Rodman Gives Bulls Flair, Red Hair
A white towel covering his bright red hair, Dennis Rodman joined his teammates in sideline huddles and even wore his sneakers while sitting on the bench.
In the game, Rodman grabbed 10 rebounds in 23 minutes, bumped fists with Michael Jordan after the two connected on a nice play, exchanged shoves with an opposing player, protested officiating calls, pointed to the crowd when he made his only basket, and sprawled on the court in an effort to stop the ball from rolling out of bounds.
Wearing his new number, 91, Rodman sent a message in his Chicago debut Friday night that he is serious about trying to win an NBA championship. And the former Detroit Bad Boy has a vision of what he hopes will be the bigger, badder Bulls.
“This team is going to be a circus on the road. Everybody’s going to want to see the Chicago Bulls,” Rodman said after his new team opened the preseason with a 110-85 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers at the Peoria Civic Center.
“I want the team not to look at Dennis Rodman and say that he’s trying to get all the attention; I’m not trying to do that,” he said. “I want the team to have an attitude. I want them to have a game face on every day. If they see me down on the floor, I want them down on the floor. If they see me getting stitches, I want them to do a little bit more. That’s what it’s going to take to be NBA champions.”
Rodman wore out his welcome after two stormy years with the San Antonio Spurs, who on Oct. 2 shipped the four-time league rebounding leader to Chicago for backup center Will Perdue. During last season’s playoffs, Rodman refused to join his teammates in huddles during timeouts and created a stink by dramatically pulling off his sneakers when taken out of games.
During his years with the Detroit Pistons, Rodman was Public Enemy No. 1 in Chicago. Now that he is a teammate to Jordan and Scottie Pippen, he’s a fan favorite. The capacity crowd in Peoria cheered his every move Friday.
“They should. They’ve got a guy like me working his (butt) off, doing the dirty work, and I like it,” Rodman said. “Chicago will have something to root for. There’s going to be a lot of brawling. I’m going to like that and the fans are going to get behind it.
“Hopefully, this team will be improved physically; I’ll make sure that I do mine. I used to slam Jordan and Pippen when I was in Detroit. It’s time for me to be with these guys now.”
Rodman gives the Bulls a toughness they lacked even when they were winning three straight titles before Jordan retired in 1993. Now that Jordan, the seven-time NBA scoring champion, is back, many consider the Bulls the team to beat.
“Dennis has a flair for the dramatic. He throws himself around and does things that generate energy,” said coach Phil Jackson. “He’s quick and aggressive. He’s got a real sense for the game. He seems to fit in fine.”
Jordan was impressed with how quickly Rodman learned the Bulls’ system.
“He’s a knowledgeable player. We have to give him credit,” said Jordan, who scored 18 points in 18 minutes Friday. “I was very surprised how he picked up the offense in practice and was anxious to see if he could carry it over into the game. I think he did a pretty good job.”
Said Rodman: “Everybody was wondering how Dennis Rodman was going to fit in with this program. A lot of people think I’m dumb, I’m stupid, I’m not a coachable person. They don’t realize that Dennis Rodman is a lot smarter than he’s been given credit for.”