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Quick release Rodman wears out welcome in Dallas
Posted: Thursday March 09, 2000 08:19 PM
DALLAS (AP) -- Dennis Rodman needed less than a month to wear out his welcome in Dallas. The Mavericks gave up on their biggest drawing card Wednesday, releasing him hours after he lashed out against owner-in-waiting Mark Cuban. "The comments had nothing to do with it,"' Cuban said. "We all are upset about losing. "I would do this all again and sign Dennis in a heartbeat. It was the right move, we just didn't get the wins we wanted." This could be the end of the line for the most-pierced, most-tattooed player in league history, albeit one who won seven rebounding titles and played for five championship teams. He's 38 and may not find another team willing to hire him. If one did sign him now, he would not be eligible for the playoffs. Dallas was willing to suffer his off-court antics as a tradeoff for his production on the court and his box-office attraction. He didn't sign until he was convinced no contenders were interested. The Mavericks, who announced the move on their Web site, said they would have no comment until a Thursday-morning shootaround. There also was no immediate comment from Rodman. His Los Angeles-based publicist was preparing a response. The 29-day stint in Dallas is the shortest of Rodman's career. He lasted 48 days with the Los Angeles Lakers last season. The Mavericks were 4-9 with him in the lineup, although one of the victories came in a game he missed because of a suspension. Rodman also was ejected twice and fined $13,500. "I enjoyed getting to know Dennis as a person and enjoyed coaching him," coach-general manager Don Nelson said in a statement. "He was brought here to help us make a playoff run, which obviously hasn't happened. Therefore, it is in the best interest of the organization to play our younger players throughout the remainder of the season." Rodman had been on a losing team only once before in his 14-year career. Still, as a Dallas native he should've known what he was getting into with a team that hasn't had a winning season since 1989-90 -- so long ago that Rodman didn't have any tattoos then. His frustrations boiled over Tuesday night following a fifth straight loss. Rodman slammed Cuban, even though the boss had jeopardized his bid to buy the team by buddying up to the league's biggest thorn. "Mark Cuban wants to win, but he's an owner, not a player," Rodman said following a 101-86 loss in Seattle. "He doesn't need to be hanging around the players like he's a coach or something. That's like Jerry Jones, and it's dumb. That's why the Cowboys went down. He needs to be the owner, step back and put people in who can get this team in the right direction." Rodman also suggested that Dallas needs "a backup center, a starting center, a true power forward, a couple of guards. "Above all, we need some more veterans to come in here and provide some leadership," he said. "If we don't get that, then this team is always going to be on the bottom." Cuban had personally wooed Rodman and gave him permission to skip practices and show up late for games. The soon-to-be owner even became Rodman's landlord, letting him live in a guest house until the league ended that deal. Cuban said he "absolutely" considers Rodman still his friend. "I think the world of Dennis," he said. "He is a great competitor and rebounder." The Mavericks play Minnesota at home Thursday night. Attendance surely won't be as high as it had been with Rodman wearing No. 70. Three of the four sellouts this season came during his tenure. His first game drew 18,203 fans, the second-largest home crowd in the team's 20-year history. Rodman was thrown out of his second game for sitting down on the court. He berated officials, then left the court slowly, drawing a one-game suspension and $10,000 fine. He was thrown out of his next home game for taunting Utah's Karl Malone and again lingered on the court. He was fined $3,500 that time. Fans loved it all. They brought signs to cheer him and lined up to buy Mavs jerseys with his name and number on back. Many will be disappointed to miss seeing him with his latest hairdo: blue and green, the team's colors. Ever-changing hair patterns and a postgame jersey-toss into the stands brought Rodman more attention than any other player who averaged 7.3 points for their career. Self-promotion is what made him stand out -- like the time he showed up at a book signing wearing a wedding dress. If this is the end of his career, Rodman will have left without fulfilling what he said was his basketball fantasy: leaving the court naked. The NBA office can probably breathe easier now knowing that's unlikely to happen. In the little time he was in Dallas, he challenged commissioner David Stern to a fight and constantly accused the league office and officials of being out to get him. In 12 games for the Mavericks, Rodman averaged 2.1 points and 11.2 rebounds. He averaged 13.1 rebounds per game for his career, which also included stops in Detroit, San Antonio and Chicago. Even without basketball, Rodman is sure to remain in the news.
He has a March 27 trial in Las Vegas on a cocktail waitress' claim that he grabbed her breasts and an April 3 arraignment in Costa Mesa, Calif., for a misdemeanor drunken driving charge.
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