Rodney Hood has played, let's call it "sub-optimally" over the course of his career playoff career. After struggling in his first postseason appearance with the Utah Jazz last season, Hood has again struggled with the Cavs in this year's playoffs.
He's averaging 4.9 points and 1.3 rebounds per game after posting averages of 14.7 and 2.8, respectively, in the regular season. Despite his ineffectiveness, Hood has remained in the Cavs' rotation; he's receiving 16.7 minutes per game (in comparison to 25.3 in the regular season).
After the Cavs dropped Game 2 to the Boston Celtics on Tuesday, a reporter asked Cavs coach Tyronn Lue why Hood is still getting minutes.
How Rodney Hood is still getting minutes is baffling.
Hood had only played 11 minutes and hadn't made a significant impact on the game. Lue clearly didn't like the question.
"Because I want him there," Lue snapped back.
The reporter followed that up by asking what Hood has done to earn his minutes.
"Well, I'ma keep playing him, so he'll be better," Lue said. "I thought last game, Game 1, he really played well for us, going 5 for 12, getting in double figures, so that's why I went with him."
As Lue noted, Hood had one of the best games of his postseason career—which isn't saying all that much—in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals. He scored 11 points.
Hood has clearly been frustrated with his play. In the fourth quarter of Game 4 of the Cavs' second-round win against Toronto, Hood reportedly refused to go in the ball game during garbage time. Hood later explained that the situation was more complicated than it seemed, but he regretted how he handled it.
We'll see what, if any impact Hood will have on the Cavs' next game, which is a must-win.
