Dennis Rodman was excused from the Bulls’ practice at the Berto Center on Tuesday, a possible victim of the flu bug that has made the rounds of the team the last three weeks.
“He was sick, he came in and got some medication and went back out,” Bulls coach Phil Jackson said. “We hope he’ll be ready (on Wednesday).”
Jackson said Rodman’s illness may explain why he put forth one of his worst efforts of the season Sunday, going scoreless with just five rebounds against Houston and Charles Barkley.
“I didn’t think he was moving right at the beginning of the game,” Jackson said. “I questioned him a couple of times when he came to the bench and he said he was OK. But I didn’t feel he was real comfortable out there playing.”
If Rodman can’t play when the Bulls (28-12) meet the Charlotte Hornets (23-16) at the United Center on Wednesday, Jackson said he probably will start Jason Caffey rather than Toni Kukoc against Anthony Mason.
Bench marks: With Steve Kerr out for at least six weeks because of a fractured collarbone, the Bulls will need someone to fill the void as a deep shooter. Kukoc, with his range, can pick up the slack from beyond the three-point line, but Jackson is at a loss as to how to replace Kerr’s other qualities.
“It’s going to keep us guessing,” he said. “It’s a thing that’s going to have to be a little bit by committee to take over his spot. . . . We were dedicated to the fact that we were going to be playing 22 to 24 minutes–half the game–with Steve on the floor.”
Rookie Rusty LaRue could offer a three-point punch off the bench, but he has played in just nine games this season and struggled to find his shot when he did play, hitting just 18 percent from three-point range.
“He’s going to need some practice time this week,” Jackson said. “(Tuesday) was a time he got to play with other guys that he’s going to play with in a game.”
A year older: Ron Harper turned 34 on Tuesday.
“We’re real pleased,” Jackson said. “We didn’t know he’d make it this far.”
But seriously, folks.
“What always impresses us is that he finds a way to get the job done, even though it looks like he’s playing on a leg and a half,” Jackson said. “And sometimes that good leg gets tired out there during the course of a season.”
Jackson said Harper may have to take a turn on the injured list to try to heal a back injury, which he aggravated in a fall at New York on Jan. 9.
“We know he’s going through a little bit of a tough time right now, especially after that fall,” Jackson said.
Maybe, maybe not: During the Houston game, NBC’s announcers trotted out the rumor about Michael Jordan possibly becoming player-coach of the Bulls when Jackson leaves next season. Does Jackson believe Jordan could handle it?
“He’d probably be a better player than a coach,” Jackson said, “but I think he’d get the job done.”
On the air again: Bulls radio analyst Derrek Dickey, felled by a stroke in November, is scheduled to be on the air for the first time since then, to be interviewed by fellow WMVP-AM 1000 broadcaster Steve Olken on “Sports Line” at 6 p.m. Thursday.
Dickey, 46, is rehabilitating with physical therapy near his Sacramento home. There is no timetable as yet for a possible return to broadcasting.
