Amid another chaotic chapter in recent Los Angeles Clippers history, Bleacher Report NBA insider Chris Haynes published a deep-dive story going behind the scenes on the team since it acquired James Harden.
The piece quoted young Clippers guard Bones Hyland and included a scoop that Hyland was told by the coaching staff he would be benched for the next few games.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday, Hyland called “cap” on the article.
— Bones Hyland (@BizzyBones11) November 15, 2023
Here is the passage in question:
(Clippers head coach Ty) Lue said he recently met with seven players to discuss their roles moving forward. Bones Hyland was one of them. The third-year guard appeared to be on the verge of a standout year, averaging 11.8 points in 23.5 minutes off the bench through the first eight games.
With the acquisition of Harden, Lue explained to Hyland that he would not be in the rotation for the foreseeable future to allow the organization time to see what they have in other lineups. Hyland was given a timeframe of a five-to-six-game window, sources say.
“He communicated with me, and that’s all you can ask for. It can be frustrating, but I’m just going to stay ready,” Hyland told B/R. “Of course, I want to play, but I just try to keep things in perspective. I’ve experienced worse. I’ve faced death situations, so this is something I can handle.”
It is worth parsing what Hyland might have an issue with.
Clearly, Hyland spoke with Haynes and was honest about the challenges of the situation. But the post Hyland responded to referred directly to the “foreseeable future” note. In the next sentence, Haynes specifies the time range is most likely five to six games.
Maybe that’s the miscommunication. If Hyland believes it to be short-term, the “foreseeable future” may have caught him off guard taken out of context.
Unfortunately, it’s impossible to know, because Hyland’s only response so far has been an emoji.
