Rodney Hood to Utah (#23 overall)

[hurleyfor3]

Second Duke pickup for the Jazz!

[Duvall]

Second Duke pickup for the Jazz!

#23.

[miramar]

I never saw him as a #15 pick as Bilas said, but this seems pretty good for him.

[Duvall]

I never saw him as a #15 pick as Bilas said, but this seems pretty good for him.

Kinda hated seeing Hood pass by two playoff teams, though.

[tbyers11]

Kinda hated seeing Hood pass by two playoff teams, though.

Yeah, seems like he would have been a great fit for OKC.

Good luck in Utah, Rodney!

[Newton_14]

Kinda hated seeing Hood pass by two playoff teams, though.

The Thunder are going to regret passing on Hood! McGary? PuhLeeze. Stupid move. Rodney would have been a great fit with the Thunder. Happy for him anyway. Went way to low but will prove that a mistake before all is said and done.

This draft has been crazy.

[brevity]

Mormon by association?

[Atldukie79]

The line I wanted to hear from Jalen Rose:

"As I sit here with Jay Bilas, watching Rodney Hood, who was selected to play for Quin Snyder, shaking hands with Adam Silver and proceeding towards Jay Williams for an interview... I feel surrounded by Dukies."

Living in Atlanta, I was hoping the Hawks would pick Hood. I was prepared to swap "Ferry" for "Snyder".
:)

[diablesseblu]

The line I wanted to hear from Jalen Rose:

"As I sit here with Jay Bilas, watching Rodney Hood, who was selected to play for Quin Snyder, shaking hands with Adam Silver and proceeding towards Jay Williams for an interview... I feel surrounded by Dukies."

Living in Atlanta, I was hoping the Hawks would pick Hood. I was prepared to swap "Ferry" for "Snyder".
:)


I loved that Jalen noticed this. Of course, he would. ;)

[gep]

I guess the cream rises to the top... even at ESPN :cool:

[Henderson]

The Thunder are going to regret passing on Hood! McGary? PuhLeeze. Stupid move. Rodney would have been a great fit with the Thunder. Happy for him anyway. Went way to low but will prove that a mistake before all is said and done.

This draft has been crazy.

Can't disagree with any of that. But SLC is a much nicer place to live than OKC. Wishing Rodney all the best. He had a dream fulfilled tonight, and that's pretty cool.

[Edouble]

The Thunder are going to regret passing on Hood! McGary? PuhLeeze. Stupid move. Rodney would have been a great fit with the Thunder. Happy for him anyway. Went way to low but will prove that a mistake before all is said and done.

This draft has been crazy.

Uh, a lot of teams passed on Hood.

Lamb and Sefolosha are nothing to sniff at.

[tbyers11]

Uh, a lot of teams passed on Hood.

Lamb and Sefolosha are nothing to sniff at.

The same Sefolosha that got DNPs in the playoffs because his offensive game was so bad. OKC was forced to play Derek Fisher in important situations. Lamb showed some flashes but Rodney seemed to fit rather nicely OKC's most glaring need (a 2/3 with offensive skills, particularly an outside shooter) much better than Mitch McGary. McGary seems pretty redundant to Steven Adams.

[FerryFor50]

McGary seems pretty redundant to Steven Adams.

Yep. And Nick Collison.

[UrinalCake]

I know this sounds like sour grapes, but he should have stayed in school. I think a lot of times kids get it into their heads that they're going to go, and then it's really hard to back out once they've gotten into that mindset. Not just for Rodney, but for a lot of players. Sometime early in the season, maybe even before the season started, he heard that he was going to be a lottery pick, and make the decision to leave at the end of the season. It was pretty apparent, at least to me, that when the season ended he still had a lot to work on and was by no means a guaranteed lottery pick.

Don't get me wrong, I'm happy to have had him play for us for one season, and I won't ever criticize a kid for choosing what he feels is best. But IMO he would have been better off financially had he stayed another year and gotten into the lottery range or better. Especially since next year would have been a weaker draft.

