Alec Burks and Rodney Hood: From Young Guns to Journeymen

Alec Burks and Rodney Hood, though not perfect basketball players by a long shot, were fan favorites while they played in Utah. I’ll still never forgive Paul Pierce for what he did to Alec, and I still wonder what his career here might have been like had he not been injured for eighteen months. As for Rodney, I’ll always remember being at the Viv when he hit this shot against the Mavs:

There were debates about when they should play and how much while they were here, but I don’t think any Jazz fan wished either player anything but success when they were traded.

So what are they up to now? Well, Rodney was having a rather disappointing season in Cleveland, shooting only 36% from deep and averaging 12 points per game. He had an overall negative box plus-minus and VORP, which in short means that he was hurting the team more than helping. In Portland, he isn’t expected to be a starter or even a main contributor, so it’s possible that he’ll be able to rehabilitate his career there. I hope he does, too—just not against the Jazz. It appears Donovan Mitchell agrees with me:

Alec Burks has had quite a season, starting out in Utah, being traded to Cleveland for Kyle Korver, and then to Sacramento. His stat line is almost identical to Rodney’s, putting up about 12 points per game, a negative box plus-minus, and neutral VORP. However, he seems to have found a nice landing place in Sacramento, where he is surrounded by young athletes who are motivated to make the playoffs.

Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports

These guys were good Jazzmen, and I hope they get a nice round of applause next time they are introduced at Vivint Smarthome Arena. They deserve it. Once a Jazzman, always a Jazzman. Unless you try to start a coup against John Stockton. Looking at you, Marc Jackson.