[Review_03] “Is it one of the shrewdest moves the Bulls have ever made or one of the dumbest?”

Phil Ponce of WTTW-11’s “Chicago Tonight” asked this question when the Bulls acquired Dennis Rodman, a 34-year-old power forward, in 1995. Michael Jordan came back from the baseball field, and the Bulls needed a great defensive player in rebounding to support Jordan. Rodman had won two Defensive Player of the Year awards, been named to six All-Defensive First Teams, and won the rebounding title four times before being scouted to the Bulls. It was not his competence as a rebounder but his eccentricity in and out of the court that the media raised a doubt on the Bulls’ decision. In February 1993, for instance, Rodman was found sleeping in his car with carrying a loaded gun. The Pistons decided to trade him, who contributed to the team’s winning two NBA titles in 1989 and 1990, after that incident. His bizarre actions became more flagrant and bold in his new team San Antonio Spurs. Dennis was suspended around 20 games in his second and the last year in the Spurs before joining the Bulls. Although Rodman was printed on newspapers more often for his oddity than for four consecutive rebound titles, the Bulls including Jordan and the coach Jackson were confident in drawing the best of Rodman on the court.

 

Rodman was the best rebounder in the league.

While many people have found his physical ability the main resource Rodman had to become all-time rebounder in the NBA history, the following shot of Rodman, legs crossed, sitting before the TV showing plays of other players, implies a disguised aspect of him: a studious player.

 

"Dennis is one of the smartest guys I played with. He understood defensive strategy with all the rotations and he had no limits in terms of what he does."  (Michael Jordan)

 

Jordan recalls that Rodman had been great teammate to play with on the court.

In the documentary, Rodman revealed his special training for rebounds that loaded him with seven straight rebound titles from 1992 to 1998. He asked his friends to shoot in different angle and distance so that he could learn how the ball would come off. He had watched shots of shooters repeatedly until he could predict trajectory of the ball of each shooter, and position himself on the spot for easy rebound. The reporter of CBS sports Jack Maloney wrote that Rodman turned rebounding into science, and worked tirelessly to master the craft. 

“You got a Larry Bird, it's gonna spin. You got a Magic, it'll maybe spin. When Michael shoot over here, I position myself right there.”

Dennis was not a scoring player but the best defender, allowing Jordan and Pippen to bomb the opponent’s rim. The Bulls partner began running even before the ball touching the rim since the missed shot would be delivered to their hands by Rodman. The Chicago Bulls fans bestowed Rodman with a nickname The Worm as he wriggled himself out a congested group of players to spring out, snatching rebounds. Since the rookie year among the “Bad Boys” Pistons, who were notorious for their choking defense, he emerged as one of the fiercest defenders in the league and acquired a reputation of gaining possession of the ball in offense as well as defense. Rodman dominated the court when the ball went off the hands of Jordan or Pippen. Unfortunately, not only the outstanding performance in rebounding but the gossips revolving around his personal life out of the court also dominated his career, leaving negative impression on the public. 

 

* Related Articles

Jack Maloney, Michael Jordan 'The Last Dance': Dennis Rodman explaining how he mastered the art of rebounding is fascinating. CBS Sports, May 15, 2020.

https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/michael-jordan-the-last-dance-dennis-rodman-explaining-how-he-mastered-the-art-of-rebounding-is-fascinating/

Michael Jordan 'The Last Dance': Dennis Rodman explaining how he mastered the art of rebounding is fascinating

Phil Rosenthal, ‘The Last Dance’ Episode 3 recap: How Dennis Rodman joined the Chicago Bulls. Chicago Tribune, April 2020,

www.chicagotribune.com/sports/bulls/ct-cb-chicago-bulls-last-dance-episode-3-20200427-l3dbq524vbeufg7olscqtfjbou-story.html

‘The Last Dance’ Episode 3 recap: How Dennis Rodman joined the Chicago Bulls

 

 

[BS 3-1] Dennis in the Japanese comic book Slam Dunk.

 

Hanamichi Sakuragi, the main character of the Japanese comic book Slamdunk, resembles Dennis Rodman in many ways.

 

[BS 3-2] Who is that guy sitting next to Kim Jung-eun?

The leader of North Korea Kim Jong-eun invited Dennis Rodman to Pyeongyang and watched the basketball game together.

https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/dennis-rodmans-friendship-kim-jong-things/story?id=55815698

Dennis Rodman's unlikely friendship with Kim Jong Un: 5 things to know