The New Orleans Pelicans Need Their Own Dennis Rodman

The Worm is the Wild Card

How do you game plan for a guy who doesn’t touch the ball except on rebounds?

This is what teams were up against when they faced the 1997-98 Bulls. Of course you have to try and stop Jordan (good luck) and Pippen, that’s a given.

But teams also had to plan for Rodman, a guy who guarded everyone on one end and only cared about offensive rebounds on the other. He was the wild card that was hard to account for when you have superstar scorers to worry about.

The New Orleans Pelicans have the scorers but they don’t have that wild card.

Rodman’s antics often drew technical fouls that hurt the team and there were times it was obvious Jordan wanted to kill him.

But these antics also drew the team closer together, rallied them around a common cause (keeping Rodman in check) and drove the other team nuts.

Again, I’m not advocating that the New Orleans Pelicans need a guy who gets a lot of stupid technicals and fouls, but a guy who the other players will rally around for better or worse.

Rodman was a tornado that everyone had to worry about, which helped focus his team and keep the opponent off-balance.

This was true off the court as well, where Rodman’s wedding dresses, celebrity girlfriends and regular appearances on TMZ kept the attention off NBA Golden Child Michael Jordan, who had plenty of his own demons.

Attention had to be paid to Rodman, who was the wild card the Bulls needed.

Rodman was one of those guys who you hate if he’s not on your team but love once he is.

His relentless hustle, rebounding and defense helped define the latter-day Bulls. He agitated the other team while bringing his closer and he brought a little edge and attitude while he did it.

The New Orleans Pelicans have a very young and talented team, but they need their own Dennis Rodman, a little more toughness, a little more crazy.

They need that big personality to rally around, the Worm who gets under everyone’s skin but ultimately gets the job done.

Dennis Rodman won seven consecutive rebounding titles and ended his career with five rings. You can debate his off the court stuff, but cannot deny that he was a winner and the New Orleans Pelicans need someone just like him.

Thanks for reading, enjoy “The Last Dance” and stay safe out there!