[Bluedog]

I know this sounds like sour grapes, but he should have stayed in school. I think a lot of times kids get it into their heads that they're going to go, and then it's really hard to back out once they've gotten into that mindset. Not just for Rodney, but for a lot of players. Sometime early in the season, maybe even before the season started, he heard that he was going to be a lottery pick, and make the decision to leave at the end of the season. It was pretty apparent, at least to me, that when the season ended he still had a lot to work on and was by no means a guaranteed lottery pick.

Don't get me wrong, I'm happy to have had him play for us for one season, and I won't ever criticize a kid for choosing what he feels is best. But IMO he would have been better off financially had he stayed another year and gotten into the lottery range or better. Especially since next year would have been a weaker draft.

Or his deficiencies would come further to light and teams would see even less "potential" drafting a 22 year old, and he could fall to the second round, not make the team, and earn $0 in his NBA career. At least this year, he guaranteed himself a contract and millions of dollars. Just ask JMM (or McGary...) how going back to school worked out for him. You just never know. (I'm not saying it was the best financial decision or not - I have no idea to know and neither does anybody else. There are no sure things.)

[Des Esseintes]

Or his deficiencies would come further to light and teams would see even less "potential" drafting a 22 year old, and he could fall to the second round, not make the team, and earn $0 in his NBA career. At least this year, he guaranteed himself a contract and millions of dollars. Just ask JMM (or McGary...) how going back to school worked out for him. You just never know. (I'm not saying it was the best financial decision or not - I have no idea to know and neither does anybody else. There are no sure things.)

Yes. Plus, the money difference between going low-20s versus, say, #12 is not enough to offset a whole year of lost earnings AND a further year's deferral of the second contract. People can stay in school for lots of reasons, financial ones almost never being among those lots.

[Newton_14]

I know this sounds like sour grapes, but he should have stayed in school. I think a lot of times kids get it into their heads that they're going to go, and then it's really hard to back out once they've gotten into that mindset. Not just for Rodney, but for a lot of players. Sometime early in the season, maybe even before the season started, he heard that he was going to be a lottery pick, and make the decision to leave at the end of the season. It was pretty apparent, at least to me, that when the season ended he still had a lot to work on and was by no means a guaranteed lottery pick.

Don't get me wrong, I'm happy to have had him play for us for one season, and I won't ever criticize a kid for choosing what he feels is best. But IMO he would have been better off financially had he stayed another year and gotten into the lottery range or better. Especially since next year would have been a weaker draft.

I can't disagree. I know Bluedog and Des make good points too, but it actually can work both ways. Hood can play. It is certainly possible that had he come back, he could have benefited greatly, improving his game and skillset, and then come out next season and go mid to maybe even slightly early lottery. He's not JMM by any means. I also think a core of Rasheed, T Jones, Okafor, Amile, & Quinn, surrounding Rodney would have meshed better than this past season's guys. Not talking chemistry or liking each other there, strictly talking about skillsets complementing one another better.

We will never know of course, and Rodney went in the first round, gets to play for a Duke guy in a good organization and realize his dream of playing in the NBA with guaranteed money. Congrats to him and I wish him the very best. I do not begrudge him at all for going, and certainly don't feel he made a bad decision to go.

I just understand your overall point that some players do lock in on the decision to go way early in the process and make it more difficult to decide maybe its a better idea to stay in college ball one more season to improve, once the time comes to make the final decision.

[ncexnyc]

Based on a couple of reports that were posted I thought Rodney would have went in the late teens, however once you throw in all these kids from overseas he slipped several notches.

It doesn't really matter though. Rodney will get to prove just how good he is and he'll make a nice living for himself.

[Edouble]

Based on a couple of reports that were posted I thought Rodney would have went in the late teens, however once you throw in all these kids from overseas he slipped several notches.

It doesn't really matter though. Rodney will get to prove just how good he is and he'll make a nice living for himself.

That wasn't my take on it at all.

Exum and Saric had been projected to go ahead of Hood for a while. Bruno Caboclo was certainly a shocker, but quite a few of the mock drafts had Jusuf Nurkic going ahead of or right around where Rodney was "supposed" to go, in the mid/late teens.

I thought it was American college players that caused Hood to fall. Zach LaVine shot up like a rocket recently. I also did not expect Jordan Adams, Tyler Ennis, Mitch McGary, Gary Harris, and Adreian Payne to all go ahead of Hood. I thought of those six guys that maybe two would get picked before Hood. Several of those guys were not even in the Green Room.

