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 What a surprirse Lakers' Rodman shows up late to practice, sent home
Posted: Thursday April 15, 1999 10:38 PM
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- This time, Dennis Rodman couldn't find his socks and shoes. Rodman, whose seven-week career with the Los Angeles Lakers has been filled with erratic behavior, missed another practice Thursday after a late arrival. He showed up several minutes late at Los Angeles Southwest College, and was unprepared to practice once he did appear, so coach Kurt Rambis sent him home. This came in the wake of Tuesday night's disastrous 113-86 loss at Portland, a game in which Rodman sat out the second half, claiming his left elbow was bothering him. Team policy for injured players is they show up an hour before practice to receive treatment. Obviously, Rodman didn't do that. The Lakers had been given Wednesday off. "I just asked him what was going on, he said he was looking for socks and shoes, and I told him practice was 11 [a.m.] and then I said, 'Why don't you just go home,'" Rambis told reporters after practice. "Any player being late at any time was not how I handled Dennis. I don't think anybody handles it that way. "We made exceptions in special cases to accommodate him, but in my mind, the accommodation period is over." Rodman, who signed with the Lakers on Feb. 23 and played his first game with them three days later, has told the coaching staff four times in his 23 games with the team he was unable to answer their request to return to a game. And that doesn't include the four games he missed last month when he left the team for eight days, claiming he needed time off to deal with personal problems. Early last week, Rodman's publicist announced the seven-time NBA rebounding champion and actress wife Carmen Electra had mutually agreed to end their five-month marriage. Rodman's publicist, Matt Labov, would not comment on Thursday's matter, nor would Lakers' management. The Lakers, who return to action Saturday night at Utah, won their first 11 games with Rodman in uniform, but are 6-6 since that time with him playing. They are 8-9 without him. He is averaging 11.2 rebounds in 28.6 minutes of playing time. Rambis' reaction to Rodman's sitting out the second half Tuesday night was, "He said his elbow was bothering him, and I'll take it for that." Rambis had removed Rodman from the game with 2:31 left before halftime. Rodman had four rebounds in 13 minutes of the Lakers' most one-sided loss of the season, which dropped them to 25-15 with 10 games left in the abbreviated campaign. When asked to return to last Friday night's 96-89 victory over Minnesota in the fourth quarter, Rodman declined, according to Rambis, saying his muscles had stiffened up. Rodman, who turns 38 next month, was over an hour late to practice the next day.
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