Rodman signs two-game deal

DES MOINES, Iowa – The Rent-A-Rodman campaign will make a stop in Iowa next year.

Dennis Rodman, the former NBA star who has appeared in several leagues since leaving the NBA five years ago, has signed a two-game contract with the Cedar Valley Jaguars of the International Basketball League, IBL officials said Tuesday.

League commissioner Mikal Duilio said the signing is a promotional tactic, but maintains the IBL is not a “gimmick league.”

The signing was initiated by Jaguars owner Eduardo Diaz, who also was responsible for signing former NBA player Tim Hardaway last year to a brief contract.

Hardaway scored 45 points in his IBL debut, but Duilio said the 44-year-old Rodman doesn’t have the stamina to dominate the league, which only allots one timeout per quarter and averages 127 points per team.

“I guarantee he’ll have a lot of trouble,” Duilio said. “This league is fast.”

Terms of the contract were not released, but Duilio said the team does not expect to profit from the deal.

Diaz described Rodman as a “unique human being, who is not only a great athlete but also one of the best entertainers in the world.”

Rodman is expected to play for the Waterloo-based Cedar Valley team on May 19-20.

League officials said they could not afford to keep Rodman longer, but they hope he brings legitimacy to their league.