OAKLAND — The day before the NBA Finals, as the Cavaliers prepared for practice at Oracle Arena, Gary Payton summoned Rodney Hood into the stands behind the basket. Payton had never met Hood, but on the drive to Oracle, he decided to seek out the enigmatic 25-year-old who over the span of four months has fallen from the marquee in Utah to the abyss in Cleveland. When the Cavs acquired Hood, as part of their trading deadline bender, he was in the midst of his most prolific NBA season: scoring 16.8 points per game, shooting 38.9 percent from three and absorbing much of the slack left behind by the departed Gordon Hayward.
Is There Still Time for Rodney Hood to Rediscover His Form for Cavs?
