photo courtesy of si.com
During this holiday season, I’ll be dipping into the archives to offer up some updated goodies in the form of some of the most delectable “The Playground Gave Us…” joints from ‘08.
The Playground isn’t the problem. It’s the solution. That’s the Bounce motto.
Yet another concrete example that supports our mission is that of The Worm – The Greatest Defensive and Rebounding Forward Ever! The Worm could alter a game without ever taking a shot.
Dennis Rodman’s game was birthed and nourished by the project playgrounds in Dallas, Texas. Money didn’t play in high school, though his sisters were nice – college All-Americans to be exact. He wasn’t even 6-feet tall when he graduated.
He worked the graveyard shift at the Dallas-Fort Worth airport as a janitor. After an 8″ growth spurt, Rodman became a beast in the projects tearing up the playground scene. Word filtered out to the coach at Cook County Junior College (TX). After JUCO, he tore it out the frame at obscure Southeastern Oklahoma State, an NAIA school, to the tune of 26 points and 16 boards every night.
Forget the wedding dress, hair color, piercings and bizarro antics for the sake of this discussion.
His numbers and impact are impeccable – league rebounding champ 7 years in a row (Wilt, Bill Russell, Wes Unseld, Nate Thurmond, Barkley and all the other greats never did that!), 8-time NBA All-Defense, 2-time Defensive Player of the Year. Oh, and he was undersized at 6′7″, 220 pounds.
The Bulls league record of 72 wins in ‘96? Doesn’t happen w/out Rodman! The Bad Boys reign? Rodman was a crucial piston in the machinery! In ‘95 the Spurs had the league’s best record, 62-20. They were 20-13 without The Worm and 42-7 with him! Smell what I’m cookin’?
He guarded every position on the floor. Scottie Pippen, Jordan and KG are 3 of the league’s greatest defenders. MJ and Pip could never guard Shaq, Barkley, Oakley and Karl Malone like Rodman did. KG could never guard MJ, Pip, Kevin Johnson, Magic and other great guards like Rodman did.
The Worm guarded everybody!!!
Who else could guard Gary “The Glove” Payton on one possession and Shawn ‘Rain Man’ Kemp the next? (Check the ‘96 NBA finals.)
photo: si.com
Many people, erroneously equate playground ball with an all flash, no substance label. Rodman is exemplary of the abundance of cats that play on the black top like every rebound, blocked shot and defensive stop is worth the price of rare gems.
See, the playground is all about heart. Don’t come to the park without it, or you’ll wind up like the Pips without Gladys Knight -irrelevant!
The Worm deserves to be in the Hall of Fame. And it was the playground game that made it all possible.
THE PLAYGROUND IS NOT THE PROBLEM. IT IS THE SOLUTION!
November 25th, 2008 at 12:25 pm
funkalot says:
The worm is definitely HOF certifiable. His story is Horatio Algeresque and worthy of high praise. He reminded me of the basketball version of Joe Frazier, an ugly game who took on all comers. It was his toughness that was surreal and we clearly see that it eminated from the ‘crete.
Mentioning that Bulls team of 72 wins and its troika of rodman’ Jordan and Pippen, that beam me up Scottie merits a piece. Similar to Worm, he arose from obscurity in rural Arkansas and became I believe the most talented small forward ever.
November 25th, 2008 at 12:34 pm
ali says:
without a doubt funk, pippen’s got a folder in the to-do pile. his story is very similar to the worm. and haratio algeresque? brother, you are man of words after my own heart.
and i like the analogy of joe frazier (off the subject, but had a chance to kick it with the champ recently in the press room before the bernard hopkins v. kelly pavlik fight. boxing is very cruel to many fighters in their later years.)
the skill set may have not looked pretty to the untrained eye, but to the connoisseur, wow! rodman definitely had an arsenal that alot of players wanted no parts of. like that smokin’ joe frazier left hook.
a lot of people, even the ones who saw him play during his prime, don’t fully appreciate the worm. he was an all-time great.
November 25th, 2008 at 12:41 pm
ali says:
hey funk,
i’ll put pippen in my top 5 or 6 along with the likes of rick barry and havlicek. but i think the doctor and larry bird will have a hard time being taken off the throne.
November 25th, 2008 at 12:53 pm
junior says:
rodman, is definitely my second favorite player of all time. The greatest athlete that phil jackson ever coached, he demonstrated how much hard work can pay off. An Amazing work ethic.
