BlazersBroncos wrote:The chances of Hood being anything close to the player he was pre-achilles injury are very small, sadly. He will most likely never be a starter in the NBA again, nor a big minute bench player. He wasn't great defensively to begin with, and as you point out his shooting numbers are more likely an anomaly when you take his career numbers into account. If your transactions were to take place, Hood would likely be behind both Trent and Simons.
I think there is a good chance Hood comes back and regains form by midseason. Medical science has come a very long way. He wasnt ever reliant on athleticism and his best attribute, shooting, shouldnt be impacted. That being said, I think GTJ and Simons are good insurance if he never regains form. You usually dont have that kind of talent to lean on while a starter is out.Lillard / Napier
Hood / Trent Jr / Simons
Ariza / Crowder / Melo / (Nesmith) / Little
Harris / Collins / Gabriel
Nurkic / Kanter
I just don't see it happening in the NBA. Hood for his career has been a 42%/37% shooter. That will likely fall off like it does for everyone who has achilles surgery. One of Hood's go-to moves was shooting over smaller defenders in the mid-range, his lift on that will likely be gone as well. He was never a really special defender, and I would expect that to get significantly worse as well.
My best guess is that he will basically operate as a catch and shoot player...who knows how good he'll be at that.
I hope I'm wrong, but the history of that injury isn't good. Look at Wes as probably the best example--his shooting percentages went down and his defensive rating went up. That will likely happen to Hood.