Calvin Booth Says Quotes About Nuggets Weren't For 'Public Consumption'

[RealGM Wiretap]

While speaking during the ESPN2 broadcast of the Denver Nuggets-LA Clippers preseason game, Denver general manager Calvin Booth addressed some recent comments he made about current and former Nuggets. Both was referring to quotes that were published in a profile piece by The Ringer.

“Under no circumstances would I make or approve of those kinds of comments for public consumption," Booth said. "That’s not my character, as a person or an executive.”

In the quotes in question, Booth said Denver forward Michael Porter Jr. and former Nuggets guard Bones Hyland were "me" players. He also said neither played enough defense, which necessitate trading Hyland.

Booth also insinuated that former Denver wing Bruce Brown might not be the player people think he is. That comment came while Booth was talking up second-year wing Peyton Watson, who may fill Brown's role after he signed with the Indiana Pacers.

Via RealGM Staff Report

[Revived]

This is even worse so he’s admitting to being a guy that’s talking **** behind players backs?

[kenwood3333]

Booth sounds like a low character guy, who got lucked out of having Jokic on the team.

[Cookin Baskets]

You have to know when you are in the business of sports entertainment.

That anything you say could be brought out into the public.

Super Classy nice try save to face. You know maybe instead of talking **** behind players back you tell it to their face.

I wouldn't be surprised if he does not have a burner account criticizing his own players.

[BigGargamel]

This makes him look bad and like a snake/weasel. Should have just owned up to talking honestly instead of this.

[og15]

You have to know when you are in the business of sports entertainment.

That anything you say could be brought out into the public.

Super Classy nice try save to face. You know maybe instead of talking **** behind players back you tell it to their face.

I wouldn't be surprised if he does not have a burner account criticizing his own players.

Telling it to their faces might not be much of an issue for some of these comments. It being public is a bigger issue because it can put out a perception about them which has "authority" backing.

Players agents also would not be happy about a GM publicly saying negative things about them.

Booth sounds like a low character guy, who got lucked out of having Jokic on the team.

Just about every GM who gets a GOAT level player is lucking out though, so I'm not sure that really says anything against him

There are teams and GM's who get GOAT level players and have little to show for it, so, it's not really any sort of downplay to say a GM got that kind of player.

[chilluminati]

Wow you can't just take back what you literally said on live TV. Calvin Booth = Low IQ liar.

[elmdawgg69]

I would’ve just kept quiet. He was right in what he said. People respected his honesty.

[TheCage4]

For someone of Calvin Booth’s limited playing ability to criticize other players is

[ItsDanger]

As a writer, O'Connor needs to make sure these comments were on the record. Anyone with a functioning brain knew this wouldn't have been the preferred framing of the criticism. Its still Booth's fault but as a writer who needs access for content, you should confirm with the person interviewed. Unprofessional conduct.

[dantas]

Whoever leaked these opinions deserves applause. Denver fans deserve to know what their front office thinks. Transparency.

[CIN-C-STAR]

As a writer, O'Connor needs to make sure these comments were on the record. Anyone with a functioning brain knew this wouldn't have been the preferred framing of the criticism. Its still Booth's fault but as a writer who needs access for content, you should confirm with the person interviewed. Unprofessional conduct.

That's not how that works.
If you sit down and give an interview to a journalist, you should assume everything you say will be published unless you confirm that you are off the record.
It's not the journalist's job to make sure their source is happy with what they've said, and it's not unprofessional to report what you've been told.

[ItsDanger]

As a writer, O'Connor needs to make sure these comments were on the record. Anyone with a functioning brain knew this wouldn't have been the preferred framing of the criticism. Its still Booth's fault but as a writer who needs access for content, you should confirm with the person interviewed. Unprofessional conduct.

That's not how that works.
If you sit down and give an interview to a journalist, you should assume everything you say will be published unless you confirm that you are off the record.
It's not the journalist's job to make sure their source is happy with what they've said, and it's not unprofessional to report what you've been told.

