Nuggets GM Calvin Booth gave inflammatory quotes about former player Bones Hyland and current star Michael Porter Jr. to The Ringer earlier this week. After the story came out and Booth came out looking bad, the GM issued a statement on ESPN2 during the broadcast of the preseason between the Clippers and Nuggets.
“Under no circumstances would I make or approve of those kinds of comments for public consumption. It’s not my character as a person or executive, and I think it’s an unfair characterization of Michael and Bones. I think Bones is a great kid, has a bright future ahead of him, a charismatic player in our game. And obviously, Michael is a core piece of our program with his character and offensive and defensive prowess. So I think that was unfair for those things to be put out there and hopefully it doesn’t happen in the future.”
Calvin Booth addressed his quotes to The Ringer on ESPN2 just now:
"Under no circumstances would I make or approve of those kind of comments for public consumption."
"Michael is a core piece of our program with his character and offensive and defensive prowess." pic.twitter.com/ZocB2zoVUS
— Harrison Wind (@HarrisonWind) October 18, 2023
This is fully on Calvin Booth. He can’t cry foul about what he said to a media member unless he explicitly made it clear that he didn’t want those comments to be reported. As a journalist, it’s also Kevin O’Connor’s duty to make truthful stories, so it’s good he didn’t leave such comments out of his story to protect Booth’s reputation.
Back-tracking on what he said by blaming the media is bizarre, given at no point can he claim that the reported words were not said by him. The truth is out there, and the GM will have to reconcile with Michael Porter Jr. on his squad.
What Did Calvin Booth Say?
Booth had given his reasoning behind trading a young star like Bones Hyland for minimal value to the Clippers during the winter in his controversial comments. He essentially threw a shot at his own starting forward Michael Porter Jr., referring to the players as poor defenders who were ‘me guys’.
“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. Mike makes $30 million. He’s one of the best shooters in the NBA. So, Bones, there’s no place for you.”
Calling Bones anything is immaterial given he’s a former player, but the MPJ comments have to be concerning. GMs do hold such opinions of their players, but parroting those thoughts to a journalist is just bad form. Regardless of whether Booth thought the quotes would get reported or not, everyone now knows how he views Porter.
Nuggets Not Going All-In For Back-To-Back Titles
One of the interesting quotes that was glossed over from what Booth said to The Ringer was about the team’s decision to let Bruce Brown and Jeff Green go to promote rookies and young talent into the lineup. This also implied that the Nuggets don’t care if it costs them a title this year.
“I just want dudes that we try to develop, and it’s sustainable,” Booth told the Ringer of the team’s approach. “If it costs us the chance to win a championship this year, so be it. It’s worth the investment. It’s more about winning three out of six, three out of seven, four out of eight than it is about trying to go back-to-back.”
This is the San Antonio Spurs’ method of success and is proven to bring results. Coach Michael Malone wanted to see the team be a dynasty, so it’ll be interesting to see how they maximize the Nikola Jokic era by bringing a steady cast of young stars into their roster.
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