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Basketball Fan Franchise Player
Joined: 03 Feb 2004 Posts: 24742
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Posted: Sat Aug 12, 2017 11:04 am Post subject: Dennis Rodman: "Popovich, he hated me" |
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I vaguely remember his stint as a Spur
http://nba.nbcsports.com/2017/08/12/dennis-rodman-popovich-he-hated-me/
Quote: | Dennis Rodman: “Popovich, he hated me”
In between stints winning titles with the Detroit Pistons and Chicago Bulls, Dennis Rodman was a San Antonio Spur. This was the pre-Tim Duncan Spurs, led by David Robinson, and is back when Gregg Popovich was a front office executive, not the coach.
It was also the time Rodman started to let his wild side show. It’s when he started dying his hair different colors throughout the season, the tattoos and piercings started to come out, and Rodman began to “be himself.” That led to clashes with Popovich, who was the GM Rodman’s second season with the Spurs.
Rodman does not have fond memories of Popovich, something he told Joe Buck on Buck’s interview show “Undeniable” (hat tip San Antonio Express News).
“The city kind of embraced me, but what’s his name, Popovich, he hated me,” Rodman said. “He hated my guts because I wasn’t a bible guy. They looked at me like I was the devil.”…
While on the show, Rodman complained that he felt like a victim during his latter stages in San Antonio. He remained on the team until he was traded to the Chicago Bulls for Will Perdue after the 1995 playoffs.
“I said my god,” Rodman said. “Am I the same guy that helped get David Robinson a scoring title and MVP? Am I the same guy that averaged 19.3 rebounds per game for you. And I the same guy we won 68 damn games? Am I that same guy, but you guys don’t like me?” Rodman said. “So I said, ‘OK, trade me,'” he said. “They traded me to the damn Bulls.”
For the record, it was 62 wins that season and Rodman averaged 16.8 rebounds a game his second season with the Spurs, he’d averaged 17.3 the season before, both times winning the NBA rebounding title.
Popovich has shown since he will tolerate a lot of different personalities, he can work with different religions and beliefs, so long as the player is committed to basketball. Rodman was coming out of his shell and discovering things off the court, and it was the sense of commitment — while Popovich was working to build the Spurs’ culture — that was the issue. Rodman clashed with Popovich — Rodman was suspended the first three games by the team, then took a leave of absence, and when he returned was suspended again. Later that season he missed some time due to a shoulder separation suffered in a motorcycle accident.
At that point, the Spurs didn’t have the kind of locker room leaders needed to keep Rodman in line. But the Bulls did. So that trade worked out for Chicago to the tune of three more titles.
The Spurs… they turned out okay, too.
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Aeneas Hunter Retired Number
Joined: 12 Jul 2005 Posts: 31763
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Posted: Sat Aug 12, 2017 11:34 am Post subject: |
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I remember his days there. He would lie on the floor at the end of the bench and take his shoes off. He held up a towel with "Please let me play" written on it. Why would Popovich dislike him? |
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DaMuleRules Retired Number
Joined: 10 Dec 2006 Posts: 52624 Location: Making a safety stop at 15 feet.
