Rodney Hood was held out of the closing minutes of the contest between the Utah Jazz and New York Knicks with a left leg contusion.
If the end of the Utah Jazz vs. New York Knicks game seemed odd to anybody, you weren’t mistaken. It was indeed a strange finish. The game seemed to be well out of reach until Michael Beasley fouled Joe Johnson on a three-point shot giving him three free throws and suddenly the Jazz used a mini-run to get back in the game.
Ultimately it would prove to be too little, too late, as Utah couldn’t find a clutch three to tie the game late in the contest despite three such looks, but at least it made the game interesting.
However, as many Jazz fans probably noticed, Rodney Hood was oddly absent from the court during the game’s final minutes. Hood has typically been a part of Utah’s closing lineup, so I, too, though it strange to see Ricky Rubio, who hasn’t been much of a closer, on the floor instead of Hood. Especially considering that he had put up a very solid game up to that point of 18 points on 8-of-15 shooting, it would have actually been good to see Hood out there.
Well, as it turns out, it was reported after the game that the Utah Jazz medical staff held Hood out of the contest due to a lower leg contusion. Below are some tweets from KSL’s Andy Larsen and The Salt Lake Tribune’s Tony Jones with the scoop on the situation:
Hood had some irritation in his leg at the end of the game, which is why he wasn't in.
— Andy Larsen (@andyblarsen) January 20, 2018
Hood says it's a shin problem that has been bothering him since Charlotte. In the end, the pain was too much and Jazz medical staff held him out.
— Andy Larsen (@andyblarsen) January 20, 2018
Jazz PR says lower left leg contusion. https://t.co/KfX1ezlR0B
— Andy Larsen (@andyblarsen) January 20, 2018
Rodney Hood has been diagnosed with a lower left leg contusion. That explains why he wasn't on the floor at the end. I didn't want to speculate the reason. Wanted to get a concrete answer
— Eric Walden (@tribjazz) January 20, 2018
Disappointing? Yes. But at least it makes more sense than him simply not being a part of the game’s closing rotation.
It will be interesting to see what Hood’s status ends up being for Saturday’s contest against the LA Clippers, especially considering that he was able to play for 29 minutes on Friday before being held out for the closing minutes of the loss to New York.
While it’s likely no fault at all of Rodney’s, these sort of injury problems have become all too frequent for him. Throughout his NBA career, it’s seemed that just as he is potentially getting into a rhythm, he’s forced to miss time with some sort of bump or bruise. His presence definitely would have been a nice bonus to finish up Friday’s game, but unfortunately health issues kept him sidelined once again.
This is an extremely interesting development to monitor, especially considering that speculation has ramped up that the Jazz may very well be open to dealing Hood per a report from The New York Times’ Marc Stein. His frequent injury woes have certainly been a problem and they could affect the Jazz in two main ways – pushing them to want to move him rather than pay an injury-plagued player big bucks this offseason, or in limiting what opposing teams would be willing to give up for him.
Next: Utah Jazz: Interesting Kemba Walker trade possibility surfaces
Stay tuned to TheJNotes.com as we’ll keep you closely up to date on Rodney Hood’s status both on the injury front heading into the game against the Clippers and on the apparently turbulent trade front.
With all the ups and downs he’s faced as a Jazzman, it appears his future in Utah could be as questionable as ever.