Could Bones Hyland be on his way out of Denver?
Jan 24, 2023, 2:40 PM | Updated: 3:38 pm
On Twitter a few days ago, Bones Hyland tweeted “Chin up. Chest out. Whatever you want me (to) go through God let’s do it. I Appreciate you in advance (fingers crossed emoji).”
What? What? What!
The dynamo crowd favorite of the Western Conference-leading Denver Nuggets has been struggling on the court and now appears to be going through something else. The story on Bones is magnificent. The odds he has overcome to get to where he is right now is the stuff of movies and legend. MILE HIGH CITY BABY!!!! is a calling card that resonates with young and old alike. So, why is he THE most likeliest Nugget to get dealt?
Sadly, Bones doesn’t fit on this team anymore. The inevitable resurgence of Jamal Murray has left Bizzy—bored.
Head coach Michael Malone has tried everything possible to make these two work together, but it’s oil and water. Bizzy is a lightning bug setting a dark sky on fire, whereas Murray is coldly calculated in his sometimes deliberate dealings. Murray recently joked that he could play a two-man game with Jokic for a full 48 minutes and that would be just fine.
How exactly does Bones fit in? Well…he doesn’t.
Hyland’s numbers haven’t taken the jump many thought they would in his second season. Per 100 possessions Hyland’s scoring is only up four points from his rookie season and his assists are only up a blimp and his rebounds are down while his field goal percentage is the exact same.
And now we have some official drama.
With 9:45 left in the fourth quarter of the Nuggets Sunday night two point loss to the Thunder, Bones got benched after a scoreless performance. He wasn’t happy. He left the bench for the locker room and according to Mike Singer of the Denver Post was trailed by a trainer. What happened at that point is anybody’s guess. What didn’t happen was a return to the bench.
Bones OUT!
He was nowhere to be seen in the game or after the game. But, he did make the road trip to New Orleans, although he missed a team shoot around this week as well. Perhaps, he truly is injured and needs time to heal. But, the recent lack of productivity on the court, his severe lack of defensive ability, teemed with lousy body language and a strange late-game disappearance may make for a logical conclusion that a fan favorite may need to be traded not only for the betterment of the team but also for the betterment of the Bones.
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