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Rodney Hood Out Indefinitely for Trail Blazers with Torn Achilles

PORTLAND, OREGON - DECEMBER 06: Rodney Hood #5 of the Portland Trail Blazers lays on the court after being injured during the first half of the game against the Los Angeles Lakers at Moda Center on December 06, 2019 in Portland, Oregon. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images)
PORTLAND, OREGON - DECEMBER 06: Rodney Hood #5 of the Portland Trail Blazers lays on the court after being injured during the first half of the game against the Los Angeles Lakers at Moda Center on December 06, 2019 in Portland, Oregon. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images)

Rodney Hood went down Friday night versus the Lakers in the first quarter with 3:27 left to play. Hood was seen squeezing his left ankle while down on the floor. During half-time the Portland Trail Blazers released a tweet confirming that Rodney Hoo has torn his left Achilles tendon.

It appeared that Rodney Hood tore his Achilles while coming down with a routine rebound. It was immediately concerning the way Rodney reacted to the non-contact injury and the fact he needed help off the floor by medical staff from the Trail Blazers

It is a devastating injury, and for some athletes has been career-threatening as it robs them of their athleticism. According to Dr. Kevin Stones, recovery times vary from six months to an entire year depending on the individual. Blazers’ fan can remember the same happened to Wesley Matthews.

This past off-season Hood had signed a two-year, 16-million contract with the Portland Trail Blazers after impressing during the team’s postseason run last year.

Hood was shooting a career-best 51.8% from the field while playing 30.3 minutes per game. He had been one of the more consistent Blazer’s this season even though he was only averaging  11.8 points, 1.7 threes, 3.5 boards, 1.4 assists, 0.8 blocks and 0.2 steals.

This is really disheartening as Hood was becoming a fan favourite due to his consistency. I had recently hoped for him to get more looks and plays as he was being under-utilized in my opinion

The story is likely to produce more headlines as Blazers coach Terry Stotts said after the Kings game on Dec. 4th that Rodney Hood was bothered by an Achilles injury. Hood finished with six points versus Sacramento that night.

This will bring into question whether he should have been out there tonight versus the Lakers. People will also bring this up into the load management debate.

Questions are already being asked whether he should have been out there tonight?

Rodney Hood had previously dealt with soreness in his left Achilles last season with the Cleveland Cavaliers. The soreness caused Hood to miss seven of 10 games during a stretch for the Cavs last season prior to being traded to the Trail Blazers.

There will be questions asked on the medical and training staff on why he was allowed to play tonight. It is a frustrating situation for everyone involved and emotions will run high.

It is possible that Hood was eager to keep contributing to the Blazers regardless of the soreness. He might not have realized the seriousness of Achilles’ soreness due to him dealing with it in the past. We will keep you posted as we learn more.

I don’t expect to see Rodney out there this season for the Blazers. Given a 6-12 month timeline, I hope he opts to take his time and come back at full strength next season. Years removed from his own Achilles injury, Wesley Matthews is only now finally finding his place back in the NBA with the Milwaukee Bucks.

We at Rip City Project are praying for a speedy recovery for Rodney Hood.