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Posted: Sat Aug 12, 2017 1:14 pm Post subject: |
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I can't even remember when I cared what Worm had to say, or if I ever did. _________________ You thought God was an architect, now you know
He’s something like a pipe bomb ready to blow
And everything you built that’s all for show
goes up in flames
In 24 frames
Jason Isbell
Man, do those lyrics resonate right now |
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Ziggy Franchise Player
Joined: 10 Feb 2005 Posts: 12712
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Posted: Sun Aug 13, 2017 11:48 am Post subject: |
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DaMuleRules wrote: | I can't even remember when I cared what Worm had to say, or if I ever did. |
You should care what he has to say. He just might be the guy that saves the world from nuclear warfare. |
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non-player zealot Franchise Player
Joined: 05 Nov 2007 Posts: 21365
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Posted: Sun Aug 13, 2017 3:41 pm Post subject: |
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There you have it. Not so easy to "handle" uber-superstars or weirdos always tiptoeing on a trapeze like Dennis. Phil could. Pop and Bob Hill had a harder time. They decided they were gonna scare Dennis by benching him for not having his shoes on the second Hill wanted to sub Dennis in. Ultimatums and scare tactics don't work on a guy with rainbow sherbet hair. _________________ GOAT MAGIC REEL
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EDDIE DONX! |
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venturalakersfan Retired Number
Joined: 14 Apr 2001 Posts: 144432 Location: The Gold Coast
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Posted: Sun Aug 13, 2017 4:31 pm Post subject: |
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Forman bought into his own hype while in SA. He wanted to make his name by hustle and rebounding. It usually isn't a bad thing but I remember them playing the Rockets in the playoffs and Rodman failing to leave the paint to guards Horry. Bob drained shot after shot as the Rockets beat them but hey, you can't rebound from the perimeter. _________________ RIP mom. 11-21-1933 to 6-14-2023. |
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lakersken80 Retired Number
Joined: 12 Aug 2009 Posts: 38750
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Posted: Sun Aug 13, 2017 4:35 pm Post subject: |
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I remember this was the era when Rodman had his gold hair. After he left Detroit, he became an eccentric personality to say the least. He dated Madonna during this time, and him and Pop were never going to get along for the long run. Pop likes to cherry pick vanilla players to his system and his liking. Being stuck in a small town like San Antonio was never going to work out either. Ultimately, him going to the Bulls was the best since Phil could handle him and having the best player in the league at the time, MJ keeping him in check was a better environment for the "Worm". |
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danzag Franchise Player
Joined: 28 Apr 2013 Posts: 22244 Location: Brazil
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SuperboyReformed Star Player
Joined: 07 Oct 2012 Posts: 4083
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Posted: Sun Aug 13, 2017 8:26 pm Post subject: |
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non-player zealot wrote: | There you have it. Not so easy to "handle" uber-superstars or weirdos always tiptoeing on a trapeze like Dennis. Phil could. Pop and Bob Hill had a harder time. They decided they were gonna scare Dennis by benching him for not having his shoes on the second Hill wanted to sub Dennis in. Ultimatums and scare tactics don't work on a guy with rainbow sherbet hair. |
I forgot who said it, phil or pippen?...
anyway, i heard jordan never even spoke to rodman all those years. they just played together on the court and that was it. |
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non-player zealot Franchise Player
Joined: 05 Nov 2007 Posts: 21365
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Posted: Sun Aug 13, 2017 10:11 pm Post subject: |
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venturalakersfan wrote: | Forman bought into his own hype while in SA. He wanted to make his name by hustle and rebounding. It usually isn't a bad thing but I remember them playing the Rockets in the playoffs and Rodman failing to leave the paint to guards Horry. Bob drained shot after shot as the Rockets beat them but hey, you can't rebound from the perimeter. |
Forman? You meant Froman, as in Abe Froman. I remember Dennis publicly criticizing Dave for getting his ass busted by Hakeem. Immediately deflected blame. If Houston faced any sort of the MVP reffing that Robinson and SA in general got against the Lakers in that Semi-Finals, then they were better than anyone gave them credit for. That was to this day some of the worst no-touch, 3 blind mice reffing that I recall befalling the Lakers and I'm not gonna claim that LA hasn't had their share of beneficial refs since then, but there was a scene where they let Dave move his feet at least 5 times after jump stopping (a travel in itself) in the paint. Chick and Stu derisively laughed and Chick was as blatantly pissed and vocal about the refs that I've ever heard him at least in a TV broadcast. _________________ GOAT MAGIC REEL
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EDDIE DONX! |
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non-player zealot Franchise Player
Joined: 05 Nov 2007 Posts: 21365
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Posted: Sun Aug 13, 2017 10:23 pm Post subject: |
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SuperboyReformed wrote: | non-player zealot wrote: | There you have it. Not so easy to "handle" uber-superstars or weirdos always tiptoeing on a trapeze like Dennis. Phil could. Pop and Bob Hill had a harder time. They decided they were gonna scare Dennis by benching him for not having his shoes on the second Hill wanted to sub Dennis in. Ultimatums and scare tactics don't work on a guy with rainbow sherbet hair. |
I forgot who said it, phil or pippen?...
anyway, i heard jordan never even spoke to rodman all those years. they just played together on the court and that was it. |
I feel bad that is working with at least one mental and one personality disorder each, because no one asks for that. However, whenever I see segments about his daily life, I cringe to think of what it'd be like being someone who cares about him. He's a perpetual squeaky wheel who's unwilling to live life under psych meds. Trying to get such people to change and be responsible is a cross to bear. People doing well in life don't want to be tasked with helping someone like Rodman. They may give it a try, but Dennis is the kind of guy who drains the soul of even the best-intentioned friends and family. Dr. Buss was one of those sympathetic hearts. West was the kind who didn't want to bother coddling him. _________________ GOAT MAGIC REEL
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EDDIE DONX! |
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Dladi Vidac Star Player
Joined: 09 Dec 2009 Posts: 4330 Location: Meeting the man who met Andy Griffith.
