The Chicago Bulls may be able to win without Dennis Rodman's rebounds. They certainly can do without his antics.
Rodman, the NBA's resident loose cannon, was suspended for six games and fined $20,000 for his latest outburst Saturday, when he head-butted ref Ted Bernhardt, knocked over a cooler, stripped off his jersey and shouted obscenities before leaving the court.The NBA, whose file on Rodman must now be as thick as a city phone book, said it imposed the severe punishment Monday to let players know that such boorish behavior will not be tolerated.
"The suspension and fine reflect not only the head-butting, but the totality of his actions on the court," said NBA vice president Rod Thorn, who saw the tirade in person. "Physical assaults on referees cannot and will not be tolerated under any circumstances."
Rodman emerged from his Philadelphia hotel room a half hour before the start of the Bulls game with the 76ers, but declined to comment on the suspension. Without Rodman, Chicago struggled before winning 98-94.
The Bulls have tolerated Rodman's free-spirited behavior and dyed hair because of what he brings to the court.
Sports Illustrated magazine recently called him the best rebounder for his size in NBA history, and he currently leads the NBA with an average of 15.1 rebounds.
But Michael Jordan hinted that the team's patience is wearing thin. The Bulls superstar said Rodman's image is getting in the way of Chicago's goal of winning a title and becoming the first NBA team to record 70 regular-season wins.
"A lot of what you see in Dennis is his image and persona," Jordan said. "He has continued to feed off that, and that's very dangerous to this team's success."
The Bulls, Jordan said, "were asked to absorb his whole repertoire, his skills as well as . . . his image, and we did that."
In return, Rodman played within the system, up until now.
"No matter how you look at it, if he wants to be a part of this team, he's going to have to be there when we really need him," Jordan said. "Right now, he's not there when we need him."
Coach Phil Jackson said he will "probably weep a little bit about" the suspension, but he also criticized Rodman's inability to control his emotions on the court.
"I know he doesn't feel like it and he doesn't want to feel put upon, but he's got some responsibility now to the rest of us," Jackson said.
In one respect, the timing of the suspension isn't that bad. Rodman will miss five more games, against two good teams (the Knicks and Hawks) and three sub-.500 teams (the Kings, Raptors and Clippers). All but the Toronto game are at home.
But with Scottie Pippen, one of the NBA's best all-around players, already out with a sore knee, the Bulls will be playing short-handed for a bit.
Pippen might be ready for the Knicks game Thursday, but Jackson said the Bulls "are not going to force Scottie back in the lineup at all."
Rodman's suspension was the third longest levied by the NBA. Kermit Washington was suspended for 26 games in 1977 for punching Rudy Tomjanovich, and
Vernon Maxwell received a 10-game suspension last year for going into the stands and hitting a fan.
Several teammates said they sensed Rodman's patience with NBA officials was wearing thin.
"You can see it building slowly because the referees are paying so much attention to him," Bulls center Bill Wennington said. "You know with his personality something's going to happen eventually."
Along with his $20,000 fine and an automatic $1,000 fine for his ejection, Rodman will lose more than $30,000 in salary for each game he is suspended. That means the incident will cost him at least $200,000.
It could also prove costly for the Bulls, who are on pace to break the record of 69 victories in a season by the 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers. The Bulls must win 12 of their last 17 games to set the record.
"As far as winning 70, it may hurt us," Bulls said center Luc Longley said. "But as far as down the stretch it may not be a bad thing."
Even if the Bulls weren't chasing 70 wins, Jordan said the suspension sets Chicago back.
"This is the most crucial part of the season," he said.
"This is when we have to start preparing for the playoffs, and now it delays it, because of him not being around for six games."
Doc Rivers of San Antonio, who played with Rodman with the Spurs last season, said his former team is watching the Rodman situation with interest.
"In Chicago he has only been a problem on the court. Here he was a problem off," Rivers said.