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In the Bill Simmons interview with Bill Russell, he mentioned this SI cover and Bill Russell said Wilt called him
and laughed. He said he used to get 20 rebounds in a quarter.
Wilt was obviously a dominant player, but other than Russell, he really didn't have much competition that I know of in those days in the NBA. I'm not taking anything away from the monster stats he put up, but considering that Rodman is 6'8" compared to 7'-plus, and Rodman played during, in my eyes, the best and most physical era of the NBA, his accomplishments make him #1 to me. Rodman was guarding Olajuwon, Shaq, Zo, etc... Giving away inches and LBS every night basically.
Wilt was obviously a dominant player, but other than Russell, he really didn't have much competition that I know of in those days in the NBA. I'm not taking anything away from the monster stats he put up, but considering that Rodman is 6'8" compared to 7'-plus, and Rodman played during, in my eyes, the best and most physical era of the NBA, his accomplishments make him #1 to me. Rodman was guarding Olajuwon, Shaq, Zo, etc... Giving away inches and LBS every night basically.
If you factor in that Rodman was only averaging about 32 min/gm that makes it even more incredible. Also he was 34 when the Bulls got him so he was borderline HOF even before the last 3peat. Imo his best rebounding years were with the Spurs. For all of his antics you knew that he was going to show up ready to play every night and his conditioning was second to none.
6'8"
strong
athletic
maybe 5% body fat
great endurance
Combine those genes with a player who doesn't care about scoring/thrives on getting under his opponent's skin and you have what could possibly be a great rebounder. He's also got an unteachable knact for sensing where the ball may go (quick reflexes/hand eye coordination).
I think these people who make a big issue about one's off-site personal life needing to be squeaky clean for them to be suitable hiring material need look no further than Dennis Rodman. To think that what I do in my own personal life should be relevant towards my job is nuts, and this guy is a key example of this.
We didn't have Facebook or Twitter back then, but everyone knew this guy was a spectacle and a flat-out weirdo with his off-court behavior, but Phil Jackson (and Chuck Daly, perhaps), unlike the people in San Antonio, they didn't care how crazy he was off the court, so long as he did what he was supposed to do on it. When you hear of these dimwits thinking a teacher should be fired for "embarrassing her school and undermining her professionalism" because she, egads, had a glass of wine on vacation and posted about it, I think about Dennis Rodman. Other than major exceptions such as being a hooker or a drug dealer, who cares what you do when you're not at work, so long as you do your job when you are at work--even if you post about it?
I also think basketball players can learn from how about how to be a good teammate. For all of his craziness and such, he was a perfect fit in Chicago. He didn't gripe about getting the ball, he was totally content to be the one getting the ball to Jordan and Pippen. He was a good teammate, it seems. Go back and look at those clips of him doing things such as hugging Toni Kukoc after Kukoc dunked in the closing seconds of the 1997 finals. Kukoc always struck me as being as opposite of a person as Rodman as was possible, yet there was Rodman celebrating with him in those closing seconds.
Chicago was great for him that way. Go back and watch those clips, when he got a good play, when he'd surprise you by coaching a 3 pointer in, the crowd rained down their approval on him, and he clearly blossomed in their approval and acceptance. I used to also love those "overhead" passes he did, where he got a rebound and then did an end-to-end pass over his head using both of his hands while planting his right (?) foot.
What's the proof this guy's the best rebounder of all-time? I understand there's a difference between paces, however pace (an advanced stat), coverting a 70's player's stats to when Rodman played, and vice versa, isn't an exact science.
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