I’m a sucker for any trip down memory lane involving Dennis Rodman. “The Worm” put up some astounding rebounding numbers throughout his career. Just two seasons prior, during the ‘97-‘98 campaign & his last with the Bulls, Rodman averaged 15 boards a game(at age 36!) in 80 games, 66 of which were starts. He then spent the next season in L.A., before playing the 12 games referenced by stevenlebron’s post. Amazingly, at age 38, he was grabbing 14 rebounds during his brief Dallas tenure, which should shed some light on just how big of a knucklehead he must have been for the Mavs. That said, for all the theatrics & drama the man created, his knack for grabbing a missed shot was remarkable. Until seeing this post today, I had actually forgotten that Mark Cuban had employed Dennis. I’d like to be able to say that if Rodman had kept his shit together, he would have been even better, but the more I think about it, maybe the craziness he brought to the table helped fuel his passion for rebounding. (As an important side note to this post, it’d be very much appreciated if you take a few minutes & head over to stevenlebron’s site & check out the blog’s sidebar. That’s where you’ll find info on his efforts to raise money for a charity, Camp Oochigeas, that provides programs for hundreds of kids who have been diagnosed with cancer. Unfortunately, we’ve all known, or will come to know, people in our lives who have had to deal with some form of cancer. To be dealt that hand as a kid is absolutely heartbreaking to think about. Check out the link to his donation page which will go into further details on what he is trying to accomplish by running a 10K race in Toronto this May. It’s always great to see bloggers using the Tumblr community for good, & in this case attempting to raise everyone’s awareness for a worthy cause. As a cancer survivor myself, I extend a tip of the cap to Alex & his commendable effort.)Rodman Does Dallas
In 2000, just two years removed from having won three consecutive titles with the Chicago Bulls, Dennis Rodman was a 38 year old power forward looking for a job.
On February 3 of that year, he signed with the Dallas Mavericks. His entire stint with the team lasted all of 12 games and spanning a month in total.
Rodman’s debut with the team drew the highest local ratings for a Mavericks telecast since 1994.
In his second game with the Mavericks, Rodman had 6 points, 16 rebounds and 4 assists against the Milwaukee Bucks1, but was ejected from the game for demonstratively arguing a foul call against him.
After the game, he directed a few shots at commissioner David Stern: “I wish me and David Stern could put some damn gloves on and go in the ring. We’ll see who comes out the winner.”
The Mavericks, who had won 10 of their last 13 games prior to signing Rodman, were entertaining hopes of making the playoffs. But they kept losing with The Worm, and he kept losing it himself.
After a blowout loss to Sacramento, Rodman’s disruptive side took over as he criticized his teammates and the organization as a whole: “We’re like that movie Lost in Space. We have no sense of direction. We’re lost. There’s not much else to say. We really need some players to fill in the holes we have here. We need a backup center, a starting center, a true power forward, a couple of guards. Above all, we need some more veterans to come in here and provide some leadership. If we don’t get that, then this team is always going to be on the bottom. And I won’t stay on a team that’s always at the bottom. I’ve been on the top too many years to do that.”
The final straw came the next night, when he directed his anger towards Cuban, who allowed Rodman to stay at his guest house when he first arrived in Dallas: “He doesn’t need to be hanging around the players like he’s a coach or something. That’s like Jerry Jones, and it’s dumb. That’s why the Cowboys went down. He needs to be the owner, step back and put people in who can get this team in the right direction.”
The next morning, Rodman was released by the Mavericks.
It would turn out to be his last stint in the NBA.
Footnotes:
1 You can watch highlights of that game here. It’s funny to see a young Dirk Nowitzki and Steve Nash on the court with Rodman, and also fascinating how effective Rodman still was on defense and on the boards.
Good ol days.
