Rodney Hood reportedly refused to enter the Cavaliers' 128-93 Game 4 win over the Raptors on Monday in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
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From The Athletic's Jason Lloyd:
"When the Cavs called a timeout with a 30-point lead and 7:38 left Monday, Lue tried inserting Hood for James. It was a great opportunity for a struggling youngster to try to find his rhythm without any pressure before the next series. Instead, Hood refused to go in, multiple sources confirmed.
"A number of veterans huddled around him during the timeout and tried talking sense into him, but Hood still refused to go, so Jose Calderon subbed into the game instead. Hood dressed quickly and was one of the first players out of the locker room after the game."
Lloyd reports that Cavs general manager Koby Altman intends to meet with the 25-year-old to discuss why he refused to go into the game.
"Needless to say, the stunt Monday has damaged his relationship with those in the locker room. Unless he comes up with a really good excuse in the next 24-48 hours, a suspension could be coming and it’s not out of the question that he doesn’t see the court again for a while."
Hood, who lost his spot in the rotation to rookie Cedi Osman, shot only 39.6 percent from the field in the playoffs, including just 1 of 9 for the series against the Raptors. He is in the final year of his contract and is set to become a restricted free agent this summer.
The Cavaliers will face the winner of the Celtics-76ers series in the Eastern Conference finals.
UPDATE: Hood has apologized to Altman for the Game 4 incident, according to ESPN's Dave McMenamin. Hood also plans to apologize to his teammates and Cleveland's coaching staff.
The Cavs will not suspend Hood for refusing to play, but he probably shouldn't expect to see a lot of time on the court moving forward.