After the exit of star LeBron James earlier this offseason, the Cleveland Cavaliers are now going to have to look deeper in their roster for help to remain a playoff team for the upcoming season.
One of those pieces may be shooting guard Rodney Hood, who the team acquired from the Utah Jazz last February near the trade deadline as part of their roster shakeup.
Hood is currently a restricted free agent, meaning any team can offer him a new contract, but the Cavs will have the opportunity to match the offer and keep him on the roster. There is a good indication that the Cavs will in fact match an offer, As per Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com, “a team source said Hood, 25, remains in the team’s plans – a strong indication the team would match any offer he gets.”
This is also amidst rumors of the team reportedly involved in trade talks with the Philadelphia 76ers over Cavs guard Kyle Korver for Jerryd Bayless. Marc Stein of the New York Times said that a future trade “is ‘possible’ but also ‘far from certain,’ according to one league source briefed on the talks.
Korver was a great offensive spark off the bench last season, averaging 8.3 PPG on 41.8% from the field and 41.3% from 3-point land. His defense definitely lacked behind his offense, but his consistent shooting stroke faired very well with LeBron’s offense, as Korver would get himself open when James would get doubled.
But now, with no James, Korver’s skillset is not what the Cavs are going to need moving forward, which is why Rodney Hood is still in the team’s future plans.
Hood struggled after the trade, going from averaging 16.8 PPG with the Jazz to just 10.8 PPG with the Cavs. His minutes also dropped by 2.8 minutes after the trade.
The postseason was a whole other situation, as Hood nearly fell out of rotation, playing in 17 out of 22 possible games. He was also involved in a stint where he refused to go into Game 4 during garbage time against the Toronto Raptors. However, he later apologized for the incident and the team decided not to discipline him.
Next season, if the Cavs do plan on resigning Hood, he should be more content with the playing time he’ll receive without LeBron and potentially Korver too. He’s an experienced player, which the Cavs will need with such a young roster going forward. His knowledge of the game will help players like Larry Nance Jr., Cedi Osman, and Collin Sexton develop themselves into better, more mature players.
Hood’s stats should return closer to his Utah days next season, with improved minutes and more usage for the team. If he steps up like the team hopes he will, the Cavs can definitely hope for a playoff push next season. If all goes to plan, I believe Cleveland will have no problem contending for anywhere from a 6th to 8th seed in the Eastern Conference Playoffs.
Feature Image via Flickr/Erik Drost
