I can see where he comes from, Boone and any good manager will do the same. If that player is still on the team, you don't want to cause dissention by bad-mouthing them in the media - fans do that. That doesn't mean there aren't meetings with management and players about the things that needed to be corrected or to let them know they're trade chips. A smart player knows he's not pulling his weight and the dangers of a sit down, trade or even DFA are possible.
I know as fans we get frustrated to hear Cash or Boone 'praise