[UrinalCake]

Good points made by all... I tend to think of guys who fall in the draft after coming back to school as either a.) guys who rely on athletic ability or strength, and who are going to be drafted highly based on potential but then fail to develop basketball skills (such as JMM or to a lesser extent McRoberts if you want to be fair), or b.) guys who appear better than they really are because they have good teammates around them, but then once their teammates leave they are exposed. And I don't think Rodney fits either of these categories. He is highly skilled and improved as the season progressed. Next year his supporting cast would be different, but also really talented. So I don't think he would have been at risk for slipping, but again you can't fault him for his decision.

As for why he fell below his projected draft position, every year there are sites that list 30 guys as being potential lottery picks. Obviously they can't all make it. I don't know how his pre-draft workouts went but I did read one article that suggested his athleticism and ball-handling were good but not elite, so he just didn't stand out even though we all know he can play.

[Des Esseintes]

Good points made by all... I tend to think of guys who fall in the draft after coming back to school as either a.) guys who rely on athletic ability or strength, and who are going to be drafted highly based on potential but then fail to develop basketball skills (such as JMM or to a lesser extent McRoberts if you want to be fair), or b.) guys who appear better than they really are because they have good teammates around them, but then once their teammates leave they are exposed. And I don't think Rodney fits either of these categories. He is highly skilled and improved as the season progressed. Next year his supporting cast would be different, but also really talented. So I don't think he would have been at risk for slipping, but again you can't fault him for his decision.

As for why he fell below his projected draft position, every year there are sites that list 30 guys as being potential lottery picks. Obviously they can't all make it. I don't know how his pre-draft workouts went but I did read one article that suggested his athleticism and ball-handling were good but not elite, so he just didn't stand out even though we all know he can play.

Anyone is at risk of slipping. If it was super-easy to spot the guys who were going to have their weaknesses revealed, those guys wouldn't be projected highly in the draft in the first place. You contend that Rodney would enhance his position, and maybe he would. But who in this year's draft had a legit chance to go last year, abstained, and improved his position? McDermott, certainly. Shabazz Napier, probably? Who else? Gary Harris, Mitch McGary, Marcus Smart? Nope. Guys like Stauskas and Adreian Payne improved their stock vastly, but I don't think they had a realistic chance to jump last year. The sheer paucity of candidates from this draft who fit any of these particulars should tell you that when a guy has a chance to go, he goes. And that's not because they're all listening to the bad advice either. The smart money is saying take the money. Moreover, this analysis leaves out injury disasters, such as what befell Jared Sullinger, who came back, played even better than his freshman season, and still plummeted base on health concerns. So you can say Hood would not have been taking a risk, but saying does not make it so. Hood would have been taking a risk, just as anyone who has the opportunity to put millions of dollars in his pocket and instead decides to study Communications for another year and hope that 12 months from now those millions will still just be sitting there under the same rock waiting for him to pick them up is taking a risk. That's, like, the definition of risk.

[Edouble]

Anyone is at risk of slipping. If it was super-easy to spot the guys who were going to have their weaknesses revealed, those guys wouldn't be projected highly in the draft in the first place. You contend that Rodney would enhance his position, and maybe he would. But who in this year's draft had a legit chance to go last year, abstained, and improved his position? McDermott, certainly. Shabazz Napier, probably? Who else? Gary Harris, Mitch McGary, Marcus Smart? Nope. Guys like Stauskas and Adreian Payne improved their stock vastly, but I don't think they had a realistic chance to jump last year. The sheer paucity of candidates from this draft who fit any of these particulars should tell you that when a guy has a chance to go, he goes. And that's not because they're all listening to the bad advice either. The smart money is saying take the money. Moreover, this analysis leaves out injury disasters, such as what befell Jared Sullinger, who came back, played even better than his freshman season, and still plummeted base on health concerns. So you can say Hood would not have been taking a risk, but saying does not make it so. Hood would have been taking a risk, just as anyone who has the opportunity to put millions of dollars in his pocket and instead decides to study Communications for another year and hope that 12 months from now those millions will still just be sitting there under the same rock waiting for him to pick them up is taking a risk. That's, like, the definition of risk.

