At age 20, gifted with excellent size, quickness and spring-loaded legs, he had never really been hurt before. He didn't need to wrap himself in ice after games like his older teammates. He could run and jump all day, go to bed and do it again the next day. He didn't exactly know what to do.

So for a couple of weeks, Hickson bore the pain silently, even as his head coach would scream at him about making mistakes and his playing time dwindled.

When he finally spoke up, the next thing he knew he was getting rolled into an MRI machine, and the Cavs' team doctor explained a complicated diagnosis with a treatment plan that was hard for an itching NBA rookie to hear.

Shut it down. Complete and total rest for weeks. No Basketball activities.

"When it started giving me problems I didn't say anything, not because I was scared but more because I thought it was just a tweak and it would go away," Hickson said after completing a workout Wednesday at the Cleveland Clinic Courts, one of his final workouts before the Cavs kick off training camp Monday.

"I'm not saying I took things for granted, but I was always just expected to have my athleticism. When my back starting hurting, it was tough to not be able to run and jump. It was hard for me."

The tests showed Hickson had a stress reaction, which in the grand scheme was good news. It meant the injury was caught before it caused significant damage. He would not need surgery, but he could not play for weeks. Since it was early April, his rookie season was effectively over.

The injury lingered, and when Hickson had a few setbacks in his recovery, which is normal for such an injury, he was held out of summer league in July. The flip side, Hickson says, is he is now 100 percent and has been playing 5-on-5s and doing workouts for most of the past two months.

"It's not giving me problems anymore," Hickson said. "I feel really good. I'm at the point where I am confident I'll be able to surpass what I did last year."

Hickson averaged four points and 2.7 rebounds in 62 games last season.

The talented power forward had his low moments that some fans will remember, notably forgetting to box out Lamar Odom twice in the Cavs' home loss to the Los Angeles Lakers.

But he also had a couple of games that affirmed the Cavs' belief that he is going to be a significant part of the future, including a 13-point, seven rebound game against the Magic in Orlando, and 11-point, four-rebound game against the Lakers in Los Angeles and a 10-point, five-rebound game in Golden State.

Those were high-pressure situations on the road, and one of the reasons the team left a spot for him to win in the rotation this year. Shaquille O'Neal, Anderson Varejao and Zydrunas Ilgauskas will get their minutes, but with Leon Powe out with knee surgery the Cavs have minutes available if Hickson wins them.

He has his fans, especially LeBron James, who worked out with Hickson throughout the summer, including some stretches where they were going twice a day. That and a healthy back is giving Hickson confidence as he prepares to start training camp.

"To be with 'Bron, working out and to see the high expectations he has of me is a real confidence builder," Hickson said. "Last year, I felt like I was playing on pins and needles, but this year I'm already feeling a lot more comfortable and my game is developing more."

Cavs drop Ticketmaster: Starting Oct. 1, the Cavs and The Q will no longer do business with Ticketmaster, the team announced. The two companies settled a lawsuit in June that Ticketmaster brought against the Cavs and FlashSeats, a company owned by Cavs owner Dan Gilbert that aims to control the secondary market on Cavs tickets.

The team said a new full-service ticket outlet will be announced soon. After Oct. 1, tickets for events at The Q can be purchased at TheQarena.com or by calling 1-888-894-9424. Tickets that have been purchased with Ticketmaster for upcoming events at The Q are not affected and do not need to be exchanged. In addition, tickets for the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus from Oct. 21-26 are still being sold through Ticketmaster.

Individual tickets for Cavs games are not on sale, but will be in the next several weeks.

To reach this Plain Dealer reporter: bwindhorst@plaind.com, 216-999-5166