Cleveland Cavaliers general manager Koby Altman met with Rodney Hood on Tuesday morning to give him a chance to explain himself. There were some reports indicating that Hood might be suspended for refusing to enter Monday night’s game, but it seems that won’t be the case.
Via Jeff Zillgitt of USA TODAY Sports:
Cleveland guard Rodney Hood will not be suspended or fined for refusing to enter the game in the fourth quarter of the Cavaliers’ blowout victory over Toronto on Monday, a person with direct knowledge of the situation told USA TODAY Sports.
The Cavs’ front office and Hood had a conversation Tuesday morning, and Hood feels badly for causing a distraction at a time when the focus should be on Cleveland’s sweep of the Raptors and spot in the conference finals.
For reasons still unknown, Hood refused to enter Monday night’s series-clinching win over the Toronto Raptors. According to a report from Jason Lloyd of The Athletic, Cavs head coach Tyronn Lue called on Hood with just over seven minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, but he declined to engage.
The Cavs were leading by 30 points at that time. Coach Lue was simply trying to give some of the second and third string players a few minutes in a playoff scenario. In fact, 14 of Cleveland’s players saw action in Game 4 — everyone except Hood.
Via Kyle Newport of Bleacher Report:
“This is the playoffs,” an anonymous Cleveland player said. “We’re trying to win a championship. This isn’t about you.”
Hood struggled to find his rhythm in Cleveland’s series against Toronto. Through the first three games, the former Duke Blue Devil scored two points on 1-of-9 shooting from the field in 39 minutes of action. He recently lost his spot in the Cavs’ rotation to rookie Cedi Osman, who logged 21 minutes in Game 4, scoring five points and two assists.
“Rodney, he could be better,” Lue said prior to Monday’s game, per Lloyd. “He knows that.”
Through 10 games this postseason, Hood has racked up averages of 4.6 points on 39.6 percent shooting from the field (13.3 percent from beyond the arc). For reference, he averaged 10.8 points on 44.2 percent shooting (35.2 percent from downtown) in 21 games during the regular season.
Hood, now 25 years of age, came to the Cavs as part of their blockbuster deal at the trade deadline. He’s in the final year of his contract, which means he’s scheduled to become a restricted free agent this summer.
The Cavs have a bit of time to sort this situation out, with their earliest chance of playing again coming on Sunday afternoon.