After discussing his roster with Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer, Denver Nuggets general manager Calvin Booth now claims some of those comments weren’t meant to be published.
Tuesday night, Booth joined the NBA on ESPN broadcast of a preseason game between the Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Clippers. Near the end of his interview with broadcasters Dave Pasch and Bob Myers, Booth was offered the opportunity to clarify his comments, specifically his quote about players Bones Hyland and Michael Porter Jr.
“Under no circumstances would I make or approve of those kind of comments for public consumption,” Booth said on ESPN2. “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.”
In the article published by The Ringer Monday, Booth discussed the decision to trade Bones Hyland last season, hinting that the 23-year-old guard didn’t fit on the roster with Michael Porter Jr. Porter Jr. is still a key player on the Nuggets roster in their quest to win back-to-back championships.
“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 was quoted in The Ringer. “Mike makes $30 million. He’s one of the best shooters in the NBA. So, Bones, there’s no place for you.”
The quote was seen by many as a criticism of Porter Jr. for Booth’s willingness to categorize him as a “me guy” and a bad defender. Booth, however, relished the opportunity to praise Hyland and Porter Jr. on ESPN Tuesday night, subsequently placing blame on O’Connor and The Ringer for publishing the comment.
But the Nuggets general manager did not claim he was misquoted when speaking about Hyland and Porter Jr to The Ringer. Either Booth didn’t intend for the comment to go on the record, or he expected it to be used as background for the story rather than a direct quote.
[The Ringer, ESPN]
About Brandon Contes
Brandon Contes is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. He previously helped carve the sports vertical for Mediaite and spent more than three years with Barrett Sports Media. Send tips/comments/complaints to bcontes@thecomeback.com