For a guy who’s considered to be a throwback player, Jon Brockman certainly relies on his 21st Century technology.
The 23-year-old Snohomish native announced the official news of his move from the Sacramento Kings to the Milwaukee Bucks on his Twitter page Wednesday afternoon, when he made three posts in less than 30 minutes. And as far as getting to know his new city, well, Brockman had to rely on the information highway for that too.
“I don’t know much,” Brockman said Wednesday when asked about Milwaukee, “just what I’ve looked at online, on Wikipedia and stuff like that.”
Brockman, a 6-foot-7 power forward who averaged 2.8 points and 4.1 rebounds per game as a Sacramento rookie last season, has only spent one day in the Wisconsin city, and that’s when the Bucks were hosting the Kings in an NBA game last December.
What he knows about the Bucks is that they made it to the postseason last season, and that’s something the 25-57 Kings couldn’t say about themselves.
“I’m excited just that they were a playoff team,” said Brockman, a former University of Washington star. “They have some great players. We all want to win; that’s why we play.”
The Bucks are excited to have Brockman, too.
“Any fan base anywhere will appreciate a player who plays with the type of energy he does,” Bucks general manager John Hammond said.
“We’re excited about adding a player with his energy, his toughness and a player we think we can put on the floor and help us win games.”
Sacramento signed Brockman Wednesday to deal worth about $3 million over the next three years and then immediately traded him to Milwaukee. In the sign-and-trade deal, the Bucks sent forward Darnell Jackson and a second-round pick to the Kings.
Rumors of the trade began to circulate over the weekend, but Brockman was sworn to secrecy until Wednesday’s official announcement.
“I can’t help but be sad I’m leaving Sacramento,” Brockman said via telephone Wednesday afternoon. “It’s a great place, a great city, and the fans really embraced me. But I felt like there are a lot of opportunities in Milwaukee, with coach Scott Skiles and them being a playoff team. So I’m excited.”
Among the items that Brockman picked up during his rookie year in Sacramento was a new nickname. There was no word on whether “The Brockness Monster” moniker was part of Wednesday’s deal.
“I liked it,” Brockman said of his nickname. “It has a nice little ring to it. My feeling is, it’s going to follow me wherever I go.”
Brockman’s full-time residence is still at his parents’ home in Snohomish, where he can still be seen mowing the lawn once a week. He rented an apartment in Sacramento and expects to do the same in Milwaukee.
“We’ll have to wait and see,” said Brockman, who plans to be in Milwaukee today or Friday. “You never know what can happen.”
Associated Press contributed to this story.
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