Remember when LeGM specifically targeted Rodney Hood to bring to the LeCavs so they could win LeChampionship? It was part of the same three-team trade that saw George Hill come to the team. I don’t hold LeBron’s player evaluation abilities in the highest esteem, but acquiring Hood made sense at the time because he had shown himself to be a capable scorer in Utah.
However, Hood never got used to playing on a LeTeam, and he turned into a passive do-nothing who rarely contributed in the minutes that he got (minutes that dwindled severely once it became apaprent that he wasn’t doing anything). The most points he scored in a Cavs jersey that season was seventeen. Prior to the trade, he was pretty much averaging seventeen points per game with the Jazz. You can see why everybody was confused about his drop in production.
I bring this up because LeBron is probably watching this series right now and feeling emotions about it. LeBron didn’t even get to be in the playoffs, but this dude (who he hand-picked to aid the Cavs in their quest for a championship, remember) just helped the Blazers force a game seven in the semis. LeBron is probably sitting on his couch feeling anger, regret, disbelief, and multiple other negative emotions all mixed together in a dark, hateful combination. As he should be. Because Rodney Hood made LeGM look LeDumb.
A similar situation will play out next year when the Bucks pick up Michael Beasley (who was also a LeGM choice, but for the Lakers) and he plays a a valuable bench role for their seventy-win team that wins the finals by sweeping the Nuggets.