Dillon Brooks sounds off on being Grizzlies’ scapegoat

On Thursday, August 24, former starting small forward Dillon Brooks pushed back after the Memphis Grizzlies made him the scapegoat in their disappointing first-round exit following his “bear-poking” shenanigans with the Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James.

"“I felt like I always had him,” Brooks told Sportsnet’s Arash Madani on Thursday, referring to James. “I feel like that series was thrown upon me cause of the words that I say. But I’ve been saying things all year, and we won 50 games.”"

Brooks poked James with his “I don’t care. He’s old. … I poke bears” trash talk.

The 38-year-old James responded by leading the Lakers to a 4-2 series win, culminating with a dominant 125-85 victory in Game 6.

Dillon Brooks became somewhat of a distraction for the Grizzlies

Brooks became the center of attention as a result of the quarterfinal beef and, in turn, a distraction to the Grizzlies’ playoff campaign.

He threw more coals to the fire that was already smoking hot in the chimney. He added to the negativity that engulfed the organization under fire for their superstar, Ja Morant’s off-the-court troubles.

So, the Grizzlies let Brooks walk in the offseason.

"“We’re going to take a different approach as it pertains to [trash talk] next season,” Memphis general manager Zach Kleiman said during the team’s exit interviews. “You’ll see a different approach from this team, but at the same time, confidence is important. … There’s a line there, certainly.”"

Despite being ridiculed for his tough persona that backfired in the playoffs, however, Brooks laughed his way to the bank after landing a four-year, $80 million deal with the Houston Rockets, who are looking to accelerate their timeline.

"“I guess Houston was looking for a guy who fits my mold, and they needed a guy who is not scared to ruffle with all stars and superstars,” Brooks told Madani. “And then that physicality and that leadership, you know, so I’m happy that I could just shut up people who are thinking I was down and out.”"

Dillon Brooks likened his villain role to Kobe’s Black Mamba

Brooks was adamant that his toughness and brashness were his way of silencing the outside noises.

"“That thing is just a persona,” Brooks told Madani. “When I get on the court, I just go into that persona.”“It’s kind of like what Kobe did when he was going through his hardships. He created the “Black Mamba,” just trying to distract yourself away from all the noise and put it all into the game itself or into a persona. I think that’s why they gave me or created this villain role because I play aggressive and physical and then I the trash talking as well,” he explained."

Brooks will make his return to Memphis for the first time on December 15 since his abrupt exit this offseason. It will be fascinating to watch how the FedExForum crowd will receive him.

2 pros (and 1 con) of the Grizzlies schedule in 2023-24

Upon further examination of the 2023-24 regular season schedule for the Memphis Grizzlies, there appears to be two clear pros and one con.