Picking up money that has been left for you under a rock is, like, the definition of impermissible benefits.

[Des Esseintes]

Picking up money that has been left for you under a rock is, like, the definition of impermissible benefits.

Well played, sir.

[Henderson]

I know this sounds like sour grapes, but he should have stayed in school. I think a lot of times kids get it into their heads that they're going to go, and then it's really hard to back out once they've gotten into that mindset. Not just for Rodney, but for a lot of players. Sometime early in the season, maybe even before the season started, he heard that he was going to be a lottery pick, and make the decision to leave at the end of the season. It was pretty apparent, at least to me, that when the season ended he still had a lot to work on and was by no means a guaranteed lottery pick.

Don't get me wrong, I'm happy to have had him play for us for one season, and I won't ever criticize a kid for choosing what he feels is best. But IMO he would have been better off financially had he stayed another year and gotten into the lottery range or better. Especially since next year would have been a weaker draft.

I'm not in a position to judge whether Rodney would have been better coming back for another year, but frankly I doubt it given his age and the value of an extra year in the NBA.

It's a shame, though, that he couldn't get the NBA workouts in, get the feedback, and then decide. He was committed before the workouts because of NCAA rules. It's a shame that the NCAA kowtowed to the coaches and effectively prohibited the players from going through the combine and workouts before deciding whether to stay in school. Those workouts are great opportunities for a player to get a read on his game and whether or not he's ready. If not, more college, and what's wrong with that for the player? If anyone should complain about a June date for withdrawing from the draft, it should be the NBA teams ("Why should we devote all the resources to trying guys out if they might just take our free lessons and go back to school?"). For the college coaches, deal with it. You'll know what your team looks like by the first of July. You can handle that.

The irony to me is that the NCAA is supposed to be college-oriented, and they bear this smug attitude of protecting academic integrity. But they make it hard for a player in this situation, such as Rodney Hood, to go back to school if he doesn't get a good vibe from the combine and workouts. Weird. I'm not saying Rodney performed subpar in the workouts, I'm just saying if a guy doesn't get good reviews in the workouts, he should be able to continue his education. The NBA is fine with that, and I find it odd that the NCAA is not.

[Edouble]

I'm not in a position to judge whether Rodney would have been better coming back for another year, but frankly I doubt it given his age and the value of an extra year in the NBA.

It's a shame, though, that he couldn't get the NBA workouts in, get the feedback, and then decide. He was committed before the workouts because of NCAA rules. It's a shame that the NCAA kowtowed to the coaches and effectively prohibited the players from going through the combine and workouts before deciding whether to stay in school. Those workouts are great opportunities for a player to get a read on his game and whether or not he's ready. If not, more college, and what's wrong with that for the player? If anyone should complain about a June date for withdrawing from the draft, it should be the NBA teams ("Why should we devote all the resources to trying guys out if they might just take our free lessons and go back to school?"). For the college coaches, deal with it. You'll know what your team looks like by the first of July. You can handle that.

The irony to me is that the NCAA is supposed to be college-oriented, and they bear this smug attitude of protecting academic integrity. But they make it hard for a player in this situation, such as Rodney Hood, to go back to school if he doesn't get a good vibe from the combine and workouts. Weird. I'm not saying Rodney performed subpar in the workouts, I'm just saying if a guy doesn't get good reviews in the workouts, he should be able to continue his education. The NBA is fine with that, and I find it odd that the NCAA is not.

Not sure what could have transpired though that would have made Rodney come back to Duke, if he were able to. He went in the first round, albeit lower than where he was projected. According to Coach K et al, if you can get guaranteed money, you're supposed to go.

I get the idea that he got a pretty good vibe, he just got drafted at the low end of the range that he was projected to go in.

[53n206]

What do we think the coaches want? An early decision as to whether a player stays or leaves, or a drawn out procedure where the player displays his wares for another month or so before deciding. The coach in the first instance knows he has an opening at a position and can offer a waiting candidate; in the second instance the promising candidate commits to another school where he knows he has a chance to get court time. I think the NCAA and the coaches may be in concert.

[destroslithoid]

I don't know how his pre-draft workouts went but I did read one article that suggested his athleticism and ball-handling were good but not elite, so he just didn't stand out even though we all know he can play.

