Something very big was missing at Miles Bridges' introduction | Opinion

The Phoenix Sunsformally introduced forward Miles Bridges on Wednesday, July 22, and between general manager Brian Gregory and Bridges himself, they openly discussed and answered every question put forth to them during their media availability at the team’s performance center.

>In the spirit of the Suns’ boastful motto about “alignment,” “accountability,” “culture” and making their fan base always feel like “family,” it was essentially a slam dunk.

>Bridges and Gregory were brutally honest regarding the trade that brought Bridges to Phoenix from the Charlotte Hornets, and addressed the positives as well as the negatives — namely the serious felony domestic violence charge leveled against Bridges in 2022.

>But something very important was missing from the news conference:

>Mat Ishbia.

>You would think that on the very day the Suns made Bridges available to finally meet the press and fess up about his previous unconscionable acts toward the mother of his children — in full view of his kids — that the Suns owner would have not only been in attendance but also been seated front and center at the table alongside Bridges and Gregory.

>It was Ishbia, after all, the architect of this so-called new-and-improved look of an NBA franchise, who gave the final green light on the Suns acquiring Bridges along with a first-round pick in 2029 and a second-round pick in 2027 in exchange for Grayson Allen, Royce O’Neale and a 2033 unprotected first-round pick.

>The July 13 trade itself was controversial, if for no other reason than it appeared the Hornets fleeced the Suns, especially given that Phoenix had to part with a future unprotected first-round selection. Toss in Bridges’ felony domestic abuse charge, which wound up forcing him to sit out the entire 2022-23 season, and the deal smelled an awful lot worse.

>The decision to bring in Bridges not only divided a good portion of Suns fans: those who weren’t — and aren’t — happy about the trade and a large number of the diehards who keep telling the other side to get over it and move on.

>Ishbia, who had no problem blaming himself for much of the turmoil and general malaise surrounding his initial foray into owning the Suns, should have been there to help defuse the situation and the obvious tension that remains.

>

>Making Gregory face the music as the only representative from management felt like a cop out on Ishbia’s part. Ishbia should have been there, and the Suns shouldn’t have staged the Bridges presser without Ishbia, period.

>Gregory didn’t seem to appreciate that sentiment when I asked him about Ishbia’s noticeable absence.

>“I’m the general manager,” Gregory said. “I’m in charge all the basketball decisions that are being made. Do I communicate with Mat Ishbia on a daily basis? Absolutely, yes. Do me and (Suns and Phoenix Mercury CEO) Josh Bartelstein confer and talk and all that? I spend more time with him than probably anyone around.”

>That doesn’t explain why Ishbia wasn’t there.

>I also asked Gregory how much Ishbia’s desire for “alignment” went into the entire process of exercising the trade — if there was any discourse, deep concerns or dissension among the ranks before the deal was formally made.

>“Whenever you’re in a draft process, in a trade process or a free-agent process, you’re going to get together with the leadership group,” Gregory said. “You’re going to sit down, you’re going to debate and you’re going to argue points and have positive points and so forth.

>“But when you walk out of that room, ‘alignment’ is not just a word we use — that’s who we are and it’s what we do. Everybody was in agreement that this was the move we wanted to make so there was no question on that, whatsoever.”

>I’m going to take Gregory at his word when he said he and the organization did an exhaustive and comprehensive background check into Bridges before the trade was finalized, and that the Suns found enough good in the player to give him another chance.

>Gregory didn’t try to sugarcoat the situation, reminding reporters that “the concerns surrounding Miles and his unacceptable conduct that has occurred in the past … are part of his story.” They are, and they will continue to be.

>Bridges said he’s a changed man and his total focus is on becoming “a great person off the court and a great player on the court.” He said he wants to prove “every day” that the Suns made the right decision.

>I want to believe him. Honest, I do.

>But more than anything, I wanted to hear from Mat Ishbia. It was his duty to be there and be available alongside Bridges and Gregory to face the uncomfortable questions. The fact that he wasn’t there spoke volumes, and it only leads to more questions.

class="exclude-from-newsgate">Reach McManaman at bob.mcmanaman@arizonarepublic. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter: @azbobbymac and listen to him live every Tuesday at 3:30 p.m. on Roc and Manuch with Jimmy B on ESPN 620 (KTAR-AM) and every Thursday on the Doug Franz Unplugged podcast via Apple or Spotify.

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>This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Something very big was missing at Miles Bridges' introduction | Opinion