Some things are better left unsaid. The Denver Nuggets and Bones Hyland already didn't have the most amicable divorce, but general manager Calvin Booth might have just opened up some old wounds while explaining why he traded the young guard to the Los Angeles Clippers. And in the process, he seemingly landed an indirect jab on a core player still on the roster.
“I knew you couldn’t have two guys that couldn’t guard, and we couldn’t have two guys that were young and kind of more ‘me guys,’” Booth told The Ringer's Kevin O'Connor. “Mike {Michael Porter Jr.} makes $30 million. He’s one of the best shooters in the NBA. So, Bones, there’s no place for you.”
Yeesh. Fans are not accustomed to an executive being so forthright in their critique of a player's skill set and will surely have a field day with Booth's comments. In the case of Hyland, it was clear he fell out of favor well before he was shipped out to LA ahead of the NBA trade deadline. His minutes increased only slightly to 19.5 minutes per game in his second season, which is fairly uncommon for a former first-round pick. The writing was on the wall.
However, this explanation does add some intriguing insight into the front office's mindset leading up to the decision to move on from Bones Hyland. Defense is not the 23-year-old's calling card, as his strengths lie primarily beyond the 3-point line. Although probably unnecessary, Calvin Booth's honest assessment does put a bow on this prolonged saga. But in doing so, he overshared.
Did Nuggets' Calvin Booth reveal too much?
Whether intentional or not, the Nuggets GM called out Michael Porter Jr., an active and key member of an NBA championship squad. Most fans are well-aware of the 2018 lottery pick's defesnive limitations, but it is quite jarring to see a Denver higher-up blatantly spell them out.
Of course, he did bestow high praise onto Porter Jr. as well, which he has admittedly earned. He has a 50.6 field goal percentage through 187 regular season games. While he was lackluster in the postseason, the 25-year-old figures to be an integral part of the team for several years.
With the Nuggets set to defend their title in just over a week, no distractions can be tolerated. Expect Booth to quickly go into damage control mode.
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