November 25th, 2008 at 1:00 pm
ali says:
INCREDIBLE WORK ETHIC!!!
you’re right junior. he was often undersized and he battled the game’s giants. i’ll always remember that picture of him diving out of bounds to get the ball where his body is parallel to the floor. he definitely was not afraid to be in harm’s way and take the pounding. and he could lock down practically any opposing player, regardless of position. that, in and of itself, is incredible.
November 25th, 2008 at 1:44 pm
illest says:
his rebounding numbers are incredible. and if he wanted to he could score 20. i used to hate him with the pistons when he would score he would pump his fist every time.
November 25th, 2008 at 1:54 pm
ali says:
he had 20+ rebound games on the regular and was often the smallest man on the blocks. that’s heart and some fierce determination.
November 25th, 2008 at 2:17 pm
Bobbito Garcia a.k.a. Kool Bob Love says:
reebok is about to reissue the joints rodman has on in the top photo, saw a ‘09 preview . . .
November 25th, 2008 at 2:42 pm
ali says:
any chance the short-shorts will be re-issued? i wear my high school joints around the house and everybody looks at me like i’m retarded.
November 25th, 2008 at 2:56 pm
Donn says:
Watching those Bad Boys Pistons was like watching a football team playing basketball. I’m all for physical and hard nosed team play but those Pistons team, in my opinion, took the physical part way too far. I thought they took too much cheap shots. I know hard fouls is part of the game, but some of their hard fouls were straight up unnecessary. To me, those Pistons teams were great enough to not stoop to that type of basketball.
Anyways, Rodman is one of the greatest defensive players ever. Kinda sad, that when it’s all said and done, Rodman is gonna be remembered more for his antics than his play. To me, Rodman as a Piston is underrated and Rodman as a Bull was overrated. Don’ know if that makes any sense.
November 25th, 2008 at 3:09 pm
ali says:
definitely underrated during his first few years in detroit, but by ‘91-’92 when he avg’d 19 re’s per game, i think he started to be appreciated by people in the know.
donn, just curious, why do you think he was overrated as a bull? he led the league in re’s per game every year he was there. i think i feel what you’re saying. he wasn’t the beast he was from ‘91-’95, but he was still a MONSTER in chicago.
November 25th, 2008 at 3:24 pm
Donn says:
Maybe overrated is too strong a word but i think he was a better player in Detroit than he was in Chicago. i think he was slightly overrated because he was being recognized more for the stuff outside the court than what he was doing on the court.
November 25th, 2008 at 3:34 pm
Coach ENEW says:
Incredible read and great comments!!!
I have been a Celtics fan since the early 80’s and despised Rodman with Detroit. I was so blinded by my hatred for the bad boys that I did not appreciate Rodman until he went to Chicago. He was the only guy in the league that could get me to take my eyes off the ball and MJ while watching a game and just watch him work at both ends.
Five things that Rodman would do to always get me real fired up:
1) Battle 3 defenders on the offensive glass in a tip drill until he either got possesion or tipped it to a teammate, guy was a human pogo stick.
2) The mind games he played with Karl Malone when defending him. Malone would get his but Rodman made him work extra hard and frustrate the hell out of him, obviously I was not a Karl Malone fan.
3) His complete disregard for his body, between taking the charges, guarding the giants or diving into the stands his effort was top notch.
4) His fist pump after a tip-in on the offensive glass, so in your face, so damn genuine.
5) The look on his face when he would make a jump shot with 2 on the shot clock as the whole crowd would raise their arms in disbelief and smile after he wetted a 19 footer.
RODMAN!!!
November 25th, 2008 at 5:13 pm
ali says:
donn,
i figured that’s where you were coming from. imagine if he’d played with mj and scottie in the early 90’s when he was at his peak. they might have gone 78-4! and it is a shame that his histrionics and actions off the court took away from a type of rare talent that he blessed us with.
and coach ENEW, i wasn’t a big fan of those pistons as well, but i couldn’t help but watch rodman away from the ball as well. his effort always stayed with me. and even though i couldn’t root for detroit, i also loved that backcourt of dumars and isiah.
November 25th, 2008 at 8:00 pm
Mac says:
Nice report.
For those who don’t know right know Rodman is wrestling. He is on a TV show with a bunch of celebrities.
November 25th, 2008 at 8:35 pm
josh says:
listen he may be one of the best rebounders ever but hes a straight ASSH*le…
i saw this man on friday night at a lounge in miami…my friend politely went up to him and asked if he could take a picture with him…rodman said no…only with women…
dick…
November 25th, 2008 at 11:54 pm
funkalot says:
Ali,
In stating that Pippen is the best small forward, talent wise, of all time, I was referencing the following categories: scoring, rebounding, dime ability, handles,clutch and defense. I love all of those dudes you mentioned, Rick Barry, Larry Bird and Doc, they displayed bits and pieces of the attributes of my evaluation, but none in totality like Pip.
