Tag: Grizzlies

Dillon Brooks doesn’t deserve the treatment he’s getting from the Grizzlies or from you

Dillon Brooks is the last NBA villain we’re going to see for a while

Let me start this off by saying that I wouldn’t classify myself as a Dillon Brooks fan. In fact, I’m probably the opposite.

He’s a good player, but I don’t love his game. His shot selection is terrible and there are times where he just doesn’t need to be guarded on the offensive end, as we saw in the Grizzlies’ series against the Lakers. He probably — no, definitely — thinks he’s a bit better than he is.

With that being said, he’s still an extremely valuable player to have on your team.

He’s proven himself to be one of the better villains in the league. It doesn’t matter who he’s going up against — he’s confident. He will trash-talk you. He irrationally thinks he’s better than you. That’s a healthy thing for him as a competitor and for the league as a whole.

That’s why he’s such a fantastic defender. There aren’t many players in the NBA as committed to quite literally locking down the opponents best player and he does it pretty well.

Peep this wild stat from a deep profile on Brooks from ESPN’s Tim Keown.

“Brooks has matched up in the half-court defensively 922 times against this year’s All-Stars, the most of any player. He has held those All-Stars, from Tatum to Curry to Durant, to a 45.7% effective field goal percentage, which ranks first among the 72 players to record 400 such matchups. (League average, for comparison, is 54.6.)”

That’s good. This is what you can quite literally call lockdown defense. There are only a handful of players this good in the league at defending such a range of talented scorers in the NBA from Jayson Tatum to Steph Curry to Kevin Durant and more.

That’s why I was so confused by the report that Memphis is choosing not to bring Brooks back “under any circumstances.”

I’m sorry, y’all. But that is weird. 

Now, there are legitimate reasons that Memphis would not bring Brooks back. For example, that shot selection thing is a real problem. But for the reporting to say that Brooks won’t be back under any circumstances? I’m sorry. That just doesn’t make a ton of sense to me.

But that’s kind of been par for the course for Brooks over these last few weeks if we’re being honest. It all starts with him trash-talking LeBron James — or “poking the bear” as we love to call it — and it just continuously devolved into something very different in the days and weeks following.

After Brooks called LeBron James old, it almost felt like the entire NBA and all of its fandom came to James’ defense as if someone really needed to defend the NBA’s all-time leading scorer.

You had Stephen A. Smith saying that James needed to bust Brooks.  Then, Doris Burke kind of went in on Brooks’ talent during a live broadcast.

That stuff is mostly fine. It’s an honest analysis and critique. Is it harsh? Sure. Maybe even a step too far in some moments. But it is what it is.

Where things really started to go too far was with the jokes. Every single Grizzlies loss somehow turned into a referendum on Brooks as a player and led to jokes flying in from across the internet. It got to the point where Brooks very clearly felt targeted. And that’s not what happened — he started this with his trash talk and it just escalated. But perception is everything and Brooks had clearly had enough. That didn’t stop everyone from pressing harder and harder to the point where things bordered bullying.

Fast forward to Tuesday when reports came that Brooks was told to kick rocks by the Grizzlies and all most people had to offer up were jokes.

RELATED: 5 teams that might sign Dillon Brooks in NBA Free Agency.

There’s no real acknowledgment of the human element here. Brooks isn’t a person to most people — he’s just a caricature. Someone most folks will never meet in their own worlds.

But, the reality is, he’s a dude who just experienced a failure. He had a bad series and wound up losing his job for it after having a pretty solid year and a very good run with the Grizzlies. If that feels harsh, it should.

All of a sudden, that bit of perspective we gained after Giannis Antetokounmpo’s talk about failure is gone out the window. We’re right back to square one with jokes and ridicule for missteps that these athletes make. We revel in the consequences they suffer because, after all, the NBA is an entertainment product first.

And, look, the league is better with villains. We love a good foil. We need people to shake things up in the league. It’s awesome and entertaining when that happens.

We’ll always have agitators. Folks like Draymond Green, Jae Crowder and more still exist. There are also guys coming up like Jose Alvarado and Jeremy Sochan who fit snuggly into that role. But it’ll be a while before we get someone who goes full-on villain as Brooks did.

We only have ourselves to blame for that.

NBA Twitter reacts to Grizzlies not bringing back Dillon Brooks: ‘Future Shanghai resident’

Here’s how NBA Twitter reacted to the Memphis Grizzlies not bringing back Dillon Brooks.

According to Shams Charania, the Memphis Grizzlies have informed pending free agent Dillon Brooks that he will not be brought back under any circumstances.

NBA Twitter, as always, had a few reactions to the latest Brooks report.

