On Sunday, the Cleveland Cavaliers traded Rodney Hood to the Portland Trail Blazers one year after acquiring him from the Utah Jazz at last year’s trade deadline.
Obviously, circumstances were a bit different this time around, as the Cavs are trade deadline sellers instead of trying to buy pieces to contend for a title.
Either way, Cavs head coach Larry Drew praised Rodney Hood for his professionalism throughout the process.
“I really appreciate Rodney’s whole professionalism while he was here,” Larry Drew said, according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. “I thought he did a great job for us. I’m sure he understands the nature of this business, particularly when we get around trade deadline time. I thought he was a real pro when he was with us.”
The Cavs traded Hood to a solid Western Conference team in the Blazers, so Hood was probably happy to go to a better situation. Still, it’s not easy to just uproot your life and move across the country on a whim.
“I think all of our guys understand the nature of this business, the magnitude of this business and how things can happen right around this time,” added Drew. “Me personally, I really appreciate what he brought. I appreciated his professionalism. He was a real pro. I just want to wish him all the best.”
Hood was mostly a disappointment in Cleveland. In 45 games with the Cavs this year, the 26-year-old averaged 12.2 points, 2.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists over 27.4 minutes while shooting 42.7 percent from the floor.