wile_e8

March 28th, 2018 at 10:29 AM ^

I'm surprised he's passing up the opportunity to come back and lose to Michigan three times next year.

Must already have plenty of memories of Sweet Sixteens and Final Fours at MSU. 

ijohnb

March 28th, 2018 at 10:31 AM ^

of luck to the guy.  He played hard, seemed like a good kid, just didn't go to a program that maximized his ability.

In reply to by ijohnb

MGoChippewa

March 28th, 2018 at 10:36 AM ^

There are plenty of hateable Spartans out there, but I can respect Miles Bridges.  Best wishes to him in the NBA, and hopefully he finds a good fit and can display his talents.

ijohnb

March 28th, 2018 at 10:47 AM ^

I guess.  But aside from going to State, I never saw anything objectionable from Bridges.  He was physical but not dirty.  Never saw him really talk excessively.  He did look generally angry on the Court instead of happy but that applies to really all players under Izzo.  It just does not look like a lot of fun.

Chalky White

March 28th, 2018 at 10:54 AM ^

Miles Bridges didn't die. He's going to the NBA. We don't have to throw out all of the "he was a good man" comments. 

 

I'm still laughing about his comment about being embarassed for losing to a team that doesn't focus on toughness. He better start practicing his tough face in the mirror if he wants to be a 1st round pick. That's the first thing they want to see in the combine interview.

MH20

March 28th, 2018 at 11:11 AM ^

Why is it odd? He played for a rival and seemed to have an attitude of "I just need to show up and win" versus Michigan so I don't understand the need to fawn over him.

His postgame comments after the Breslin game were laughable and I think the above poster is correct (if slightly t-i-c about it) because for all his talk about toughness he sure loved to float around the perimeter. Tip jams do not equal toughness.

ijohnb

March 28th, 2018 at 11:15 AM ^

guess because I don't feel the need to hate on college kids?  Maybe?  When somebody is embarking on a new endeavor, I usually say good luck to them.  So that is what I posted.  Not that he is going to read it, just habit I suppose.  I guess I should have said "you suck, fake tough guy who took too many perimeter shots."

canzior

March 28th, 2018 at 1:17 PM ^

I agreed with you though. To be 245 pounds, he spent a lot of time on the perimeter. I can't speak to whether it's a toughness issue or an unwillingness to get in the paint, but I was very enthusiastic about a win, once I realized he was more interested in taking jumpers. 

ldevon1

March 28th, 2018 at 2:56 PM ^

are both correct. Today, its like people can't have differing opinions on any subject. You never have to get personal with someone. but you also don't have to always agree. I have no opinion, one way or the other, except glad he is gone.

In reply to by ijohnb

CLion

March 28th, 2018 at 4:08 PM ^

Don't worry about it, man. A lot of people on this blog have an older brother complex.

uncle leo

March 28th, 2018 at 11:37 AM ^

Got the vibe that he just needed to "show up and win". He played his ass off in those games, and you could tell.

I got nothing bad to say about Bridges. You have to dig really deep to find things to not like about him. 

No one is fawning over him. Just showing respects to a damn good college ball player. That's all. Don't make it so deep.

MH20

March 28th, 2018 at 11:54 AM ^

I admitted my response was a bit over the top in the follow-up reply to ijohnb and maybe "show up and win" was the wrong way of putting it. To me he had that smarmy Izzo-ness about him and I'm not sad that he's leaving MSU on a three-game losing streak to Michigan.

MaizeAndBlueWahoo

March 28th, 2018 at 12:09 PM ^

I think this is a rare Internet discussion: everyone's right.  Bridges has always seemed like a pretty good dude.  And this MSU team, of which he was definitely the face, absolutely bought into their own hype and never really fought for a win, unless I guess you count Northwestern.

Also, even if he were Mother Teresa reincarnate, I wouldn't feel sad about him leaving on a three-game losing streak to Michigan.

Franz Schubert

March 28th, 2018 at 5:33 PM ^

But as powerfully built as he was, he didn’t drive much. But then again, that was probably because his weak handle prevented him from creating his own shot against good defenders.

Chalky White

March 28th, 2018 at 12:19 PM ^

I always got the "I am Negan" vibe regarding his Izzo discipleship, similar to Draymond Green and Valentine. I didn't have beef with Mateen or any of the other players in those teams. I'm annoyed by this new breed of player the little ball of hate brings in.

If Winston left, I would wish him luck. I don't have a problem with him.

Mr Miggle

March 28th, 2018 at 12:48 PM ^

I'd be willing to bet that his comment about toughness reflected what was drilled into him and his teammates. They are taught a physical style of play and have a coach constantly yelling at them to make them tough. Michigan is used as an example of a team that isn't and they're expected to beat us for that reason.

champswest

March 28th, 2018 at 1:24 PM ^

and had an outstanding career at MSU. I wish him well in the NBA.

