Dillon Brooks Shades Carmelo Anthony, Dwight Howard; Says Udonis Haslem 'a Real Vet'

Dillon Brooks threw shade at former All-Stars Carmelo Anthony and Dwight Howard in his attempt to push back on the notion the Memphis Grizzlies need to bring in a veteran player to help their young roster.

Speaking to reporters after Thursday's win over the Golden State Warriors, Brooks said Anthony and Howard are fighting to "get back into the league" and "not trying to hone in on a guy" like a veteran player should to provide expertise.

Brooks cited Udonis Haslem of the Miami Heat as an example of a "real vet" leader.

There has been some debate about whether the Grizzlies need to add a strong player presence to their locker room given how young their roster is in general and recent incidents involving Ja Morant.

After the Grizzlies originally announced on March 4 that Morant would be away from the team for at least two games following an Instagram Live post that appeared to show him flashing a gun in a club, four-time All-Star DeMarcus Cousins posted this on Twitter:

The Grizzlies announced on Wednesday that Morant would miss at least their next four games, including their win over the Warriors.

Danny Green, who spent seven months with the Grizzlies before being traded to the Houston Rockets in February, said on a recent episode of his podcast (h/t DaMichael Cole of the Memphis Commercial Appeal) he "definitely felt like we needed another vet or two to help push the narrative or just help them understand the maturity part of it."

Per Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium, Grizzlies center Steven Adams recently spoke out during a players-only meeting about how the team needs to have more discipline on the road.

"Everyone in the room, I'm told, knew exactly who those comments were directed to…. Ja Morant," Charania said.

Anthony hasn't officially retired from the NBA, but he's gone unsigned after spending the 2021-22 season with the Los Angeles Lakers. Howard, who was also on the Lakers last season, is currently playing in Taiwan with the Taoyuan Leopards.

Haslem continues to get one-year contracts from the Miami Heat despite barely playing in games. The 42-year-old has featured in a total of 64 games since the start of the 2016-17 season, including six so far in 2022-23.

Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra has praised Haslem because his "genius is the fact that he's developing mentors around him, the next round of mentors, the guys who will really be caretakers for this culture and really help bring along other guys."

Even though "Heat culture" is a moniker that can be easy for fans and analysts to poke fun at, they've been one of the most stable organizations in the NBA throughout Haslem's 20-year career.

The Grizzlies have done a fantastic job of building a talented roster through the draft, with players like Morant, Brooks, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Desmond Bane. They are on track to make the playoffs for the third consecutive season, but this core is still trying to get to the Western Conference Finals for the first time.