Why Kevin Love’s extension guarantees Rodney Hood’s return

Rodney Hood’s future with the Cleveland Cavaliers was cemented by Kevin Love’s contract extension.

With Cleveland Cavaliers forward-center Kevin Love committing to the franchise for four more years, the fate of Cavs restricted free agent Rodney Hood has been sealed.

So long as a long-term deal can be reached with the 25-year-old swingman, Hood will be in the foreseeable future.

It’s already what the Cavs want, as their willingness to match any offer for Hood is well-known. Furthermore, a long-term deal is more than likely what they envisioned when they acquired him before last season’s trade deadline knowing he would soon be a restricted free agent.

While the Cleveland Cavaliers will likely have ample cap space to sign at least one max free agent in the summer of 2020, even after Love’s extension, in order to be as competitive as possible — which would help sustain a winning culture in Cleveland — the team must re-sign Hood.

If they let him walk, this offseason looks more like lip service to the fans than an actual attempt to be a perennial playoff-contender.

A lefty with a smooth, though streaky shooting stroke and an ever-growing bag of tricks that he can use as a scorer and playmaker, Hood actually presents the Cavs with a scoring-game that could remind them of LeBron James or Kyrie Irving.

Not from a volume standpoint, which has much to do with James’ physical dominance and Irving’s incredible ball-handling skills, two traits that Hood doesn’t possess as a player.

However, from the standpoint of being a methodical scorer who can make plays out of the pick-and-roll, hit jumpers off-the-dribble, knock down shots as a spot-up shooter and post-up players around the rim, Hood certainly has similarities to the Cavs’ former dynamic duo.

Furthermore, although he hasn’t reached even Irving’s level of offensive production, Hood averaged 16.8 points per game in an offensive system that didn’t have the pace, and thus scoring opportunities, of the fast-paced offense Lue wants to run.

Hood’s perimeter prowess will provide ample support for Love as a second-option and it doesn’t hurt that the two were establishing a solid connection in their brief time as teammates last season.

With all that said, it would be unwise to assume that Hood’s a player that’s easily replaceable just because he struggled through the first couple of rounds in last season’s playoffs.

This is, ultimately, the same player who went from 7-11 from the field for 15 points in Game 3 of the 2018 NBA Finals while facing perhaps more pressure than any player on the floor.

If that level of production had been a one-time occurrence for Hood (it wasn’t, as Hood has scored 20+ points 36 total times in the last three seasons (nearly one-fifth (18.2 percent) of the games he played in that time)), then it still wouldn’t be easy to replace him.

Rookie Collin Sexton plays his usual brand of downhill basketball, getting into the teeth of the defense and making plays for both himself and others by virtue of his fast and furious style of play.

Second-year small forward Cedi Osman, who averaged 20.0 points and 4.5 assists per game in the NBA Summer League, will look to take a step forward as a playmaker.

26-year-old Jordan Clarkson, who averaged 13.9 points last season, will continue to provide microwave scoring off the bench.

Osman has the most similarities as a scorer and playmaker and he’s a better defender than Hood. Clarkson, who has a higher career scoring average, could likely score as much as Hood in the same time span.

However, the game is about more than the box score numbers and neither Osman nor Clarkson have shown that they can dominate as a playmaker in the way Hood has; with versatility, IQ and a dependable outside jumper.

Hood has even had people comparing his offensive game to 2018 NBA MVP James Harden’s. How many players with Hood’s potential will Cleveland feasibly attract?

Related Story: Instant reaction to Kevin Love’s four-year contract extension

Again, if they’re truly trying to put the best possible product on the floor, then it’s  a necessity for Hood to re-sign long-term. Love’s extension shows that the Cleveland Cavaliers are indeed still living in the moment and trying to assemble the best team possible.