King James Gospel
Fansided

Report: Rodney Hood ‘plans to stay in Cleveland’ for a long time

By Quenton S. Albertie

CLEVELAND, OH - MAY 4: Rodney Hood #1 of the Cleveland Cavaliers shoots the ball during practice as his team prepares for Game Three of the NBA Eastern Conference Semi-finals against the Toronto Raptors on May 5, 2018 at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by David Liam Kyle/NBAE via Getty Images
CLEVELAND, OH - MAY 4: Rodney Hood #1 of the Cleveland Cavaliers shoots the ball during practice as his team prepares for Game Three of the NBA Eastern Conference Semi-finals against the Toronto Raptors on May 5, 2018 at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by David Liam Kyle/NBAE via Getty Images /
facebooktwitterreddit

Cleveland Cavaliers shooting guard Rodney Hood wants to remain in Cleveland for a long time.

Per cleveland.com’s Joe Vardon, Cleveland Cavaliers shooting guard Rodney Hood doesn’t just want to be in Cleveland for one year. He wants to stay and plant his roots in the community.

Vardon would learn all of Hood’s desire to remain in Cleveland in an interview with Hood and his agent Travis King of Independent Sports and Entertainment:

"“Just because he signed the qualifying offer, he’s not on the first train out of here,” King said. “He plans to stay in Cleveland.”"

Hood would elaborate:

"”I believe strongly in myself that after this year I’ll be able to make Cleveland my home and we’ll get a better deal next summer,” Hood told cleveland.com Monday in a wide-ranging interview.“I want to be a big part of a really good team, so that was my focus this whole summer.”"

Hood, who Vardon noted will be the Cavs’ second option, has packed on seven pounds of muscle in the summer (which should aid his rebounding and ability to finish through contact).

A dynamic scoring threat with potential to grow as a pick-and-roll playmaker, Hood is one of the returning members of a team that is no longer expected to be a world-beater without LeBron James.

They won’t be perennial championship contenders as they have been since 2014 but I wouldn’t hesitate to say the Cavs are underestimated, from the top of their roster to the bottom.

From Kevin Love to Jordan Clarkson to Hood, the Cleveland Cavaliers roster is littered with players who fans are already doubting. The only player that seems to be getting actual respect these days is Cedi Osman, thanks to what’s becoming a cult-like following in The Land.

Osman, by the way, seems slotted to step into the starting small forward spot beside Hood on the wings. For Hood, that would be a godsend.

Though he’s shown the ability to keep opposing players out of the play as a defender, Hood’s defense certainly isn’t as strong as his offense. Between Osman and rookie point guard Collin Sexton, Hood will always get to guard the opposing team’s least dynamic perimeter threat.

In what amounts to a contract year, focusing on his role as a go-to scorer, playmaker and improving his rebounding will give him a far greater chance at securing a large contract from the Cavs.

Hood, who looks at Cleveland as a potential home, hasn’t been as well-received by Cavs fans as he would like but there’s a reason to believe that he’ll bounce back in a big way next season. After all, Hood was expected to be a breakout player upon his arrival.

More from Hood, per Vardon:

"”My twins were born here,” he said. “I like the community, even though I haven’t been out there a lot. I want to make this a home. It’s just didn’t happen this summer. That’s how I look at it.”"

Hood received interest from a bevy of teams in the summer but was only offered between $5.3 and $8 million (amounts that correlate with the pay you receive from a mid-level exception) with teams cash-strapped.

Without receiving an offer he was comfortable taking, including from the Cavs, he opted to sign his $3.4 million qualifying offer (an amount determined by his draft position and based on the rookie scale) “with the full intention of earning a much more lucrative contract from them next summer when he’ll be an unrestricted free agent.”

The NBA’s salary cap is expected to raise from $101 million this season to $109 million next season.

$29 million in cap space could be freed up next summer just by waiving (or trading) the partially guaranteed contracts of George Hill and J.R. Smith.

Furthermore, the Cavs will have Hood’s Bird Rights, meaning they can outbid any team for his services and exceed the salary cap to re-sign him.

The opportunity has already come knocking and the money will be there for Hood, who averaged 14.7 points per game but a VORP of only 0.0 and .081 win shares per 48 minutes last season (per Basketball Reference).

If he answers the bell and makes a larger all-around impact.

light. Related Story. The Cavs ideal starting lineup

*All stats gathered from www.basketball-reference.com