That's great. I'd cut him off anyways. So should other teams.

[CIN-C-STAR]

As a writer, O'Connor needs to make sure these comments were on the record. Anyone with a functioning brain knew this wouldn't have been the preferred framing of the criticism. Its still Booth's fault but as a writer who needs access for content, you should confirm with the person interviewed. Unprofessional conduct.

That's not how that works.
If you sit down and give an interview to a journalist, you should assume everything you say will be published unless you confirm that you are off the record.
It's not the journalist's job to make sure their source is happy with what they've said, and it's not unprofessional to report what you've been told.

That's great. I'd cut him off anyways. So should other teams.

They probably will.
That's what's tough about being a journalist.
But if you're only publishing what the decision makers want people to hear, you aren't really doing journalism, you're doing public relations.

[ItsDanger]

That's not how that works.
If you sit down and give an interview to a journalist, you should assume everything you say will be published unless you confirm that you are off the record.
It's not the journalist's job to make sure their source is happy with what they've said, and it's not unprofessional to report what you've been told.

That's great. I'd cut him off anyways. So should other teams.

They probably will.
That's what's tough about being a journalist.
But if you're only publishing what the decision makers want people to hear, you aren't really doing journalism, you're doing public relations.

Well, I hope the juice was worth the squeeze because he should have held this piece back or watered it down a lot. There was another way to do this.

[Jabroni Lames]

"Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and to remove all doubt."

- Abraham Lincoln

[hauntedcomputer]

As a writer, O'Connor needs to make sure these comments were on the record. Anyone with a functioning brain knew this wouldn't have been the preferred framing of the criticism. Its still Booth's fault but as a writer who needs access for content, you should confirm with the person interviewed. Unprofessional conduct.

It's exactly what a journalist should do, report the truth. I was a career journalist, I only let people go off the record under very rare circumstances. Now, whether it was "smart" or not for professional prospects is another question, but I'd rather hear stuff like this than the usual mindless cliches. This is awesome journalism and raises the respect bar for O'Conner while also letting GMs know not to let stuff slip that they don;t want out. Otherwise all you get is leaks from anonymous sources, usually agents jockeying for advantage..

[ItsDanger]

As a writer, O'Connor needs to make sure these comments were on the record. Anyone with a functioning brain knew this wouldn't have been the preferred framing of the criticism. Its still Booth's fault but as a writer who needs access for content, you should confirm with the person interviewed. Unprofessional conduct.

It's exactly what a journalist should do, report the truth. I was a career journalist, I only let people go off the record under very rare circumstances. Now, whether it was "smart" or not for professional prospects is another question, but I'd rather hear stuff like this than the usual mindless cliches. This is awesome journalism and raises the respect bar for O'Conner while also letting GMs know not to let stuff slip that they don;t want out. Otherwise all you get is leaks from anonymous sources, usually agents jockeying for advantage..

Everyone knows MPJ is a bad defender, that's no secret. Denver used Brown to close games often instead of him for that reason. The writer isn't letting this big secret out about his poor defensive play BUT he's letting everyone know what the GM thinks. The writer should choose another method of portraying that. Its a bad look for him and I wouldn't trust him around me in any respect.

[Toine85]

After reading what the comments actually were, I don't think it was that bad of a faux pas:

'"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," he said about Hyland and Michael Porter Jr.'

He basically says that you cannot build your team around too many "me" type/no defense players, so he chose MPJ over Bones because MPJ is one of the best shooters in the NBA and making $30m. I wish Isiah Thomas was this smart when he was the GM of the Knicks and decided that pairing Marbury with Steve Francis would be successful.

[SilentA]

If he was specifically told "this is off the record" and then everything was posted, sure. I understand it's dishonest.

But this just reeks of "corporate guy with no media/PR training and probably ignored warnings from the head of corporate communications just talks **** to the media and is panicking about the backlash"

Say what you mean, mean what you say. Live with the results.