Hornets forward Miles Bridges entered a plea of not guilty to three felony domestic violence charges during his arraignment in Los Angeles County Superior Court on Wednesday, writes Baxter Holmes of ESPN.
Bridges’ next court appointment is on August 19, according to Holmes, who says a date for a preliminary hearing is set to be scheduled at that time. The L.A. District Attorney’s office has indicated that Bridges could face a maximum sentence of 11 years and eight months in prison if he’s convicted of the three domestic abuse charges he faces, tweets Steve Reed of The Associated Press.
The NBA will wait for the legal process to play out before determining whether to levy any penalties of its own against Bridges. As Bobby Marks of ESPN tweets, the league wouldn’t have the ability to suspend Bridges if he’s found not guilty. However, a suspension is possible if he’s found guilty, he reaches a plea deal, or the charges are dropped.
Here’s more from around the Eastern Conference:
- The Heat haven’t made any major outside additions to their roster this offseason, but if Victor Oladipo rounds back into form, that could represent a significant upgrade for the team in lieu of a trade acquisition or free agent signing, says Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel. Oladipo has played just 12 games for Miami since arriving at the 2021 deadline, but should be healthier in 2022/23 than he has been at any point since originally injuring his quad tendon in early 2020.
- Keith Langlois of Pistons.com takes a look at the Pistons‘ projected starting five, suggesting that Cade Cunningham and Saddiq Bey are locks to be part of that group and will likely be joined by Isaiah Stewart and Jaden Ivey. Several players could be in the mix for the fifth starting spot, according to Langlois, who views Isaiah Livers as the slight favorite over Marvin Bagley III, Alec Burks, and others.
- Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report explores the new agreement between James Harden and the Sixers, wondering if the two sides have a wink-wink agreement to complete a lucrative long-term deal next summer or if Philadelphia is hedging its bets by not making a long-term commitment to Harden at this point.
Another slap on the wrist cause he’s an athlete
Prison/jail is filled with great athletes. It’s his $ that would buy him leniency
I think it’s more about they have the money and resources to obtain the best attorneys who inevitably find loopholes to get them off the hook or negotiate lucrative settlements.
@Marlins
The case hasn’t even been adjudicated yet but you have him receiving no penalties? Let’s wait and see.
That didn’t help OJ (well, at least the second time).
By the look of the beating this character gave his wife ,broken nose etc and the serious felony charges, I’m guessing nba suspension is the least of miles bridges concerns.
I think the Pistons 5 starters will be:
Duren/Stewart/Bey/Ivey/Cunningham
Second string:
Olynyk/Bagley/Livers/Burks/Hayes
Bagley def starts over Duren
What about Hami? I think Duren and Livers will be 3rd string until 2nd half.
PG – Ivey /Hayes
sG – Cunningham/burke/Joseph
SF – Bey/Livers/Diallo
PF – Bagley/Olynyk
C – Stew/Noel/Duren
Miles Bridges with quite possibly the biggest “L” in NBA history. Dude was hours away from agreeing to a $100+ million contract. Now, he is unsigned with a looming divorce that is going to cost him half of ALL the assets he has now. Won’t be able to see his kids unless it is a supervised visit at a location not his house. He may NEVER play in the NBA again. Just Wow!
@Very
Unfortunately he raps and some have suggested if his nba career is over he just turn to be a fulltime rapper. As a hip hop fan it’s said that ppl feel being wife beater wouldn’t be held against him. he likely has the money to pay for his own project.
Huh? What? Seriously? Only Rappers beat their wives? I guess you are one of those sleeping people? Get out of your basement.
@sf That’s not what he said
@cadagam
(woosh) sound of my words going completely over his head.
If Marks is correct (and that’s never something I would assume), then whoever negotiated the suspension powers on behalf of the NBAPA doesn’t understand the legal system. Suspensions are OK if charges are dropped (there was not enough evidence to go to trial), but not if the guy is found not guilty (there was enough evidence to go to trial, just not enough for a finding of guilt). It’s also too simplistic to equate a plea with a guilty verdict, but at least they are somewhat similar. Maybe the NBAPA just really trusts Adam Silver.
Marks’ tweet is accurate. Here’s the relevant CBA section on the NBA’s domestic violence policy:
“Based on a finding of just cause, the Commissioner may fine, suspend, or dismiss and disqualify from any further association with the NBA and its teams a player who engages in prohibited conduct in violation of this Policy.
“Any offense that involves conduct that violates this Policy, whether after trial or upon a plea of guilty, as well as any plea of no contest or nolo contendere, will conclusively establish a violation of this Policy. A violation based on this ground, however, shall in no way limit or prevent the NBA from continuing to investigate the incident. Additionally, such admission, conviction, or plea is not required in order for a Policy violation to have occurred. However, a player who is acquitted after trial in a criminal proceeding may not be subject to disciplinary penalties under this Policy.”
So, it is entirely at Silver’s discretion, as per the CBA. Since he is not a big draw $ wise, I would expect he is banned.
I think it’s subjective. I doubt a suspension is issued if charges are dropped without a settlement or their aren’t any weird details that need to be reviewed. But a not guilty verdict is pretty concrete as far as evidence to go on. I think they just don’t want to have NBA players making charges “disappear” through illegitimate means. So having the suspension still depend on perspective and subjectivity gives the NBA that wiggle room to fo the right thing in a sense.
It is just weird that the NBA can punish someone if there is not enough evidence to charge someone with a crime, but cannot punish them if there is enough evidence to charge them, but not enough to convict them (ie being found not guilty).
I just don’t like sports leagues or any employers acting as judge, jury, and executioner unless infractions occurs DURING work on the employer’s property. So if he dragged his wife to center court and beat her up, then the NBA should have a say. Otherwise, let the judicial system punish the man. That is why we have a legal system. It’s not a perfect system, but it a helluva lot more fair than the court of public opinion.
@hiflew
NFL is that way too. That’s what the whole Deshaun Watson debacle is about right now.
Oh I know. And MLB is the same way too. It all comes back to bad PR, but still it just doesn’t pass the smell test to me.
If Oladipo can play like he did in the playoffs he adds another layer to a team that probably would have won the title if 100% healthy
Oladipo staying in Miami. Is going under the radar imo. He’s had plenty of time to heal. He played well in playoffs. As a rotation guy. He is an excellent addition. Plus this enables Heat to move Herro for more help. Heat are going to make another move. They have to replace Tucker leaving. KD is still a possibility for Heat. Don’t count out Pat Riley.