Suns updates and discussion for the 2023-24 season

[Mainstreet]

That's BS. When you're a millionaire charged with serious offenses there is no reason to plea "No Contest" if you're actually innocent. That would be the worst possible spin out there. It's actually insulting and it would put Ishbia on the same level as Sarver to me if that's the route they take.

If the court chooses to leave Bridges in the community, I can live with him holding a job which happens to be an NBA player. He has already served his suspension.

However, I can't help but wonder if there is more to this case than we know about, or other NBA teams wouldn't be interested.

I understand pleading no contest is treated much the same as pleading guilty. It's the upcoming alleged violation of probation and protective order that I am most concerned about if the Suns trade for him.

 

[Cheesebeef]

If the court chooses to leave Bridges in the community, I can live with him holding a job which happens to be an NBA player. He has already served his suspension.

However, I can't help but wonder if there is more to this case than we know about, or other NBA teams wouldn't be interested.

I understand pleading no contest is treated much the same as pleading guilty. It's the upcoming alleged violation of probation and protective order that I am most concerned about if the Suns trade for him.

Would you have been fine with Sarver coming back? After all, he had served his one year suspension before advertisers forced the Suns hand.

 

[GatorAZ]

Douchbaggery aside.
I will not be happy if we go all in on Bridges and he spends the playoffs in jail.
And his wife should stay in Charlotte or LA to avoid problems.
At some point punishing him is taking food out of his wife and kids mouths.

They’re still married?

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

Douchbaggery aside.
I will not be happy if we go all in on Bridges and he spends the playoffs in jail.
And his wife should stay in Charlotte or LA to avoid problems.
At some point punishing him is taking food out of his wife and kids mouths.

You’re going to have to come up with something better than “taking food out of . . . “ about a guy whose net worth is allegedly north of $24M. Let’s say you compound that at a relatively conservative rate of 4% growth, that means their living on investment income around $900,000/year without touching the principal. The wife and kids need not go hungry.

 

[Phrazbit]

They’re still married?

No. I don't think they ever were married.

She put out a plea over the summer, telling people to give him a second chance and that if she forgives him, we should.

Then like 3 weeks later he smashed the hell out of her car with billiard balls while the kids were inside.

After that she posted something along the lines of 'While I believe in 2nd chances and all, enough is enough'.

 

[Yuma]

I say NO to Royce Oneal. From what I saw in the game we played his team, he would be just another guy on the level of what we already have. No trade to trade our second round picks for that dude. I'd rather go buy out market at this point if he's all we can get.

 

[CardsSunsDbacks]

I say NO to Royce Oneal. From what I saw in the game we played his team, he would be just another guy on the level of what we already have. No trade to trade our second round picks for that dude. I'd rather go buy out market at this point if he's all we can get.

If we can get him for guys that aren't even touching the court than it makes our rotation deeper. Considering depth is one of our biggest issues, it makes sense.

 

[Covert Rain]

Flex’s reporting is far from top notch, but he’s not the only one reporting that the Suns are interested. Plus, it makes sense that talks are ramping up since the deadline is less than a week away

That's being generous. We can go over all the inaccurate stuff he has regurgitated in that past couple years but "reporting" on a trade that was actually illegal in the NBA might have been his highlight of last year.

 

[Hoop Head]

I say NO to Royce Oneal. From what I saw in the game we played his team, he would be just another guy on the level of what we already have. No trade to trade our second round picks for that dude. I'd rather go buy out market at this point if he's all we can get.

One game isn't a good measure of who a player is. He'd help a lot stretching the floor and providing more size than Okogie. He would be able to guard the better forward the opposition has so KD doesn't need to and Allen doesn't get smoked all game.

 

[Chaplin]

EJ said that if he proves he is trying to better himself, maybe volunteering with woman’s groups or some such, he wouldn’t have a problem with Bridges on the team.

 

[Cheesebeef]

EJ said that if he proves he is trying to better himself, maybe volunteering with woman’s groups or some such, he wouldn’t have a problem with Bridges on the team.

Guess my question back to Eddie would be… why hasn’t Bridges already done this? Doing so now once he got to a new team would have an ugly stench of PR and not much more… especially since he’s recently been credibly accused of breaking his probation and violently attacking the woman again.

 

[BirdGangThing]

A Bridges trade would immediately turn Ishbia into the typical billionaire douchebag owner - he's done a good job at not being that so far imo

 

[Chaplin]

Guess my question back to Eddie would be… why hasn’t Bridges already done this? Doing so now once he got to a new team would have an ugly stench of PR and not much more… especially since he’s recently been credibly accused of breaking his probation and violently attacking the woman again.

That's my thoughts, so I did some searching to see if he's done anything in the community like that, and couldn't find anything.

 

[Cheesebeef]

That's my thoughts, so I did some searching to see if he's done anything in the community like that, and couldn't find anything.

That’s what I feared/suspected. Eddie sounds like he’s trying rationalize selling the franchise’s soul to try to win a title.

 

[Chaplin]

That’s what I feared/suspected. Eddie sounds like he’s trying rationalize selling the franchise’s soul to try to win a title.

