Sunday, June 28th
The aftermath of the Miles Bridges trade has found me languishing in front of my computer, fully immersed in a funnel cloud of emotions. My wife wonders out loud if my time wouldn’t be better spent cleaning the dirty dishes I had left in the sink, but the grip of Chris Cornell’s heavy vocals holds me down in my chair. Through much effort, I muster up a sigh. She rolls her eyes. I don’t blame her. She doesn’t know who Miles Bridges is; if she did, she might be more appreciative of my unwaveringly
calm demeanor. No such luck for me. So here I am, feeling down about sports.
This isn’t my first run-in with the character dilemma. I’ve rooted for teams that had players who’d done awful things. Typically, they are already on the team before you find out. It’s always incredibly disappointing, and a permanent mark on how you understand them, but still, I’m maybe too empathetic of the players I’ve been invested in on the court or field. When you root for a team, you condition yourself to want the players to do well. That’s not the case for Miles Bridges. Ishbia’s just inviting him to the party, like he’s Larry David in an Episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm. My reaction to his arrival is yuck. I don’t want him here.
Everyone will have a different reaction to Miles Bridges’ addition, based on their experiences and values. I expect the fanbase to eventually accept Miles Bridges if the team wins and he plays well. Suns fans are going to root for the Suns and, by association, Miles Bridges. There’s nothing wrong with that. Some people aren’t going to be able to root for the Suns with Miles Bridges on the team. There’s nothing wrong with that. Some people will throw a tantrum every time the allegations are brought up. There’s nothing wrong with back, but if they are being real about Miles Bridges as a basketball player, the allegations are the most notable thing about his career.
I don’t feel like I owe Miles Bridges anything. I’m not worried about whether or not he feels welcome in Phoenix. I don’t think Miles Bridges owes me anything either. What happened happened, and Miles Bridges has to move on with his life. Only the victim and her family can forgive him. It was years ago; maybe they already have.
However, Ishbia owes us an explanation beyond the fact that he really likes going to Michigan State. I want to hear Gregory explain why he feels Miles Bridges fits the culture he’s been so vocal about building. I want to know why the Suns are fine bringing in Miles Bridges, but they’ve been so out on adding a potential All-Star like Ja Morant. I’d like to hear Miles Bridges’ address and acknowledge what happened, but I wouldn’t fault him if he just said something along the lines of I’m moving on. That’s all he can do. After that, we can get on with 100 percent basketball talk 100% of the time.
The basketball part of the trade isn’t a slam dunk. I don’t think Miles Bridges is a good fit. He’s too similar to Dillon Brooks. He’s now a third non-All-Star in the starting lineup that likes to get up shots like he’s an All-Star. It doesn’t open up spacing. It doesn’t help ball movement. It’s not going to get better looks for Booker. He’s undersized, he’s not a good rebounder, he’s not a good defender, and he’s not a good three-point shooter.
Adding him to the recently resigned Mark Williams, we’ve now basically reformed the front court of the 19-win Charlotte Hornets. That doesn’t move me or win totals.
I think Miles Bridges will get a lot of open looks off Book’s gravity, like Dillon Brooks did last season. He might score a lot of points. That doesn’t necessarily lead to many wins. Certainly not playoff wins.
I’m holding off on committing Seppuku because the Suns may not be done. (Fingers crossed for Jaylen Brown.) One of Brooks or Green probably needs to go. As the roster stands right now, I think it’s a step back. Hopefully, a strategic one to set them up for another move. (Fingers crossed for Jaylen Brown.)
If they are going to bring in a guy with the baggage Miles Bridges carries, it had better have an impact on playoff wins. Something Miles Bridges has never had the opportunity to impact after 7 years in the league.
I’m skeptical. Barring other moves, the Suns are basically running back a play-in team with less likable players.
I’m also disappointed. I’m still going to watch and cheer for the Suns. It’s just when Miles Bridges is on the floor, I’m going to get a little less joy out of it.
Let’s go Suns.