And as for the hate on the Bad Boys, please cease. Remember, they learned that style of play from the 80’s Celtics. They were, outside of the Golden State “75 chip team, my favorite of all time because they were the essence of team. Chuck Daley was brilliant, with the expressed consent of Zeke I am sure, to allow whoever had the hot hand to roll. No other team did that, they usually relied on an identified entity. Detroit was different and I loved and respected that about them. Think back to when they closed Portland out, it was Vinnie Johnson who was hot and they just let him do his thing, inspite of Zeke or Joe Dumars. But others had their times to shine as well, Buddha Edwards, AD, Mark, Laimbeer and Salley, in addtion to established stars Zeke and Joe. The Bad Boys were a very unselfish group just focused on winning and they did not mind who was responsible, as long as the outcome was in their favor. Is not that what the epitome of “team” should be?
November 26th, 2008 at 9:45 am
ali says:
without a doubt funk. they were the essence of a team. and there’s no hate here for the bad boys. i enjoyed them and appreciate what they accomplished. just was never a huge fan.
maybe because my college roomate was from detroit and he blabbered on endlessly about the pistons, in addition to winning some dollars here and there on some friendly wagers. i was screaming knicks while he was dancing to the back to back music of detroit’s championships.
but, from an objective point of view, chuck daly was brilliant, melding some very distinct parts and disparate talents to create a great team. i did root for one of brooklyn’s finest though, the microwave.
November 26th, 2008 at 10:13 am
illest says:
funkalot…
Those 80s Celts teams didnt play defense at all near what the Pistons played. So how did they get their style from those teams?
And Pippen is no where near the best small forward of all times. The game 7 headache scenario vs the Pistons in 90, when Mike needed him the most, kills that argument. He was one for ten. You cant be the best ever and pull something like that. How could you forget 1.8 vs the Knicks? Zen didnt even want Scottie to take the last shot….resulting in his feelings being hurt and not even going in the game! That all is a question to his talent and him as a clutch player.
josh….yo this isnt my blog but respect it.
November 26th, 2008 at 1:03 pm
funkalot says:
Illest,
What I am referring to is the physical, no holds barred style of play that the Celtics routinely employed, especially in the playoffs. Exhibit A- the Rambis take down in the finals. It established a certain persona with the Celtics and an intimidation factor, under which the Lakers and other teams melted.
The Bad Boys and the Knicks, for that matter, received their cues from those Celtic teams and it manifested itself in their chosen basketball stylistic preferences. That can be traced directly to the Celtics. Remember, how Bird picked fights with Doc or Danny Ainge with Tree Rollins. The Celtics traditionally, beginning with the Russell era teams have employed a person as an enforcer, Jim Loscutoff, KC Jones, Paul Silas as examples.
As for Scottie, I stated that he in my opinion is the “most talented” small forward ever, not the greatest. His combination of skills can not be found in totality in other forwards of note. As for clutch, yes he had a transgression, but there is no denying his unique versatility. He could score, pass, defend, rebound better than any other small forward. Bird, Doc, Bernard, Elgin nor Rick Barry could not defend like he could. One could make the argument that if not for Pip relieveing some of the pressure of of Mike, MIke is not Mike. He defended KJ, Stockton, Gary or pick-up Barkley, Magic or Worthy and get points, steals, rebounds, assists, like nobody else.
November 26th, 2008 at 1:21 pm
illest says:
You realize that Rambis play was out of desperation more than their typical style of play. The Lakers were killing the Celtics (really should of been up 3-0 anyway)
Indeed the old Celts played like that but the 80s Celtics didnt.
Pippen was very good but not the most talented ever. Individually defensively Scottie was better than Larry or Doc but hes not more talented than Larry or Doc. And you could of put Junior Bridgeman (who was a good player)there with Mike and Mike was going to win a few rings.
November 26th, 2008 at 1:22 pm
ali says:
funk,
i hear you, in terms of overall skill set, that pip may be the most ‘talented’. his defense propels him into the top 5 discussion at the position.
but he could not singlehandedly take over and lead a team on his own. that’s why i would lean more towards bird or doc, who turned around franchises and were always the one’s with the bullseye on their chests.
and, again, i love the intelligent sports debates with folks that are passionate and know their stuff. you and illest both make some compelling arguments in favor of your respective stances.
now, i’ll add this wrinkle. if we classify lebron’s position as a small forward, i think he’s the most talented and will go down, when it’s all said and done, as the best, PERIOD! regardless of position.
