After allegedly being the perpetrator in a domestic violence case, Miles Bridges was forced to miss 583 days of NBA action. Now that he is back, the reaction from the crowd has been mixed, as many expected. While some are happy to see him back with a team that very much requires his talent, there are others who have questioned why he is back in the NBA at all, given what he may have done. Hornets announcer, Eric Collins seems to be in the second category.
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The announcer has been noticeably subdued in his reactions to any play Bridges has made, even if they were very impressive ones. However, that much was expected. After all, it is hard to get too excited over a controversial figure. That said, what he said about the Hornets man during a recent game against the Knicks came a bit out of left field for many. The following was his statement, as seen in the X (Formerly Twitter) post by BrickMuse.
“Remember he is a left-handed basketball player, but a right-handed human being. He can do a lot of different things with either hand.”
This came after Bridges made a finger-roll layup with his right hand, hence the comment about which hand the player uses.
Considering the allegations on Miles Bridges’ back at the moment, Collins’ statement is ill-timed. That said, the sports announcer likely wasn’t trying to refer to the controversy Bridges is embroiled in. Even if that is the case, however, it won’t be stopping the NBA community from wondering about the player’s issues once again.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver on why Miles Bridges is back
Amidst Bridges’ legal case and its due process, many have criticized letting the player come back to the NBA. Commissioner of the NBA, Adam Silver was recently questioned on what kind of message this may send out to fans of the league. The following was his response, as seen in the X post by Sportsnet 590.
“Put yourself in that player’s shoes, or anybody which there is an allegation, everybody’s entitled to due process and everybody’s entitled to a fair hearing.” “Until there are findings there, it would be unfair to punish a player, or anyone, under those circumstances. We believe in the rule of law in this league and we believe in due process.”
Silver’s response is a very empathetic one, but more importantly, one that is often forgotten in the court of public opinion. With Miles Bridges still in the middle of court proceedings, not all the facts have been put under the microscope yet. So, it does make logical sense for Bridges to get a second chance until he is proven guilty.
That said, the player should be thanking his lucky stars that Adam Silver and the NBA have seen things in his favor. Not many other people would likely be willing to do the same.
