In a recent interview with The Athletic’s Joe Vardon, shooting guard Rodney Hood shared his thoughts on how this season is going for the Cavs, who are currently holding a 6-21 overall record.
Amid his discussion with Vardon, Hood noted that it’s tough to enjoy the game of basketball when the team you’re playing for isn’t performing well.
“I base a lot off the team’s success, and when the team’s not playing well, you’re getting your head beat in pretty much every night, it’s tough to try and enjoy what you’re doing,” Hood said. “I learned from last year, the more you think about (a contract), the more you press about it. The longer the season gets, the harder things get. Things will take care of itself in the future.
“I’m blessed to be able to wake up in the morning and play basketball,” Hood added. “If I keep that mindset, things will take care of themselves.”
Hood, 26-years-old, has become one of Cleveland’s primary options on offense. In his 26 appearances with the team this season, the Mississippi native has racked up averages of 12.4 points on 42.7 percent shooting from the field (36.9 percent from beyond the arc), 2.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists and just under one steal (0.8) in 28.2 minutes per outing.
The Cavs have dealt with several injuries through the early stages of this season, including those to five-time All-Star Kevin Love (toe) and defensive stud David Nwaba (knee). Head coach Larry Drew knows this has been a trying season, but he says every team around the league will go through ups and downs.
“It’s a long season,” Drew said after Monday night’s 108-92 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks. “There are gonna be some ups and downs. I already knew that, and I am already prepared for it. But it’s just a matter of having more ups than downs. We’re gonna have some struggles, but we have to learn how to play through them.”
Cleveland’s next shot at claiming a victory comes on Wednesday night, as they’re scheduled to host the New York Knicks.
Tip-off inside Quicken Loans Arena is set for 7:00 p.m. EST with FOX Sports Ohio having live broadcast coverage.