Getty Zach LaVine #8 and DeMar DeRozan #11 of the Chicago Bulls.
One of the biggest criticisms of the Chicago Bulls was that they lacked the necessary edge to assert themselves, particularly in tense situations.
Former Bulls big man and three-time champion Stacey King thinks former Memphis Grizzlies swingman Dillon Brooks could help with that and, for the right price, he thinks the Bulls should be in on the outspoken 27-year-old.
“I think we I think people have blown it out of proportion with the trash talk,” King, now a color analyst for the Bulls, said on his ‘Gimme The Hotsauce’ podcast on May 5. “That kid’s gonna get picked up by somebody if I’m a playoff caliber team – if I’m the Bulls – if I can get him at a price that’s affordable? Oh, yeah. I’m bringing him on this roster.”
It was reported by Shams Charania of The Athletic that the Grizzlies informed Brooks that he would not return next season “under any circumstances”.
He (now infamously) talked trash to Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James only to see his team get sent home in six games. Brooks remained defiant to criticisms of his boisterousness and even questioned his role in Memphis.
Now he will have to find a new organization to suit up for.
Dillon Brooks Could Have Plenty of Interest
To King’s point, Brooks might not be short on suitors this summer as a player who has averaged double figures in four consecutive seasons and five of his six seasons in the NBA. He’s not a great shooter – just 32.6% last season and 33.8% since he began shooting them in bulk.
But he is a feisty defender with good size for the position and the dogged mentality that the Bulls had to find in 34-year-old Patrick Beverley after the All-Star break.
You can laugh and make all the jokes about Dillon Brooks, but make no mistake; this guy is a menace on defense.
Letting him go will be a big mistake for the Grizzlies, and any team would benefit from his gritty play if he keeps his ego in check.
So far, the Detroit Pistons and Miami Heat have both been named as potential frontrunners for Brooks, highlighting just how broad of an appeal he might have to other teams.
“I’d take him in a second,” King said. “Hell to the yes I would take him. Listen, the kid is a two-way player, okay? He may not be the best shooter. But he’s a bigger version of Patrick Beverly. I mean Patrick Beverly’s antics are worse than Dillon Brooks’. I mean if you really think about it. And I love Patrick. But [Brooks is] the type of guy that, if you’re going into a street fight, you want him – you want guys like Patrick Beverly, you want guys like Ron Artest on your side.
“Give me dogs and he’s a dog, and he’s a guy that can defend. He can defend his position and he can knock down shots. I just think that he got himself so much into his own head after what he did backfired that not talking to the media you know that killed him.”
Bulls to Target Shooting
The Bulls’ need for toughness might only be outweighed by their need for three-point shooting after executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas noted he wanted to alter the team’s shot profile for next season.
Brooks, for better or worse, would certainly do that.
His 6.0 attempts would have been second on the Bulls behind only Zach LaVine and Karnisovas was clear that part of their problem was guys passing up open looks.
The only question would be just how equipped is the Bulls’ locker room – which had ups and downs last season, though not on the level of Brooks’ antics – to handle such a strong personality or loose cannon offensively.