The Memphis Grizzlies and Golden State Warriors do not like each other, particularly after a conference semifinals series a year ago in which there were allegations of dirty play from both sides, plenty of chippiness, and even more chatter.
The Warriors won that series in six games en route to their fourth championship in eight years, but the upstart Grizzlies have not stopped talking about Golden State since. Most recently, Dillon Brooks took aim at Draymond Green in an ESPN profile on the Memphis wing who is at this point best known for his antics, like hitting Donovan Mitchell in the nuts, and propensity for getting into scuffles and running his mouth — as he recently served a one-game suspension for getting his 16th technical of the season.
Brooks said he doesn’t want any comparisons to Green, noting how he doesn’t like the Warriors star big man and downplaying Draymond’s impact on the court. That, of course, made its way to Draymond who used his podcast to torch Brooks, calling into question whether his Grizzlies teammates like him and explaining he’s one of the main reasons they won’t compete for a championship.
.@Money23Green responds to Dillon Brooks’ comments pic.twitter.com/cHu7R9A5nf
— The Volume (@TheVolumeSports) March 8, 2023
“If you ever wondered why the Memphis Grizzlies is not ready to compete for a championship, look no further than this idiot right here,” Green says. “They’re actually depending on this guy to win a championship, and he says ‘his game is cool.’ Quite frankly, that just shows how little you know about basketball. And yet you runnin’ around talkin’ about a dynasty? The dynasty starts after you. Not with you.”
Brooks’ ability to make just about everyone around the league dislike him is fairly impressive, as Green is far from the first player to light him up publicly — Mitchell did the same after their scuffle earlier this year. He, like the Grizzlies as a team, has an awful lot to prove in the coming months as there’s been a lot of chatter out of Memphis that teams and fans are starting to want to see backed up in the postseason.