The trouble started early Tuesday night, when Luc Longley ran into first-quarter foul trouble in the Bulls’ 104-98 victory over Indiana in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals.
Coach Phil Jackson called out for his new super sub, the most tattooed sixth man on the planet, to replace Longley.
One problem. Actually, one big problem: Dennis Rodman was nowhere to be found.
Rodman reportedly was in the locker room, working out, per an agreement with Jackson that he would enter the game at an agreed-on time. But Longley had picked up his second foul.
Jackson dispatched assistant trainer Wally Blase to retrieve Rodman.
“It was irritating to have to send for him,” said Jackson. “He thought he would be coming in at the 2-minute mark, and the situation changed with some fouls. I will have a talk in the next couple days to see if we can’t set him straight.”
The same scenario played out at the start of the second half. Jackson again had to send Blase for Rodman.
Rodman finished with just two points and six rebounds, the first time in nine games he did not reach double figures in that department. Indiana outrebounded the Bulls 47-38, and the two Davises–Dale and Antonio–combined for 23 points and 16 rebounds.
“Dennis has to maintain a certain focus,” said Michael Jordan. “I think Phil has been unhappy with some of his antics as of late, being late to practice, not showing up when he should be.
“We’ve had a conversation with Dennis. If anybody is going to miss practice or start skipping practice, it should be me or Scottie (Pippen). As long as we’re there, he should be there.”
In fact, Jackson may not have to have that talk with Rodman if the latter reads the rest of Jordan’s comments, which were incredibly pointed at Rodman’s recent transgressions. Rodman was late to practice Friday, and Jackson made him sit out the workout.
Then, he arrived merely an hour before Tuesday’s tipoff.
“No matter what he does in the evening, we’ve never really questioned that. We’ve always given him enough time to be Dennis,” said Jordan. “But when we come to work, he has to be here to work. And I think that is something that Phil wants to reiterate. This is a crucial time of the season, and the last thing we need is some B.S. from Dennis.
“He’s not flaking out. He’s just trying to get some attention. And if he needs attention, we’ll certainly give him as much as he needs. He’s probably disappointed a little bit for not starting. But there is a purpose for that. And Phil is the coach, and he’s got to adhere to that.
“I think Dennis has too much respect for us and what we’ve tried to achieve. He doesn’t want to be the reason that we lose. So that is working in our favor.”
