Surprise: Rodman Is Bulls’ Problem

SALT LAKE CITY — A team can always tolerate Dennis Rodman when his production is greater than his disruption. He can be late for practice and games, he can pick up technical fouls with foul behavior, he can act like a complete fool if he grabs 19 rebounds and makes the other team crazy.

But since he’s not hitting the boards, since he’s not playing particularly inspired defense, and since he’s now firing up stupid three-pointers, while proving himself incapable of making a simple layup, there’s only one thing for the Chicago Bulls to do with Dennis Rodman: Bench him for Game 5, and perhaps beyond.

He’s useless now. Maybe his knee is hurt worse than he’s let on. More likely, at age 36, he has too much mileage from playing and living the way he has.

Regardless, seven rebounds per game, which is what he’s averaging in the NBA Finals, isn’t enough to put up with all of Rodman’s whacked-out behavior, his two trips to Las Vegas.

Here’s the big difference between Michael Jordan driving to Atlantic City with his father for a little gambling after going down 0-2 to the Knicks in 1993 and Rodman’s excursion flights to Vegas Sunday night and again Monday afternoon: Rodman isn’t Jordan.

Rodman might have been the real MVP of the Finals last year, but we’ve seen enough this post-season to know that Rodman is about done as a legitimate basketball player.

He won’t go outside to guard Greg Foster because he’s selfishly looking to get cheap rebounds, which are the only ones he’s getting in this series. He can’t score, which is where the Bulls are hurting most, on offense. And perhaps most important, Rodman’s not going to psych-out somebody as fixated as Karl Malone.

Jordan has told him this, Jackson has told him this, but Rodman isn’t listening.

“Sometimes whatever you say to (Dennis) doesn’t matter,” Jordan said. “I can’t beat his head in, Phil can’t beat his head in ... It’s frustrating when you can’t get to him. But I’m past that frustration.”

So Jackson ought to consider sitting Rodman now, or risk waving bye-bye to a fifth title.

(I should point out my view on Rodman has nothing to do with the insult he directed at Mormons on Saturday, which the Anti-Defamation League has criticized. What Rodman said was ugly and uncalled for. But so is something else.

In the Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ, 2 Nephi 5:21-24, as a black man I was rather distressed to find: “Wherefore as they were white and exceedingly fair and delightsome, that they might not be enticing unto my people the Lord God did cause a skin of blackness to come upon them. ... And thus saith the Lord God: I will cause that they shall be loathsome unto thy people, save they shall repent their iniquities. ... And cursed shall be the seed of him that mixeth with their seed. ... And because of their cursing ... they did become an idle people, full of mischief and subtlety ... And the Lord God said unto me: They shall be a scourge ... they shall scourge them even into destruction. ... “

Now, let me say that everybody I’ve encountered in several trips to Utah, Mormon or not, has been as friendly and hospitable as you could possibly expect, sometimes beyond the call of duty. I’ve met plenty of Mormons, including men such as Jazz owner Larry Miller and 49ers quarterback Steve Young, who are more racially tolerant and progressive than people of other religions such as, say, Christianity. I have no idea how many Mormons take their Book literally, but you’ll have to excuse me if I’m don’t have a lot of compassion for Mormon doctrine.)

Rodman’s problems aside, there’s an entirely different cloud of anxiety around the Chicago Bulls as they prepare for Game 5.

There are 28 NBA teams that would die to be in the NBA Finals, tied two games each with home-court advantage still intact. But the Bulls, who’ve won four championships in six years, are completely uncomfortable with this new concept of being played dead -- even so deep into the playoffs.

“It’s been pretty devastating,” Scottie Pippen said. “We’re not playing the kind of basketball we need to play to survive this series.”

And Pippen is not alone in his assessment. Usually upbeat reserve Jud Buechler said before Tuesday’s practice, “Everyone in this organization is on edge.”

There simply hasn’t been this much doubt surrounding a Jordan-led Bulls team since 1990.

Even Jordan, who was quick to assert he’s still confident about winning the series, talked very seriously about the need for his team to show up Wednesday for Game 5, “Refocused, re-energized, with more purpose, redefined, fire rekindled. ... We have to go practice and find a way to get our game back. Sure, there’s a sense of urgency. We haven’t been in this situation for a long time. Maybe this is exactly what we need for some people to elevate their attitudes. This is the time you better search within yourself.”

The talk is serious because the Bulls are in a predicament they’ve not experienced. Yes, they lost two games in Seattle last year but only after winning Game 3 there to take a 3-0 lead. But here, the Bulls have no illusions about being in control, even with Games 6 and 7 scheduled for Chicago on Friday and Sunday.

“It’s more difficult to overcome this team,” Pippen said, “than any team we’ve faced in the the Finals. They’re giving us everything we could ask for. Six days ago, everybody was predicting we would sweep this team and now it’s all turned around.”