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Posted: Mon Aug 14, 2017 6:23 am Post subject: |
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The sausage king of Chicago. Snooootie? Snotty. _________________ "The best there is. The best there was. The best there ever will be.", said Bret Hart regarding the Los Angeles Lakers. |
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activeverb Retired Number
Joined: 17 Jun 2006 Posts: 37470
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Posted: Mon Aug 14, 2017 6:23 am Post subject: |
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SuperboyReformed wrote: | non-player zealot wrote: | There you have it. Not so easy to "handle" uber-superstars or weirdos always tiptoeing on a trapeze like Dennis. Phil could. Pop and Bob Hill had a harder time. They decided they were gonna scare Dennis by benching him for not having his shoes on the second Hill wanted to sub Dennis in. Ultimatums and scare tactics don't work on a guy with rainbow sherbet hair. |
I forgot who said it, phil or pippen?...
anyway, i heard jordan never even spoke to rodman all those years. they just played together on the court and that was it. |
A number of years ago Rodman gave an interview where he said he never had a need to speak to Jordan and Scottie off the court |
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SuperboyReformed Star Player
Joined: 07 Oct 2012 Posts: 4083
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Posted: Mon Aug 14, 2017 1:14 pm Post subject: |
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activeverb wrote: | SuperboyReformed wrote: | non-player zealot wrote: | There you have it. Not so easy to "handle" uber-superstars or weirdos always tiptoeing on a trapeze like Dennis. Phil could. Pop and Bob Hill had a harder time. They decided they were gonna scare Dennis by benching him for not having his shoes on the second Hill wanted to sub Dennis in. Ultimatums and scare tactics don't work on a guy with rainbow sherbet hair. |
I forgot who said it, phil or pippen?...
anyway, i heard jordan never even spoke to rodman all those years. they just played together on the court and that was it. |
A number of years ago Rodman gave an interview where he said he never had a need to speak to Jordan and Scottie off the court |
that was it. lol! just rebound and go away. |
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lakersken80 Retired Number
Joined: 12 Aug 2009 Posts: 38750
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Posted: Mon Aug 14, 2017 7:40 pm Post subject: |
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Rodman only had one job on the Bulls and he did it very well. Get rebounds and give the ball to MJ or Pippen. I remember when he went to the free throw line and fans treated it like a spectacle. |
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Wilkes52 Star Player
Joined: 02 Jun 2009 Posts: 2415 Location: Far from home
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Posted: Tue Aug 15, 2017 3:48 am Post subject: |
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Dennis was an unusual guy. Chuck Daly wrote that Rodman desperately needed continual boosts of confidence ("constant familial acceptance", actually) from staff and players if The Worm was to play his best. Maybe that changed over time or not by the time Dennis played in SA, but I never had the impression that Pop was a Dad figure to his guys. _________________ “These GOAT discussions are fun distractions while sitting around waiting for the pizza to be served.”
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar |
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non-player zealot Franchise Player
Joined: 05 Nov 2007 Posts: 21365
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Posted: Tue Aug 15, 2017 4:44 am Post subject: |
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Wilkes52 wrote: | Dennis was an unusual guy. Chuck Daly wrote that Rodman desperately needed continual boosts of confidence ("constant familial acceptance", actually) from staff and players if The Worm was to play his best. Maybe that changed over time or not by the time Dennis played in SA, but I never had the impression that Pop was a Dad figure to his guys. |
I remember Dennis starting to corrode right after Daly left to NJ (92/93). Ron Rothstein was a screamer and he didn't get that daddy fix from him. There was a segment about this whole thing on NBA Today that season that I somehow recall from 93 which corroborated your claims. He was gone that Summer. I think SA dealt Sean Elliott to Detroit for him and Elliott wound up back on SA. Pistons tried to trade him for Horry, but Elliott failed the physical and it was rescinded. After that, they trade him back to SA. Spurs get both of em. That pissed me off at the time. _________________ GOAT MAGIC REEL
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EDDIE DONX! |
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