Rodman vs LeBron

This piece may be filled with what appear to be unfair comparisons. Five-time NBA champion Dennis Rodman took a shot at LeBron James, stating that he would not be a superstar in the 1990’s NBA. Rodman talks about the Chicago Bulls of his era, and says that today’s defending champion Miami Heat would not be able to match up against, him, Jordan and Pippen in their prime. He says he could stop Chris Bosh, Pippen could stop Dwyane Wade or James, and nobody could stop Jordan.

Though the general populace may disagree with that theory, Rodman provides an interesting subject for comparison himself. At 6’7” and only 220 pounds, the Worm earned his fearsome reputation guarding some of the greatest scorers in the game. One of his most potent photographs shows him pushing around Shaquille O’Neal, who’s half a head taller and outweighed him by at least 70 pounds when he was still active. His unorthodox personal quirks notwithstanding, Rodman was one of the hardest-working players of his time, and a proven winner.

In an article for Forbes.com on June 6 entitled “Ten Reasons Why No One Hates the San Antonio Spurs”, Roger Groves says “There is no trash talking coming from the Spurs; No forecast of multiple championships; No media events staging the coming together of the Big 3, though they have at least two future Hall of Famers in Tim Duncan and Tony Parker...” Groves adds other factors such as the perceived humility of Duncan and their loyalty to the franchise, attributes not commonly associated with James (or Rodman, for that matter) for whatever reason.

Their notoriety stems from two different roots. Rodman’s behavior is considered eccentric or just plain weird, so people believe there’s no malice behind it. He had a troubled childhood, and they dismiss it as that. It’s just Dennis being Dennis. James’ moves, meanwhile, appear to have planning behind them, like the widely-ballyhooed “Decision” to leave Cleveland. At an early age, everyone told him he was special, one of a kind, the best. Those maneuvers on the other had, appear contrived, self-serving and attention-getting.

Rodman will never be considered the great all-around talent that James is, though he was quite the scorer in his younger days. But in his book, “Who’s Better, Who’s Best in Basketball?” long-time NBA statsman Eliot Kalb points out what Rodman has added to every team he has played for, and how his influence lingers even after he’s left the team. According to Kalb, every team Rodman joined became a championship contender within three years, and he added 14 to 17 rebounds per game to their output, a large number purely on the face of it. Kalb also debunks the argument that Rodman only stood out on one end of the floor. He says a far greater number of players only put out effort on the opposite end, on offense.

The book was written in the early ascendancy of LeBron James, and bears serious revision. Many of today’s NBA All-Stars would be much higher on an updated edition of Kalb’s version of the league’s 50 greatest players, beginning with James. He has simply accomplished so much in his relatively young career.

Let’s take a closer look. Rodman is about as tall as James. But 30 pounds lighter. Each has played power forward, though James plays more at small forward. James has piled up almost every individual accolade there is, and has even been on the NBA All-Defensive First Team the last five seasons. Despite not having any of those major individual awards, Rodman, meanwhile, has been on seven NBA All-Defensive First Teams, is a two-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year, and led the league in rebounding seven times. Most importantly, he has won five NBA championships, two with the Detroit Pistons and two with the Bulls. For many, that is the ultimate yardstick.

For seasons, James labored with supposedly insufficient support with the Cleveland Cavaliers, the way Jordan languished with Chicago for seven years before tasting a championship. But the last few years, there have been no excuses. There were times he or his teammates simply did not come through in the clutch. Rodman, for his part, has never had the kind of pressure James has had, and he has never been required to take the winning shot in a big game. But – and this is significant – he spent his career containing players James would probably not have been as successfully defending against. 

The argument for which era was tougher goes both ways. Current players may argue that they’re bigger, stronger, more athletic and play a more complex game. Retired players can say their generation was smarter. In earlier times when the NBA was smaller, you could prove that you played teams with monster talent like Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain more frequently. In Rodman’s time, the Bulls were considered the smartest team. Today, the Heat are considered the strongest. