Man I miss Rodman

[phoostal]

Just got done reading a great article on Dennis Rodman on yahoo sports called "The Real Worm" by Michael Silver (great journalist).

Rodman never got his just due. The man was relentless. It is too bad some guys in the league now don't work as hard as he did. What he did was incredible. The guy was only 6'7" and was dominating the boards and a shut down defender. He actually could guard anyone on the court. Amazing.

I for one miss watching him. Congrats on making the Hall, Worm you deserve it bud. Just wish I could have been at your after party.

P

[AHF]

He is a borderline HOFer for me. If he gets in then someone like Artis Gilmore should not struggle to do the same.

He was an amazing rebounder and defender but the biggest problem for me is that I don't know if a team with him as its best player would even win a playoff series, let alone be a contender. If he wasn't good enough to be the best player on a team that at least could win a conference title is that HOF worthy? On the plus side, he was very memorable for both the good and bad and that ends up making him a more historic figure for me than someone who was a key 3rd wheel on a championship team but wasn't ever a leading star on any team during his career.

It strikes echoes of the Robert Horry debates for me, except that Rodman was better than Horry. Both, however, get a lot of credit for HOF arguments from the fact that they won as many championships as Derek Fisher and Steve Kerr.

[macdaddy]

I was surprised he was going in the hall but he was a key component of a bunch of great teams. And not a guy just coming off the bench like Horry did a lot of times.

I feel the same frustration with a lot of guys in the nba. I just don't understand why they don't work this hard at defending and rebounding, but i also think that people look at Rodman has 100% effort but he had a lot of physical gifts too. The dude was big, strong, and agile. Most guys in the nba are just one or two of those things.

[AHF]

The dude was big, strong, and agile.

Bear in mind that he was shorter and lighter than Josh Smith. He was strong and agile, but his size was definitely not "ideal" for a PF.

he was a key component of a bunch of great teams.

That is a great way of describing him. I think the fact that he was a "component" kind of player is reflected in his career record of 2 All-Star appearances and 2 3rd Team All-NBA appearances. I just really question how far any team could go with him as its best player and how differently he would be viewed if he had primarily played for teams where he was the single best player (ala stars who may never sniff the HOF like Mitch Ritchmond and Shawn Kemp, etc.).

[macdaddy]

Bear in mind that he was shorter and lighter than Josh Smith. He was strong and agile, but his size was definitely not "ideal" for a PF.

That is a great way of describing him. I think the fact that he was a "component" kind of player is reflected in his career record of 2 All-Star appearances and 2 3rd Team All-NBA appearances. I just really question how far any team could go with him as its best player and how differently he would be viewed if he had primarily played for teams where he was the single best player (ala stars who may never sniff the HOF like Mitch Ritchmond and Shawn Kemp, etc.).

He was small by PF standards but he's still a big guy. His agility and speed for that size i think is great and he's strong enough to play bigger guys. My point there was that he was big enough to play forward in the nba plus having great speed and agility.

I agree with you about him making the HOF based on being part of great teams. No way he makes it if he spent his career with the Hawks. Plus, any team where is is the best player doesn't even sniff the playoffs. Still its good to see guys make it for reasons other than scoring.

[AHF]

He was small by PF standards but he's still a big guy. His agility and speed for that size i think is great and he's strong enough to play bigger guys.

I judge size for power forwards relative to other power forwards and so would say he was actually small but I agree that his agility and speed and strength were all excellent for his size and that this was a key to making him a success. I definitely wouldn't have him as a first ballot HOFer (Nique wasn't and Nique >> Rodman) and would have to think long and hard about whether I think he belongs in there are the end of the day, but I agree with the notion that seeing someone rewarded for doing the dirty work is good to see.