What did you think of Dennis Rodman as a player?

[Tr1boy]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SezmOAEnBPI

Just watching some old playoff basketball games these days, i came across some old bulls games and i can't believe how good Rodman was.  He not only grabbed a crap load of rebounds just by sheer determination, but also all that diving for loose balls, handling players twice his size (shaq) or defending players his size (guards) and doing alot of the other dirty work is truly inspirational to see.

The celtics have to play this kind of basketball right now, if there is a prayer of somehow pulling one of the biggest upset in basketball history.

Going back to Rodman, not sure about him as a person, but as a basketball player, i admired the way he played. If on the year he got drafted got a second chance, would he been chosen top 5?

[ManUp]

The Greatest Garbage Man of All Time.

All Heart, All Hustle.

[CelticConcourse]

All hustle.

If we had him as a rebounder...
I just love his style of play. He was the best provoker too...

[Kane3387]

Want him on my team no question.

Best defensive player I've ever seen along with kg.

[KGs Knee]

Clinically insane

Amazing athlete

Unmatched determination

[dysgenic]

I loved Dennis Rodman as a player.  A truly great player that should be in the HOF.

[syfy9]

I think the late 90s Bulls would have been short a championship or 2 without him.

[BballTim]

  Basically spent the first half or so of his career as one of the best defenders ever, spent the second half of his career as one of the best rebounders ever.

[indeedproceed]

Rodman is funny, because by statistical measures, his rebounds are really the only thing that separate him. But he defended 1-5 in his prime, and 3-5 in his Bulls years. If you look at the hall of fame from a statistical standpoint, he's an outlier. He could never be a top 2 player on a traditional champion. Even as a 3rd best player, he needed to be next to multiple HOFers.

But it would've seemed very wrong if he were to be left out of the hall. For all his crappiness off the court, he's one of those players it would be hard to think that he got anything less than everything out of his ability.

[krook]

[D.o.s.]

One of my favorite players. Always gave 100%.

[timobusa]

His name and picture should be in the dictionary under the word HUSTLE

Unreal athleticism, effort, hustle, heart, determination.

He made playing defense a priority.

Great NBA player and a HOFer.

[bdm860]

I think the late 90s Bulls would have been short a championship or 2 without him.

I remember some (including myself at the time) thinking he should have won Finals MVP in '96.  Here's a couple of articles from the time mentioning it:

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1996-06-17/sports/9606170154_1_dennis-rodman-bulls-crowning-moment
http://www.nytimes.com/1996/06/08/sports/nba-finals-once-again-rodman-is-most-valuable-bull.html
http://www.southcoasttoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19960611/NEWS/306119926&cid=sitesearch

George Karl on that series:

"As I evaluate the series," said Seattle coach George Karl, "Dennis won two basketball games. They got the extra possessions and extra opportunities with the 11 offensive rebounds."

Of the 11 votes cast for Finals MVP, six went to Michael Jordan, three were for Seattle's Shawn Kemp and two went to Rodman.

(Do players on losing teams usually get as many votes as Kemp got?, I wonder if that was a way out for some voters who did not want to vote for Rodman).





Also I think one of the most valuable things Rodman brought to the table was his ability to get under opponents skin.  I remember altercations with Shaq, Alonzo Mourning, Karl Malone, etc.  If both Rodman and any one of those star big men get ejected due to an altercation, whose team is in a better position?  In most of those situations, it seems like Rodman was perfect at antagonizing his opponents, doing just enough to get under his opponents skin, without actually having to throw a punch or start a fight.  And once his opponent takes the bait, Rodman keeps his cool and backs off.  He knew exactly what he was doing the whole time.  Definitely a rare skill.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOG7BRIpT_c
http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=XY4QtU7j0Sw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUa_bqIZOQk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPejpJOJJjU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZlZrQdNatk

[slamtheking]

hated him, pure and simple.  master instigator.

[Celtics17]

Rodman has to be one of the most underrated players of all time. It's not coincidence that he has 5 rings. I would say he was probably the second best player on the Spurs when they won a title with him too.

It's rare to find a player who can control a game with only two skills, defense and rebounding. You dont have to look too far to find a player who won a ton with those qualities. Rodman was so good that he could guard Lebron and do it well. I say that if you put an 'in his prime' Rodman on any of the top four teams playing now that team is likely to win the title. He was that good.