.14 million contract last summer. The former North Carolina State star previously played for the Cleveland Cavaliers, Sacramento Kings and Portland Trail Blazers.
While he was a starter for 52 games in 2013-14, the Nuggets are unlikely to be hit too hard by Hickson's absence. Denver has one of the league's deepest stables of talent, boasting no fewer than five big men deserving of a spot in an NBA rotation.
Darrell Arthur will stand to get a majority of Hickson's minutes while he's out of the lineup. JaVale McGee's return to full health combined with the drafting of Jusuf Nurkic provide the Nuggets with enough depth at center that they should maintain a more standard positional outlook. Hickson should resume his role as a primary backup to Kenneth Faried once his suspension ceases.
Under the rules of the collective bargaining agreement, there was no official reason given by the NBA for Hickson's suspension. As Matt Moore of CBSSports.com notes, however, a five-game drug ban is most typical for a three-time offender of the league's marijuana policy.
Denver opens up its regular season Oct. 29 at home against the Detroit Pistons. Hickson will be eligible to return on Nov. 9 for the first of a home-and-home against the Blazers.
The Nuggets are not expected to issue a statement on Hickson's suspension, per Dempsey.
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