Oh, that's exactly what he's doing.

Let me ask you, IF (and that's a big "if") he does do some work for women's group as part of his requirements for agreeing for a trade to us, would that make any difference to you?

 

[Cheesebeef]

Oh, that's exactly what he's doing.

Let me ask you, IF (and that's a big "if") he does do some work for women's group as part of his requirements for agreeing for a trade to us, would that make any difference to you?

Nah. That should have happened already if he was really contrite about what happened… especially since the news broke of him hurling billiards balls at the car of the woman he already beat up.

And the reason I struggle with this most is because of how the franchise operated under Sarver. He created such a toxic culture for minorities and women and Ishbia was supposed to be the start of a new era. Actively going out and getting a domestic abuser just sends such a horrible message to women and that message would be coming directly from Ishbia. So I don’t know what’s worse… an owner who’s emotionally and mentally beat on women or an owner who actively goes out and gets a player who’s physically beat on women. It’s like a choice between crap with corn or crap with peanuts. End of the day, there’s no difference. It’s still a steaming pile of crap.

But like I’ve said a couple times this season, this team just ain’t very likable in general for me. That doesn’t mean they’re made up of bad guys, but outside of Book, no one has really endeared me to them nor have they done so as a whole. So getting Bridges would probably just be the straw that broke this camel’s back as far as caring at all about the team at that point.

 

[Chaplin]

Nah. That should have happened already if he was really contrite about what happened… especially since the news broke of him hurling billiards balls at the car of the woman he already beat up.

And the reason I struggle with this most is because of how the franchise operated under Sarver. He created such a toxic culture for minorities and women and Ishbia was supposed to be the start of a new era. Actively going out and getting a domestic abuser just sends such a horrible message to women and that message would be coming directly from Ishbia. So I don’t know what’s worse… an owner who’s emotionally and mentally beat on women or an owner who actively goes out and gets a player who’s physically beat on women. It’s like a choice between crap with corn or crap with peanuts. End of the day, there’s no difference. It’s still a steaming pile of crap.

But like I’ve said a couple times this season, this team just ain’t very likable in general for me. That doesn’t mean they’re made up of bad guys, but outside of Book, no one has really endeared me to them nor have they done so as a whole. So getting Bridges would probably just be the straw that broke this camel’s back as far as caring at all about the team at that point.

I remember you were so excited when we got KD (as was I). Has the luster gone away?

 

[Cheesebeef]

I remember you were so excited when we got KD (as was I). Has the luster gone away?

Oh, I was over the moon. But yeah… that luster’s pretty much gone.

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

EJ said that if he proves he is trying to better himself, maybe volunteering with woman’s groups or some such, he wouldn’t have a problem with Bridges on the team.

I wouldn’t have expected that from EJ. Must be real smoke there.

 

[SirStefan32]

EJ made the best argument one can possibly make. Young kids do stupid stuff- give him support to better himself. I've been trying to talk myself into being OK with Miles on the Suns, and that was as good of an argument I've heard. Still not good enough to convince me, but it was a good argument. If it weren't for the second incident, I'd likely be able to convince myself that maybe there is enough unknowns that I can be OK with a second chance, but I just can't get there. I've tried and tried, but I just can't.

 

[Cheesebeef]

EJ made the best argument one can possibly make. Young kids do stupid stuff- give him support to better himself. I've been trying to talk myself into being OK with Miles on the Suns, and that was as good of an argument I've heard. Still not good enough to convince me, but it was a good argument. If it weren't for the second incident, I'd likely be able to convince myself that maybe there is enough unknowns that I can be OK with a second chance, but I just can't get there. I've tried and tried, but I just can't.

I just can’t believe in someone’s “redemption” who continues to to be violent towards women. I’ve wanted a Suns title since I was a little boy, but the message sent to women by continuing to give that guy chances just makes me sick to my stomach.

 

[Phrazbit]

There is a very strong chance he’s going to get suspended after his court date in a few weeks.

If we trade for him and he gets suspended for the rest of the season then it would be a fitting punishment for both, the team and him.

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

EJ made the best argument one can possibly make. Young kids do stupid stuff- give him support to better himself. I've been trying to talk myself into being OK with Miles on the Suns, and that was as good of an argument I've heard. Still not good enough to convince me, but it was a good argument. If it weren't for the second incident, I'd likely be able to convince myself that maybe there is enough unknowns that I can be OK with a second chance, but I just can't get there. I've tried and tried, but I just can't.

I just can’t ever call domestic abuse “stupid stuff.” It’s not a mistake or error that one makes due to youth.

 

[gimpy]

Well, in the first place, he is an adult. I would not call him a young kid. He is a grownup man?

 

[AzStevenCal]

Well, in the first place, he is an adult. I would not call him a young kid. He is a grownup man?

The last thing I read on this subject is that a man doesn't fully mature, emotionally, until his early to mid 40's. I wouldn't call him a young kid but I wouldn't necessarily call him a grownup man either. Regardless, violence is violence and once you get past your terrible two's, it's tough to just write off violent outbursts as an understandable part of the development process.