It’s understandable why Rodney Hood struggled with Cavs last year

Rodney Hood did not play close to his best basketball with the Cleveland Cavaliers last season after being acquired at the 2018 NBA trade deadline, but it’s easy to understand why that was the case after a recent interview.

The Cleveland Cavaliers acquired Rodney Hood at last year’s NBA trade deadline, with them likely thinking he’d be a key piece in their eventual 2018 postseason rotation. That didn’t happen, though, as Hood struggled to adjust to a new team and system in Cleveland, but there was plenty behind the scenes that played into that.

In a recent interview with HoopsHype’s Alex Kennedy (h/t Cavaliers Nation’s Brad Sullivan), Hood described why it was so difficult for him to have success with the Cavaliers last year, in the latter part of the 2017-18 regular season and in the postseason.

More from Cavs News

• 3 possible starting lineups for Cleveland Cavaliers in 2023-24
• 4 players the Cavaliers should pursue in 2024 free agency
• NBA Expert says Cavaliers backcourt just won’t work
• When does NBA Training Camp start? When do Cavaliers start?
• Prominent NBA agent says LeBron had a harder path than Jordan

In the 21 regular season games he was active with the Cavs last year, Hood posted just 10.8 points on 50.5 percent effective field goal shooting, and 2.6 rebounds in 25.3 minutes per game, per Basketball Reference.

In the postseason, he fell out of the Cleveland Cavaliers’ rotation, and really only had considerable action in the last two games of the NBA Finals.

When Kennedy essentially asked Hood if it was easier when it came to dealing with the trade process near this year’s trade deadline (as he reportedly was to the Portland Trail Blazers), compared to being dealt to Cleveland last year by the Utah Jazz, Hood detailed how it clearly was.

"“Yeah, it’s much easier. Last year when I got traded from Utah to Cleveland, I was [in the process of] trying to move into a house. Then, two months later, I had twins in the middle of the playoffs. Not to mention, we were staying in a hotel with our son, who was only 2 years old at the time. We were dealing with the ‘terrible twos’ in a hotel room and barely sleeping. There was so much going on when I got traded that first time.”"

That had to have been a really tough situation for Hood, obviously. It’s easy to understand why Hood’s basketball performance maybe wasn’t at its best, given that sort of thing going on with his family.

Looking past last year’s rough ending to the 2017-18 season for Hood, him reportedly signing a one-year qualifying offer (which would allow him to have veto power in potential trades) going into the 2018-19 season seemed to lead him to be an “obvious candidate” to be dealt, as the aforementioned Sullivan highlighted.

Here’s what Hood said to Kennedy in regards to that outlook, and how he ultimately reacted to the news of him being traded to Portland.

"“I wasn’t surprised. In the two weeks leading up to [the deadline], I kind of had an idea that something was going to happen, but I just kept playing and being a professional while focusing on what we were doing in Cleveland. Then, I got wind that a bunch of teams were interested in trading for me and I had veto power, so while I won’t say that I could ‘pick’ where I landed, I could kind of maneuver [my way] to a team that I wanted to join.”"

Hood would then emphasize that Portland was a logical destination, and that his style fits the system well.

"“When I heard Portland, I looked at the situation and the opportunity to play minutes in an offense and system that, I think, really fits my style of play. I also think with their community and their fan base, my personality will really fit in as well. I think it was a no-brainer to me to come out here and be part of what they have going on.”"

With Portland, Hood has posted 9.8 points on 79.2 percent effective field goal shooting in 23.0 minutes per game in four contests, per NBA.com.

The move seems to be paying off for now for Hood, and with the quality offensive sets Portland runs under head coach Terry Stotts, the best is probably yet to come from Hood post-All-Star break and into the postseason.

Moreover, after this interview and other talk surrounding Hood after last season and throughout this season, it’s clear as to why Hood struggled last year with the situation he and his family was forced into. We wish him the best of luck going forward with a postseason run ahead and free agency coming in the summer.