Rodman: Big Risk Pays Off Forward Wormed His Way Into Chicago Fans’ Hearts
A distraction. A disruption. A cancer. Skeptics said Dennis Rodman would be all those things and more. He’d turn the Chicago Bulls into a freak show.
It hasn’t happened. All Rodman has done is help turn an outstanding team into, perhaps, a team for the ages.
Sure, there’s Michael Jordan to score just about whenever he wants. And there’s Scottie Pippen to do everything else. But would the Bulls be a threat to achieve an NBA-record 70 victories without Rodman? Would a fourth league title in the 1990s be possible without the Worm?
“Now,” said Philadelphia center Sharone Wright, “they have Superman, Batman and Rodman.”
Even Jordan, Pippen, coach Phil Jackson and other Bulls wondered if the preseason trade of Will Perdue to San Antonio for Rodman would work. They knew he undermined the Spurs’ bid for a championship last year and worried that he might not be the right fit in Chicago.
They’ve found that underneath Rodman’s colored hair - red three months ago, green three weeks ago, blond today, anyone’s guess tomorrow - and underneath the tattoos and pierced skin, beats the heart of a team player.
“We don’t all hang out with each other off the court, but Dennis has been a good teammate,” Jordan said. “He’s willing to do the dirty work, which is something we needed. And he’s a lot better passer and a lot smarter than some people think.”
Rodman had one of his best games in Tuesday’s 116-104 victory over Philadelphia, pulling down 21 rebounds, scoring 10 points and dishing off a career-high 10 assists. It was his first triple-double in 700 NBA games and it helped the Bulls improve to 32-3 overall and 19-0 at home.
“He prides himself on rebounding, but he’s doing other things for us,” Jordan said of the four-time league rebounding leader. “He showed he could play an all-around game. People have to respect him.”
Chicago fans fell in love with him almost immediately. An enemy during his days with the Detroit Pistons, the Worm often draws more cheers than Jordan. He gets standing ovations for even routine rebounds. And when he made his first 3-pointer of the season Tuesday, the crowd reacted as if the Bulls had won a playoff game.
Rodman hasn’t spoken to the media in recent days, but he said earlier this season that he likes to play up to the crowd “because they pay the big money and want to see a big show.”
“Right now, he’s probably the fans’ favorite,” Jordan said. “They respect his work ethic. He does his job and deserves some reward.”
Rodman has said some silly things, committed some hard fouls and drawn some technicals, just as he did in San Antonio. He’s posed naked in Playboy and has promised to name names in an outrageous autobiography to come out this year.
But unlike his time with the Spurs, he’s been a dedicated practice player, hasn’t shown up late for workouts and hasn’t defiantly ignored team huddles during games.
“This is the happiest I’ve seen him,” said Philadelphia coach John Lucas, who was San Antonio’s coach during Rodman’s first season there. If the Bulls maintain their pace, they will win 75 games. The NBA record, set by the 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers, is 69.
With Superman, Batman and Rodman, it just might happen.