Dillon Brooks quickly rose to revelance as the one of the most hated NBA villains in recent history. The Memphis Grizzlies used Brooks as a scapegoat after the Los Angeles Lakers bounced them out of the second round of last season’s playoffs.
Now, Brooks just signed huge new deal with the Houston Rockets and former NBA sharpshooter JJ Redick rubs it in his haters’ faces.
New Money
The Rockets recently signed Brooks to a four-year deal worth $80 million. In case your math is off, that is $20 million a year. The contract is not surprise after seeing the value Brooks can bring to a team with his defense, solid offensive numbers, and the passion he plays with. The surprise came when many NBA fans wrote the 27-year-old forward off after the Grizzlies let him walk following their embarrassing playoff exit.
In May, the team announced Brooks would not be brought under any circumstance, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic.
After hearing the news of Brooks’ new deal, Redick went on his “The Old Man and The Three” podcast to let the haters have a piece of his mind.
“And I want to say one thing about Dillon Brooks. Because I said this when that report came out. I thought it was bull****. Everybody spent a month clowning this guy. They clowned him during the Lakers series. They clowned him afterward. They clowned him after the report came out. I saw all the memes on Twitter and IG about him needing to learn Mandarin because he was going to play in China. Mother****** just signed for 80 million,” Redick said.
He continued, “He’s a good player. Valuable player. I said it many times. I’ll say it again. I want a Dillon Brooks on my team. I want a disruptor. I want a guy that’s a pest, and I want a guy that can defend at his level. He’s an all-defensive type player.”
Two Sides to Every Story
The Rockets front office seems to be committed to returning to the playoffs. This offseason, they hired Ime Udoka as the new head coach, signed Brooks and Fred VanVleet in free agency, and drafted Amen Thompson as well as Cam Whitmore in the first round of the 2023 NBA draft.
The sky seems to be the limit with a proven head coach, good mix of young talent, and now two very good NBA veterans who are highly capable of playing at all-star levels. Brooks is still a wild card for any team who is willing to commit to him long term.
He woke the Lakers and LeBron James up with his trash talking that backfired.
“I poke bears. I don’t respect anyone until they come and give me 40,” said Brooks to reporters after Game 2 of the second-round series.
James registered a 20-point and 20-rebound game in Game 3. In addition to Brooks not backing up his bold talk on the defensive end, he also struggled shooting the ball last season. He shot only 39.6 percent from the field and 32.6 percent from the three during the regular season. The numbers went down in the playoffs as he only shot 31.2 percent from the floor and 23.8 percent from three in the Lakers series.
If Brooks could rein in his antics and become a more efficient shooter for the Rockets then they could easily land anywhere between the sixth to eighth playoff spots in the Western Conference.
