Editor's note: This story was initially published on Jan. 15.
DILLON BROOKS RACKED up two technical fouls.
In one of his first runs with the Phoenix Suns, the physical, fiery forward -- as he frequently does -- vehemently disagreed with some of the whistles.
And, much to the amusement of his new teammates, the local refs the Suns had hired to call this September pickup game inside the team's practice facility quickly rang Brooks up.
"That's when I kind of knew he was different," Suns guard Collin Gillespie told ESPN with a chuckle.
The Suns desperately needed "different" after the first two full seasons under Mat Ishbia's ownership were epic failures. Phoenix landed in the lottery last year despite having the highest payroll in NBA history, forcing the brash billionaire to reconsider his all-in approach, moving on from the Suns' splashiest, most expensive acquisitions by opting to trade Kevin Durant and waive Bradley Beal.
Ishbia considered the Suns' too-often lackadaisical approach to be even more embarrassing than their 36-46 record. Ishbia wanted his franchise to reflect the scrappiness and toughness that he was taught as a walk-on guard at Michigan State under legendary, hard-nosed coach Tom Izzo.