That's the problem with Rodney Hood: he doesn't have an elite skill. Yes, he's a good shooter, but he's not elite (Stauskas is, which is why some people have compared him to Klay Thompson). As you mentioned, his athleticism and his ball-handling aren't elite. His defense is lacking, and he doesn't stand out in physical measurements either. Having an elite skill almost certainly guarantees you a high draft spot. For example, look at Kendall Marshall (as much as it pains me to use a Tarheel as an example). He isn't an elite athlete, nor is he an elite shooter; but his passing is elite, so the Suns took a gamble on him and drafted him @ 13.

[weezie]

That's the problem with Rodney Hood: he doesn't have an elite skill.

Dead right on. Hood ended up just fine and will also make a few dollars. He'll be warming the bench but getting paid to do so. The whole nerves/upchucking thing may finally be resolved, too.

[Henderson]

Dead right on. Hood ended up just fine and will also make a few dollars. He'll be warming the bench but getting paid to do so. The whole nerves/upchucking thing may finally be resolved, too.

I don't know about the lacking elite skill thing. A year ago some Duke players were saying Rodney was the best player on the team. He's got first-round skills, if not lottery pick skills. 16 ppg, 42% from 3, 80% FT shooter, played 32 mpg as a starter on an elite team. He's got typical NBA swing measurements and athleticism. He's probably not as good a pure shooter as Stauskas, but he's probably a better athlete. I say "probably" because I think Stauskas is under rated in that regard. But he didn't go as high as Stauskas, so it's no slam to say that Rodney isn't as good an NBA prospect.

Rodney grew up in Meridian, MS, a town of 40,000, and his family wasn't rich. Now he's an NBA first rounder with a guaranteed contract that will pay him a lot of money. Gotta be a dream come true. Good for him, good for his family. I hope he has a long NBA career, but he's already a huge success by any normal metric.

[destroslithoid]

I don't know about the lacking elite skill thing. A year ago some Duke players were saying Rodney was the best player on the team. He's got first-round skills, if not lottery pick skills. 16 ppg, 42% from 3, 80% FT shooter, played 32 mpg as a starter on an elite team. He's got typical NBA swing measurements and athleticism. He's probably not as good a pure shooter as Stauskas, but he's probably a better athlete. I say "probably" because I think Stauskas is under rated in that regard. But he didn't go as high as Stauskas, so it's no slam to say that Rodney isn't as good an NBA prospect.

Rodney grew up in Meridian, MS, a town of 40,000, and his family wasn't rich. Now he's an NBA first rounder with a guaranteed contract that will pay him a lot of money. Gotta be a dream come true. Good for him, good for his family. I hope he has a long NBA career, but he's already a huge success by any normal metric.

I, too,do hope that he will have a long successful career in the NBA. he might not be a starter, but I believe that he will at least be a fine rotation player and contribute.

[weezie]

Rodney grew up in Meridian, MS, a town of 40,000, and his family wasn't rich. Now he's an NBA first rounder with a guaranteed contract that will pay him a lot of money. Gotta be a dream come true. Good for him, good for his family. I hope he has a long NBA career, but he's already a huge success by any normal metric.

Yes, who said it wasn't a good thing? It's great! We all wish him the best but we're just fans looking in from the outside. He's done fine for himself, nobody disputes that.
Not really sure what we're supposed to do on a message board other than discuss from the view point of merely being fans.
No offense, Mr. Henderson.

[Henderson]

Yes, who said it wasn't a good thing? It's great! We all wish him the best but we're just fans looking in from the outside. He's done fine for himself, nobody disputes that.
Not really sure what we're supposed to do on a message board other than discuss from the view point of merely being fans.
No offense, Mr. Henderson.

Geez, I hope I didn't sound like I thought others thought ill of Rodney. Wasn't my intention at all. I was just trying to make the point that I think his prospects for success in the NBA are high and that, even without that success, he's already succeeded. I suspect all would agree on the latter, and we can still discuss the former without rancor. People who've pointed out his limitations in the NBA context have respected well-considered opinions in my view, even if I differ.

What else we gonna do 'til October? Thank God for the World Cup, Chase Jeter, and the NBA soap opera.