Quotes from Rodney Hood

As long as you have a job, I'm providing for my family, I'm blessed and you move forward.

A lot of good pick-and-roll players keep the defenders on their back so they can see the whole floor.

The things I've worked on in the offseason have mostly been on my footwork and pick-and-roll - using my size and not just always trying to face up and go by a guy.

I've just got a real thirst for knowledge now, especially seeing how the world is, seeing how the disparity is with African American men, and I want to do something special. And getting a degree from Duke is special, especially coming from where I come from.

You're sitting at home in a cast or a boot and it's tough, because all you've got is negative thoughts going through your head. Once you start to move and run a little bit, the confidence comes back, and then it's just a matter of time before you come back to be yourself.

I'm bigger than most two guards.

Seven-thirty to five, every single day. Getting up, eating breakfast, lifting weights, going outside on the turf, doing movement and agilities and things like that. Then I take a little break to eat lunch and come back to work out again.

I'm building myself up and working hard on my body.

It's refreshing to see my family. I know they can't always come out and see me play and see me throughout the year.

Me, I'm not a guy who's dealt with a lot of death in my life, so when it hits you, it hits hard, you question different things.

That's the best feeling ever, when you sacrifice and you realize in the end that it was worth it.

The initial thought is like, 'Damn. Most guys used to retire after the Achilles injury.' Nobody really but Dominique Wilkins has come back to be the same person as he used to be or better; but now, more and more guys come back and they're healthy.

I used to watch big guards and how they handled the ball and made plays. Guys like Joe Johnson.

I know guys look at me for advice. I reach out to Kevin Durant or Wesley Matthews, DeMarcus Cousins... the guys who have been through it, and I just get confident more and more every day.

I don't mean to get dark again, but my grandfather has been battling terminal illness. And you know, he never complains. And he has a lot of reasons to complain, but he never complains. And he lost his son a long time ago, when I was a young boy - my uncle. And he never complained.

I just have to continue to get better and continue to learn. Whatever unfolds, I want people to know I stayed a pro and performed.

Ever since I was little, I always played point guard. All throughout high school, junior high. I hit a couple growth spurts and the guard thing just always stayed with me. It just comes natural.

It's extremely tough, going day-to-day, not knowing really what you're working for, but for me, I just learned how to set small goals for myself.

It's a unique atmosphere in Utah, that I don't think a lot of other teams have around the league.

I've had great times in Utah, but regardless of where I'm playing, whether it's there or somewhere else, I'm going to stay professional.

Not many young guys in the league are getting to play valuable minutes for a really good team, so I'm trying to take advantage of it as much as I can.

I'm a guy that can stretch the floor, make plays in pick-and-roll, and then play off the ball as well.

For me, I just try to figure out ways I can affect winning.

If I was going to start over, then I wanted to go somewhere I could get better and win and see if I was a really good player. That's why I came to Duke.