Why did the Memphis Grizzlies tell Dillon Brooks that he can’t come back?

Following a slew of less-than-ideal moments involving the 27-year-old, most recently including a series of fiery exchanges with the Lakers and LeBron James, during his team’s losing effort in their opening round playoff series, the Grizzlies guard has finally seen the axe come down.

Grizzlies give Dillon Brooks his marching orders

According to reports, the Memphis Grizzlies have informed guard Dillon Brooks that he won’t be returning to the team “under any circumstances.” A second-round pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, Brooks has spent his entire career with the Grizzlies and will be an unrestricted free agent this summer. As for why the franchise took the choice, it’s understood that among his numerous disciplinary infractions, his recent poor performance and controversial antics during the series against the Lakers, was the last straw.

While there were many moments to choose from, perhaps the strangest of them was after the Grizzlies won Game 2. In his postgame press conference, Brooks began a puzzling rant about LeBron James as he referred to the Lakers star as “old” and “tired,” before declaring, “I poke bears. I don’t respect no one until they come and give me 40 [points].” Then came Game 3 - the Grizzlies lost - in which Brooks was ejected after he hit James in the groin. It gets worse. Game 4 - the Grizzlies lost again - was seemingly the showpiece moment in the would-be rivalry between Brooks and the bear that he poked. Indeed, it was James who put Brooks to bed in several critical moments. It also really didn’t help that when he had the ball, Brooks couldn’t produce. A fact only compounded by the notion that he refused to speak to reporters toward the end of the series. A $25,000 fine followed.

Dillon Brooks has not done himself any favors

Whether we’re talking about life or sport, the thing is this: If you’re going to talk the talk, then you better walk the walk. That’s to say, Dillon Brooks is a player with an edge to him which is absolutely fine and part of what makes the NBA so exciting. On the other hand, that edge becomes nothing more than a distraction or worse yet a disadvantage, if it’s not backed up by production. Quite simply, Brooks offensive numbers have dropped, while his transgressions have seemingly ramped up.

If we turn the clock back to last season during their second round playoff series with the Golden State Warriors, you will recall his flagrant foul on Gary Payton II which led to the latter breaking his elbow. There was also a groin hit on Donovan Mitchell from the Cavs earlier this season, as well as a blatant shove on a cameraman. We should also mention that he exceeded the technical foul limit for the season. Indeed, Brooks appeared indifferent when talking about the exorbitant amount he had paid in fines during the campaign. The point in all of this is that as much as each of those moments weren’t beneficial to the team, he was still producing. This season, however, has seen him average 14.3 points while shooting a career-low 39.6% from the field. Ultimately, the Grizzlies will lose one of the more solid perimeter defenders in the league, but when u consider the issues he causes both on and off the court and add to them his increasingly poor performances, then there isn’t much else to do but say goodbye.