November 26th, 2008 at 1:22 pm
illest says:
funkalot….heres an interesting Pippen scenario….http://www.hoopsanalyst.com/pippenfaq.htm
November 26th, 2008 at 1:26 pm
illest says:
funkalot…..the headache thing is dicey. i know migraines feel like the world is going to end but Scott just had one at the worse time. like mcnabb barfing in super bowl trying to win the game.
November 26th, 2008 at 1:32 pm
illest says:
ali…
lebron needs to win at least 5 titles then. really 7. his numbers are already there. but if he is to surpass the greatest he needs multiple multiple titles. its ill because hes the size of a 3 but plays the 2. bryant or james cant be considered the best ever unless they win more than mike.
if the knicks get james its basically ewing in 85 over again. those new kicks he rocked last night are terrible though. nike needs to start over with his kicks.
November 26th, 2008 at 2:34 pm
ali says:
i don’t think they have to win more than mike. if they have comparable rings, at least four, than (and this is simply a projection, based on what’ve seen in his first few years at his early age) i think you can make the statement.
mike doesn’t have as many rings as bill russell, yet we say he’s the best.
i have not seen anyone with the entire package of size, strength and skills as bronnie. the youngster is remarkable. this should only be his 2nd year out of college. mike was very, very good at that stage, but lebron is better right now than where mike was, in my humble opinion.
lebron is a new jack version of the big o, mr. oscar robertson. he’s the only one that could average a triple double for a full year, playing in the league today, tomorrow and yesterday.
November 26th, 2008 at 3:28 pm
funkalot says:
Ali,
I agree LeBron is the next step in the evolutionary processes of ball players. He is bigger, faster, stronger with guile and finesse. I, seriously, do not know where we go from here, unless a seven-footer comes along with a similar skills package.
Our recent debate is centered on the distinctions between “talented” and “greatest”, not unlike MVP versus MOP. Talented infers that you maintain a unique combination of physical attributes and skills, while greatest denotes sustained excellence, as in a career.
It all becomes subjective and I enjoy the repartee.
Illest,
Thanks for the hoopsanalyst.com reference site. It is interesting reading and assists with reasonable basketball debate.
For the sake of Fomenting and to underscore “my” point about talent vs, greatest; I have Olajuwon as the most talented center ever, while Wilt and Jabbar battle over the title of greatest. Oh, and Scottie’s talent is the best of all-time, until his protege Lebron eclipses him.
November 26th, 2008 at 4:22 pm
ali says:
illest,
i might say that shaq is the most talented center ever, while wilt, russell, olajuwon and kareem were the greatest.
November 26th, 2008 at 4:23 pm
ali says:
sorry, i meant funk.
November 26th, 2008 at 6:17 pm
funkalot says:
Ali,
Shaq along with Wilt might be the most dominant, but honestly Shaq can not approach Olajuwon in talent. The dream shake separates him from every other center, plus he hit free throws. Dream’s ability to handle, rebound block shots and get buckets distances him talent wise.
I know you feel me. Dream took Moses Malones’s game to the next level. Oh, I did it again, The playground gave us Fo, FO, FO – Moses is definitely a product of the ‘crete.
November 26th, 2008 at 6:34 pm
ali says:
i think shaq was more talented than olajuwon, but akeem was a better player, if that makes any sense.
December 1st, 2008 at 9:18 am
illest says:
ali and funkalot….olajuwon is definitely more talented then shaquille simple because akeem was a better defender. he had the blocks and the steals.
ali…with the better than mike scenario… i think its important they surpass him in rings because that is what adds to the greatness. a big reason of why mike was so great was because he was a great winner and how he won. if you want to be greater than that you cant just win 2 or 3 or 4 you need at least as many. if you want to top mike as greatest than all aspects must be trumped. how can i say lebron is better with only 4 championships. because numbers wise the only thing he can do that mike couldnt was average a triple double. can lebron be defensive player of the year and mvp the same year? can lebron win a gold, and be league and finals mvp in the same year? he has a LOT to do to be mike.
December 1st, 2008 at 9:26 am
illest says:
ali… you say lebron is better than mike right now. heres is jamess and jordans number in the league at age 23….(james is 24 at the end of the month so i wont take it there)
lebron: 30 pts, 8 reb, 7 ast, 138 stls, 81 blks, 48% fg, 71% fts
mj: 37 pts, 5 reb, 5 ast, 236 stls, 125 blks, 48% fg, 875 fts
just numbers….obviously james has had better playoff success at this point. mj played against better teams in his first years. true indeed its all opinion.
