Utah Jazz alumni: Rodney Hood apologizes for fourth quarter antics

Former Utah Jazz guard Rodney Hood has apologized for his “refusal” to enter a playoff game and the confusion it caused.

Earlier this week, former Utah Jazz wing Rodney Hood caused quite a stir in Cleveland. During the Cavaliers’ series-clinching 128-93 win over the Toronto Raptors, Hood reportedly refused to enter the game in garbage time when Cavs coach Tyronn Lue called his number.

Per The Athletic’s Jason Lloyd, who broke the story, several of his teammates expressed disappointment in his antics. Some even tried to talk him into playing.

The running theory is that Hood’s non-compliance was a response to his poor postseason performance and lack of playing time. He hadn’t seen the floor in the game to that point after playing just 39 total minutes in the previous three contests.

If Hood is to be believed, though, the whole story is much ado about nothing.

On Thursday, the 25-year-old apologized for his actions. Moreover, he insisted that the whole thing was a misunderstanding. According to Hood, he had seen Jose Calderon warming up on the sidelines and essentially told Lue to let Calderon play because he was ready to go.

Here’s Hood with the full explanation —

Hood won’t be subject to any disciplinary measures from the Cavs, who have turned their focus to their upcoming series with the Boston Celtics.

Whether his actions were misconstrued or not, though, the former Jazzman needs to be better. Through 10 postseason appearances, he’s averaging just 4.6 points per game on 39.6 percent from the field and 13.3 percent from 3-point range.

Meanwhile, Cleveland has been outscored by 18.6 points per 100 possessions when he’s played. That’s the worst net rating on the team by a college mile. It probably doesn’t bode well for the Cavs title hopes, either; should they advance to the NBA Finals, they’ll need all hands on deck to have any shot against the West’s representative.

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As for Hood, it’s hard to imagine any of this is doing him any favors on the free agency front.

Just a few, short months ago, many opined he would be too costly for the Jazz to keep this summer. Now, thanks to a string of ho-hum performances to finish the year and his subsequent playoff disappearance, teams may be able to pick him up off the discount rack.

I’d wager Jazz fans are feeling pretty good about Jae Crowder right now.