LeBron James took more shots at the Grizzlies on social media after the Lakers destroyed Memphis

LeBron James is not letting up on the Grizzlies

If there’s one thing we’ve come to learn about LeBron James in his *checks notes* 20 years in the NBA, it’s that the dude is incredibly petty.

Everyone remembers when he wore the Ultimate Warrior shirt with a Kermit hat after coming back from a 3-1 series deficit against the Warriors in the 2016 Finals. This dude lives for these moments.

So it’s not shocking at all that James is still taking shots at the Grizzlies after the Lakers beat Memphis by 40 points to close out their series in Game 6. It’s not enough that James beat them. Nah. He’s going to make sure it’s felt.

He didn’t shake hands with the Grizzlies players at all after the game. But we already knew that, though.

Today, he continued the shenanigans. First, he posted on Instagram with a quite from rapper Mystikal — “If you ever see me in the forest with a Grizzly bear, help the bear.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/CroMTEqJP0O/?hl=en

If that wasn’t enough, he also hopped on Twitter to quote a JAY Z lyric from his song “Trouble.”

Yeah, this is a pretty direct response to Dillon Brooks calling Bron old. He very much did not like that.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again — this is amazing theater. Sports is better with rivalries. This is definitely going to go down as a pretty good one. We need more.

LeBron James didn’t shake hands with the Grizzlies after the Lakers absolutely destroyed Memphis by 40

LeBron James ain’t rocking with the Grizzlies.

The NBA is so much better when there are teams and players who seem to genuinely not like each other.

That’s definitely the vibe that we’re getting with the Grizzleis and Lakers.

You can’t tell me that the Lakers aren’t reveling in the fact that they just completely decimated Memphis by 40 points to put them out of the playoffs. And that they weren’t laughing hysterically in the locker room about Ja Morant’s “fine in the West” comments from months ago.

Obviously, things got a bit tense between these two sides after Dillon Brooks called LeBron James old. James, very obviously, did not appreciate that coming from the other side.

So, after the Lakers took out the Grizzlies by 40 points, James didn’t even bother to show his opponent any respect. He didn’t shake hands with the Grizzlies at all.

Instead, he went straight to the locker room after taking care of business. The game wasn’t even over yet — there were still 14 seconds left on the clock before the final buzzer.

Dude didn’t care.

That’s the pettiness I absolutely love to see. Shaking hands after the game is a sign of respect. It’s very clear, LeBron doesn’t respect the Grizzlies. At all.

It’s not just this series, either. The tension between these two sides has been brewing for months — since the Shannon Sharpe debacle, really. You know what the vibes are.

If you didn’t, LeBron just made it crystal clear here. He ain’t rocking with those dudes. It is what it is.

Give me this series again next year, please. We need part 2.

Ja Morant caught flack for his ‘Fine in the West’ comments after being eliminated by the Lakers but he took it in stride

Fans didn’t hold back on Ja Morant and the Grizzlies

Ja Morant and the Grizzlies weren’t worried about the Western Conference at all back in December  — at least, according to Morant, anyway.

As it turns out, though, the Grizzlies should’ve been worried. Very worried. Memphis was eliminated by the No. 7 seed Lakers on Friday. And it wasn’t just that — they actually lost in Game 6 by 40 points to get eliminated.

That seems like the exact opposite of fine. It’s the exact opposite of the vibe Ja Morant gave Malika Andrews back in December when she asked him about what teams he should be watching.

He quite literally said “I’m fine in the West” when asked what opponents he should be worried about. Now, everyone is making fun of Morant and the Grizzlies for it.

To be fair to Ja, he is taking the criticism in stride. He knows what he said, he’s been hearing about it for months and he’s taking it on the chin. That’s the sign of a good trash-talker.

Still, that didn’t stop the jokes from flowing in.

LeBron James had the most harsh (but honest!) evaluation of his Game 5 performance against the Grizzlies

LeBron James wasn’t happy with his Game 5 performance at all.

LeBron James has seen a ton in the NBA. Nothing is truly going to phase him at this point.

The things he’s done in the clutch throughout his career show you exactly how unfazed this dude is. It’s to the point where he’s either going to have a great game or he won’t — and, normally, he does.

But on Wednesday night against the Grizzlies, boy, LeBron was bad. Very bad. For the first time in a long time he actually did look old.

RELATED: A timeline of Dillon Brooks’ and LeBron James’ beef history.

James was asked about his performance and how he hit the level he needed to hit to win the game. And, well, he had an extremely harsh critique of his own play after scoring just 15 points on 17 shots. He did grab 10 rebounds and dish out 5 assists, but it wasn’t enough.

And he was completely honest about his performance.

