Rodman A Rascal, Not A Role Model

Dr. J strolled into the legendary Green Room at NBC Studios and lolled casually on a newly reupholstered velour couch. A rather legendary figure himself, the good doctor had just finished doing a Minneapolis radio show on the telephone with former NBA player Trent Tucker.

So, what was Tucker’s first question, and what did you say about Dennis Rodman in reply?

Julius Erving, slightly gray now but still a trim 6-foot6, raised his eyebrows and leaned forward, engulfing the arm of the couch with his huge hand. He grinned.

Even before the Sports Illustrated cover, Rodman was THE topic among sporting enthusiasts. Even hockey people are talking about his kaleidoscopic hair, tattooed and punctured body parts, and lackadaisical work ethic.

“Trent asked me if I’d like to have Dennis Rodman as a teammate. I said, no,” said Erving, who is NBC’s NBA studio analyst. “If he was the same guy he was in Detroit, I probably would. … But the guy I see out there now is in his own world, and he really doesn’t care.

“He’s apparently committed himself to the stand that he doesn’t care, and that’s unfortunate.”

What’s really unfortunate is that Dr. J came along too early to be a role model for my kids, although there’s an 11-year-old at my house who claims to know who he is. What’s also unfortunate is that this kid and his 6-year-old brother, an NBA nut of the first order, have discovered Rodman.

I guess they think he’s the orange Power Ranger.

“When kids pick their heroes nowadays, they do it because he’s the popular choice,” Erving said. “They haven’t thought about it and done their homework. But you can make intelligent decisions. When I picked my role models growing up, I read about them. Now, it’s all marketing and merchandising.”

In fact, the NBA has been so influenced by marketing and merchandising, that personalities have become bigger than franchises. From a TV standpoint, for example, it no longer matters if the NBA finals involve teams from major market areas as long as they have major names, like Shaquille O’Neal or Michael Jordan.

“That didn’t happen overnight,” said Erving, who was Michael Jordan before Michael Jordan was. “Sometimes the players are bigger than the league. But players come and go, and in the long run, the teams will prevail.”

In the old ABA and later in the NBA, Erving bridged the gap between two basketball eras, helping usher in a modern game that requires all but its tiniest stars to play above the rim.

“When I played, the above-the-rim game was reserved for 7-footers,” Erving said. “Of course, there are about 30-40 7-footers in the league now. There were, what, 10 or so back then?

“When I won the MVP in 1981, I was the first noncenter to win it since Oscar Robertson.” And that was in 1964.

Out takes

OK, so Indy wasn’t so bad. I admit I watched the last half hour on ABC, and nearly enjoyed it. But I’m still in a quandary over a few things.

Like, what if they had an accident, and everybody was rubber-necking?

Or, is it true they’re going to put speed bumps on pit lane if Bobby Rahal doesn’t slow down?

Or, why does Scott Goodyear use Firestone tires? Do

you suppose anybody at the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. got fired over that?

Oh, and a piece of advice to Scott Pruett, Jimmy Vasser and all those other drivers who hit the wall at Indy: Go to the end of the straightaway and hang a left!

Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras make lousy tennis rivals. So says former tennis great turned NBC announcer, John McEnroe.

“It seems to me a rivalry needs a little bit more antagonism, so maybe it would be better off if they got a little irritated at each other,” McEnroe said. “It might help things a little. It seems too nice out there to me.

“That doesn’t mean that they have to start hating each other. I just think that when they’re out there - I mean it’s easy for me to say - but a little bit more emotion by the two players toward what they’re doing and toward each other would make things more interesting.”