As for things not to like about him, I always thought it odd how often Izzo had to call him out for not playing hard or being aggressive enough.

On a related note, even coach Dane Fife said that he never saw a team that relied so much on the coaching staff for motivation. That too seems odd for a team that had their year long sights set on winning a national championship.

TrueBlue2003

March 28th, 2018 at 12:09 PM ^

from Izzo though.  These kids are brainwashed into thinking physical. "tough" basketball is what wins games.  You know, doing rebounding drills that are more like a game of tackle 21 than basketball because that's how Izzo made a name for himself 20 years ago when the Bad Boys model was very much a thing and basketball was a different game.

I don't really blame the players for their ignorance.  Izzo has been feeding them a pile of stale BS since he started recruiting them and they parrot the talking points.  He'll get drafted and within the first week a coach will tell him "those 16-19 foot jumpers are terrible shots, they are open because the defense wants you to shoot them, and you will not shoot those shots again, unless you have to at the end of the shot clock" and he'll start to get it.  Could be a really good player with the right coaching.

MH20

March 28th, 2018 at 11:13 AM ^

Here:

"We just gotta get tougher. It’s pretty simple," Bridges said to Murphy. "Teams are out-toughing us. ...That’s tough, especially to a school like that, that don’t even focus on [being tough]."

 

Bridges would also go on to admit his embarrassment at the fact the Spartans lost to the Wolverines at home.

"We're the one that's supposed to be out-toughing people," Bridges said. "To be out-toughed at home to our rival school is embarrassing."

 

ijohnb

March 28th, 2018 at 11:42 AM ^

think the part that rankles is the "to a school like that, that doesn't even focus on being tough."  Weird thing is, at the time, I don't think that statement was too off-base.  I would not have described Michigan as a tough team at the time.  Only two months later, but I certainly would now. 

In reply to by ijohnb

uncle leo

March 28th, 2018 at 11:49 AM ^

For the better part of Beilein's tenure, toughness/defense/rebounding has never been a talking point.

This year has been a massive exception to the rule. I hope it continues to be important.

TrueBlue2003

March 28th, 2018 at 12:20 PM ^

being "tough" doesn't necessarily win basketball games.  Sure you need to be mentally "tough" or a better word for it would be focused. You need to play smart (don't take all those bad shots Miles).

But emphasizing "toughness" as the differentiating competitive advantage is dumb on their part.  I think they also too easily mistake physical toughness with the much important mental toughness so it's poor nomenclature on the coaches part to talk so much about that. 

It's also a good indicator that just because you talk about "toughness" all the time like Sparty does, doesn't mean you focus on it more than other teams as Bridges is implying.  Say less, do more.

taut

March 28th, 2018 at 1:14 PM ^

Sounded to me like he was dismayed that a "finesse" team beat his "tough" team and that maybe that meant his tough team wasn't tough enough. Makes sense if it's been drilled into his head by Izzo that toughness is what wins games. They've looked at 3-point shooting, fancy offense Michigan as a pretty team, not a tough team.

Sam1863

March 28th, 2018 at 2:41 PM ^

Every time I hear a player from Team A talk about how Team B "isn't as tough" as his, I always want to ask:

Maybe Team B isn't as tough as yours - but you still lost to them.

So what does that make you?

FreddieMercuryHayes

March 28th, 2018 at 11:28 AM ^

Kind of my thoughts exactly.  He never seemed like a bad dude, but he is the embodiment of a recent Izzo team: athletic marvel that plays an old style of basketball and thinks toughness is yelling a lot and flexing after getting an open dunk.  Has no idea what true toughness is, as do none of Izzo's recent teams as far as I can remember.

yossarians tree

March 28th, 2018 at 2:56 PM ^

That "toughness" badge all the Sparties want to wear is so much just them believing their own bullshit. As if they just have to put on the jersey and everyone is going to tell them how tough they are. I've heard that one of the main knocks the scouts have on Bridges is that he's too soft. He'd better de-program himself from Sparty delusion and figure it out because bullshit doesn't fly with grown-ass men in the NBA.

uncle leo

March 28th, 2018 at 4:27 PM ^

Because it looks terrible the way you quoted it.

He said you shouldn't be getting out-toughed by a rival at home, against a team that isn't known for toughness. For the better part of a decade, Michigan hasn't been tough. It's just now that they are finally doing so.

"They just wanted it more than we did," Bridges said. "They played harder and played tougher."

 

YOU HORRIBLE MAN!

snarling wolverine

March 28th, 2018 at 4:41 PM ^

That wasn't the only time he talked shit about us.  He had some choice things to say a year ago as well.

I'm not saying he's a "horrible man" either, just not someone particularly likeable.  (I would nominate Gary Harris as a Spartan player that I thought seemed like a good guy.)