LOS ANGELES, CA – Bones Hyland started the season playing well for the Los Angeles Clippers, but has turned into a casualty of the James Harden trade and Tyronn Lue's rotation.
Riding a four-game losing streak heading into Sunday's matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies, Lue approached Bones Hyland and informed him that he would be out of the rotation as the Clippers try to sort through their guard-heavy roster to find lineups that work.
When the Clippers made the trade for James Harden, sending out four power forwards to bring in the star guard and forward PJ Tucker, it was clear there was an abundance of guards on this team, all of whom need to play. It's part of what made the Harden trade confusing at the time and even today.
Ultimately, the goal is to win games, which the Clippers have simply been unable to do since acquiring Harden on November 1st. With no choice but to stay away from the dreadful three-guard lineups that the Clippers were forced to roll out last season, Lue elected to see what he has in the rotation with Hyland out. Through two games, the Clippers have yet to win a game.
“I want to see this rotation for a little while,” Tyronn Lue said of Bones Hyland's DNP after the Grizzlies loss. “Norm finally gave us a good game offensively. So the rotation is just playing 10 guys early on. Just kind of see who fits and who plays well together. I thought Bones was playing really well, so it is not a good feeling for a coach when a guy's playing well to have to sit him down because of the rotations.”
ClutchPoints spoke with Hyland after Tyronn Lue's comments and the Clippers recent loss, where he said he appreciates Lue being candid with him.
“That's what you wanted before head coach come to you and tell you what's going on, so it's cool,” Bones Hyland told ClutchPoints. “I mean, obviously, you know, nobody wants to sit on the bench when they're playing good. At the end of the day, I'm a team player, though. We've just got to figure some things out. You know, we're trying to compete, get on the same level for one thing and that's a championship. So we got to figure stuff out right now and it is what it is.”
While he currently does not have a role in the rotation, Lue said Hyland have more opportunities soon and to stay ready.
“We talked and he understood and he's going to be professional and continue to keep working,” Lue added. “His time is going to come, but right now just to stay away from that small lineup and just, unfortunately, it had to be Bones. He was playing well.”
Through both the losses against the Grizzlies and Denver Nuggets, Hyland was cheering on the team, staying engaged inside huddles, and hyping guys up during timeouts.
“That's always been me, though,” Hyland explained to ClutchPoints. “I've never been the type of guy to, if I'm not playing, I'm not going to not cheer for my teammates and stuff like that. That's not me. I'm not a selfish guy. I'm very unselfish, so I'm going to always make sure I'm cheering my teammates on and stuff like that.”
James Harden and Bones Hyland during the Clippers timeout:
"I'm making shots. That's my swagger. You feel me? I got to get back to the basics first, then I got to get my swagger… I'll be alright though."pic.twitter.com/J0V5iD17KR
— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) November 15, 2023
New Clippers star James Harden says the team is remaining positive and staying together amid the six-game losing streak.
“All of us, man, we're all in this together,” Harden said following the loss to the Grizzlies. “It's not just one person. We're all trying to figure it out together. So we all got positive energy, all trying to figure it out and obviously it's tough losing games consecutively, but we're all in this thing together. We know the bigger picture.”
The Clippers are now riding a six-game losing streak and have not won a game in November yet. Their next game will be Friday, November 17th, against Fred VanVleet and the Houston Rockets. It remains to be seen how long this rotation — or roster — can be kept together if the team is unable to put together wins. With a record of 3-7, this is the worst start since 2010 for the LA Clippers franchise.
Follow Us
Subscribe