“Tonight, I was [expletive],” James told reporters after the game. “And I’ll be better in game 6.”

Totally fair, LeBron. Totally fair. His teammates aren’t concerned about it at all. Anthony Davis called James the greatest player to ever touch the court after this performance and said “he’ll be fine.”

James is definitely going to give it his best shot in Game 6. The Grizzlies better watch out.

NBA Twitter reacts to Lakers beating Grizzlies in Game 3: ‘Dillon Brooks got the wrong dogs in him’

It was an eventful night in L.A. with Dillon Brooks ejected for hitting LeBron James in the groin and Ja Morant going off for 45 points but the Lakers ultimately prevailed over Memphis 111-101. As always, NBA Twitter had a lot to say.

It was an eventful night in L.A. with Dillon Brooks ejected for hitting LeBron James in the groin and Ja Morant going off for 45 points (including 24 in the fourth quarter), but the Lakers ultimately prevailed over Memphis 111-101, thanks to a monster game by Anthony Davis.

As always, NBA Twitter had a lot to say.

Stephen A. Smith’s message to LeBron James on Dillon Brooks: ‘You gotta bust his [expletive]’

LeBron James is definitely going to try to score 40 on Dillon Brooks now

Dillon Brooks has been talking greasy to just about everyone in the NBA. It’s part of his game. Honestly, it’s kind of fun, too. The NBA needs more Black Air Force 1 energy in it.

But, man, he’s been coming especially hard at LeBron James for the last two weeks.

The dude just won’t stop poking the bear. First, he called James and the Lakers out before LA’s play-in game against the Timberwolves. Now, Brooks is calling James old — literally. He said he’s old, y’all!

RELATED: The beef history between LeBron James and Dillon Brooks.

It’s safe to say that Dillons Brooks has added himself to the list of LeBron James agitators. He’s now with the Joakim Noahs and Lance Stephensons of the world.

So, now, LeBron has to teach him a lesson. That’s if the Lakers want to win this series, anyway. Stephen A. Smith said as much on the latest episode of First Take. 

He matter-of-factly told James exactly how he needs to deal with Brooks.

“When you chirp like Dillon Brooks chirped last night, you gotta bust his [expletive]. Excuse my language. I’m not talking about Games 4, 5, 6, 7. Winning the series. I’m talking about a game where you make a statement and remind him who the hell you are. And this is one of those moments if you’re LeBron James. 

Honestly, folks? Stephen A. has a point here. Brooks ain’t wrong. James is well past his prime.

But the thing here is LeBron James is still, well, LeBron James. He’s one of the greatest players to ever pick up a basketball. He’s literally the NBA’s all-time leading scorer.

Dillon Brooks is out here calling that guy old. With his Stunna Shades on in the middle of a press scrum. It takes a lot of nerve to do that. Clearly, Brooks has all the nerve.

Game 3 is going to be so exciting. Buckle in, y’all. Bron is definitely going to try for 40.

LeBron James drew up a play calling his own number for the Lakers and, of course, it worked

LeBron James should do the whole “player-coach” thing for one game.

Of course, we all know LeBron James to be an extension of a coach on the court.

Obviously, he’s one of the smartest basketball players to ever touch the hardwood. The way he dissects defenses has been surgical throughout his career. It’s always been cool to watch. He’s crafty.

But yo. Who actually made this dude a literal coach on the court?

Bron really picked up the clipboard against the Grizzlies in the clutch moments of a playoff game and drew up a play. The thing about it, though, is that the play actually worked. The Lakers — well, uh, actually, LeBron himself — got the bucket.

That’s impressive, man. And, of course, it worked. It’s LeBron James. He’s one of the best basketball minds on the planet. If he wanted to do the whole “player-coach” thing, he probably could.

Now, it didn’t matter much in the grand scheme. The Grizzlies still won the game. And Dillon Brooks is still talking trash.

Expect a lot more of LeBron calling his own number in Game 3. Not just because the gameplan called for it, but Dillon Brooks did, too. He’s going to be out here looking for revenge.

NBA Twitter reacts to Lakers beating Grizzlies in wild Game 1: ‘Austin Reaves… Kobe of the Ozarks’

Here’s how NBA Twitter reacted to the Lakers stealing a wild Game 1 in Memphis against the Grizzlies.

The Los Angeles Lakers managed to steal Game 1 in Memphis over the Grizzlies after a 128-112 battle.

Rui Hachimura (29 points), a clutch Austin Reaves (14 points in the fourth quarter) and Anthony Davis (24 points, 12 rebounds, 7 blocks) led the Lakers to victory, while Memphis lost Ja Morant in the process with an apparent hand injury.

Here’s how NBA Twitter reacted to a wild Game 1.