December 1st, 2008 at 10:48 am
ali says:
so how can we say mike is the greatest player ever, and not bill russell.
December 1st, 2008 at 2:35 pm
ali says:
in terms of the jordan, lebron debate at this stage of their careers, it took mj 7 years to get to the finals and he did so with players like scottie pippen, craig hodges, horace grant, john paxson, bj armstrong and bill cartwright. yes, jordan had to go through some incredible teams on his trajectory.
but lebron singlehandedly took a team to the finals in his fourth season, at the age of 22, with a supporting cast of drew gooden, ilgauskes, pavlovic, larry hughes, donyell marshall, boobie gibson, varejeo, yawn. the kid should have been a senior in college.
when mike should have been a senior in college in ‘84-’85, the bulls were not a .500 team. just some food for thought.
December 1st, 2008 at 3:24 pm
illest says:
ali…the league is different now with more teams. lebron wouldnt even go out of high school in 84. the times are different. the east was horrible when lebron took his team to the finals. i still dont think lebron was better. mike was more complete than lebron when mike was a rookie.
December 3rd, 2008 at 8:25 am
illest says:
russell is the greatest winner ever. no one ever says hes the greatest player ever. but if you want to be the greatest player ever (like james is supposed to be) you need to eclipse most of what the greatest ever did.
December 3rd, 2008 at 12:19 pm
ali says:
when lebron was fresh out of high school, he avg’d 21 pts, 6 dimes and 6 re’s in the toughest basketball league in the world and was one of it’s best players.
when mj was fresh out of high school, he avg’d 14 points, 4 re’s and 2 dimes in the atlantic coast conference.
the east as a whole may have been horrible, but to do what he did against the detroit pistons in the conference finals? he singlehandedly beat one of the best and most successful franchises of this decade. BY HIMSELF! playing with a bunch of scrubstitutes.
December 3rd, 2008 at 4:42 pm
illest says:
its a totally different era with kids going to the nba out of high school (until that racist rule). so i wont compare mikes first year in college in a dean smith system that doesnt allow individual play to a player who went to the nba out of high school when the league is a young league as it is.
December 3rd, 2008 at 4:49 pm
ali says:
illest,
you HAVE to make the comparison. yes, he was in a dean smith system playing with established players like worthy and perkins but you cannot deny that as an 18 year old, lebron was much further along in his development than jordan.
and in comparing eras, the players today are bigger, stronger and faster, much more athletic. they may not necesarrily be better basketball players but the athletecism is through the roof.
realistically, looking at jordan’s skills as a college freshman, he was still a child, not quite ready to dominate with the big boys. physically, he was not ready. lebron was ready since his junior year of high school.
December 4th, 2008 at 11:57 am
illest says:
that goes with the evolution of todays athlete (your 2nd paragraph). at 18 definitely james is further along. but both of them at 23 mike was better.
December 4th, 2008 at 1:19 pm
ali says:
but the entire collective has not evolved to that extent. lebron is an abnormality in that regards.
he’s the chosen one. no one, kobe, garnett, mcgrady, dhoward and any other super duper star that came straight out of high school has done what lebron has this early. i still contend that at the age of 22 and 23, lebron has the upper hand and is a better player than mike was at that age.
now he still has a way to go, in order to match what mike eventually became, but isolating the age 18-23, i can’t see how mike was better than lebron at that point in his development.
December 8th, 2008 at 1:06 pm
illest says:
most of the nba collective has evolved to that because the game is faster, players are stronger and bigger.
ill give you the first few years. but ages 22 (mike missed most of the season though) and 23 jordan had no weaknesses at that age. what couldnt mike do? lebron still needs to improve his jumper, his defense, and free throw shooting. the ill thing is lebron still has great numbers even if he doesnt improve these things.
December 12th, 2008 at 2:50 pm
ali says:
illest, mike’s jumper did not become a weapon until he was much older than 23. remember, that was his glaring weakness for some time. but, in all other facets, he was a king among his royal subjects.
December 17th, 2008 at 3:02 pm
illest says:
i was watching games from the 80s like his first game versus the knicks and some against the pistons and his jumper wasnt a weakness. it got better but that doesnt mean that it was weak.
December 24th, 2008 at 3:42 pm
ali says:
nah, his jumper wasn’t weak like unlv’s mark wade, but it was jordan’s WEAKNESS. nah’mean? it didn’t become a certifiable weapon until later in his career.