Inside The Rockets

LeBron Rival Dillon's A Villain; How Rockets Can Fix Brooks' Rep

Former Grizzlies star Dillon Brooks will enter his seventh NBA season as one of the most hated players in the league, but with a fresh start ahead, that could begin to change for the better.

Matt Guzman

In this story:

HOUSTON — If Dillon Brooks is serious about poking bears, maybe that should only happen when he plays his old Memphis Grizzlies team. 

Instead of suiting up for the Grizzlies like he has for the last six seasons, Brooks will be taking his talents to the Houston Rockets after securing a four-year, $80 million contract on Saturday. 

His signing made waves across the NBA — some of which haven't subsided — and when he officially arrives in Houston, he'll likely continue to make headlines, which would normally be a good thing. The difference with Brooks, however, is that he's become one of the most notorious players in just a matter of months. 

Before Memphis' series against LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers in the second round, Brooks was seen a solid defender who had proven to be a big part of the Grizzlies' success over the years; he was a proven competitor.

That was a completely different story by the end of the Grizzlies' six-game series. Behind a few poor shooting performances and a lot more off-court talk, Brooks' public perception was slimmed and solidified into one single word: "Villain.'' .. and not just because it rhymes with "Dillon.''

Making fun of LeBron, as he did during that series, backfired ... and made Brooks look silly - so much so that the Grizzlies literally announced their disinterest in re-signing him.

That's how he'll be known when he enters the Rockets training facility, but that's not how it has to stay. In fact, Brooks' change of scenery could be the best thing to happen to him thus far in his seven-year professional career ... just maybe.

Brooks is known to be a talker. He's been that way since entering the league, calling out players before and after games — regardless of who they are. It's the biggest reason for his public downfall, but despite the harsh backlash he's received, he isn't sorry. 

He's far from it, actually. 

"That's who I am and that's what I'm going to be," Brooks said during his team's second-round battle with the Lakers. "At the end of the day, it's just competition. Most people are scared to compete, and that's why they get rattled or feel some type of way when I play against them." 

James was Brooks' latest, and consequentially, last target of the season back in April. The 38-year-old superstar never responded to the Grizzlies forward during the series, but his following Twitter message revealed that Brooks was right. Even if his jeering didn't work on the court, it certainly made James feel “some type of way." 

"If you ever see me fighting in the forest with a grizzly bear, HELP THE BEAR," James wrote on his Instagram.

James' remarks came in a direct reply to Brooks' most controversial statement of the entire playoffs, when he called James "old" before going on to state that he "poked bears" — a now-popular soundbite used over highlight reels of the Lakers eliminating the Grizzlies. 

Villain doesn't sound too far-fetched for the 27-year-old, does it? 

His comments, almost always delivered in a monotone voice, gives insight into Brooks' mindset, which goes hand-in-hand with Rockets coach Ime Udoka, who prides himself on relating to his players — Brooks being no exception. 

"Overcoming adversity and obstacles is who I've been," Udoka said at his introductory press conference with the Rockets. "I have touched every role as a player and coach. I've been in a lot of situations where I can understand what the players are going through."

Udoka has been the source of major backlash himself, stemming from multiple workplace violations in which he allegedly had an intimate relationship with a team employee. The scandal led to Udoka's immediate suspension and later release from the Boston Celtics, setting him up to take the job in Houston after Stephen Silas' firing. 

Not only did the job give him a second chance, having earned the trust of Houston's organization, but it also sets up the veteran coach to help guide Brooks out of the media frenzy hole he's dug himself into. 

That's Step 1 of Brooks' Rockets revival: Get guidance in how to funnel all that passion in the proper direction. Step 2 is entirely on the former Grizzly, now in prime position to become a team leader on and off the court for Houston's up-and-coming core. 

As it stands, the Rockets have one of the youngest rosters in the league, with an average age of 24. Brooks is one of two major free agents that the Rockets have signed thus far — the other being Toronto's Fred VanVleet — but while he hasn't passed the age-30 mark, he is older than more than half of his new teammates.

That lack of experience isn't stopping Udoka — nor should it Brooks. 

"Youth is not an excuse," Udoka said, well aware of his team's roster. "I took a big look at the landscape of what we have here in Houston, [and] it's a destination that's very attractive to players ... they've done a good job building for the future. ... The sky's the limit as far as [our young talent] is concerned."

Is Brooks talking about change? Not yet.

"I'm playing basketball," Brooks said. "I'm a basketball player. The media [makes] me a villain, the fans [make] me a villain and then that just creates a whole different persona for me. I'm [just] going to keep doing what I do and get better."

Brooks represents a lot of what the Rockets wanted. He’s competitive. He’s a defensive talent who isn't afraid of a challenge and who won't back down in the face of ... well, a bear.  But this pairing will make even more sense if Brooks remakes himself into a leader more than a villain.

And it will be at that time when Brooks represents all of what the Rockets want ... and represents himself better as well.

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Matt Guzman
MATT GUZMAN

Matt Guzman is a 19-year-old sports journalist and storyteller from Austin, Texas. He is currently a sophomore at the University of Missouri pursuing a degree in journalism with a sports writing and reporting emphasis, along with a sports analytics certificate. He serves as a staff writer and reporter for the SI/FanNation network covering collegiate sports, pro football and pro basketball.

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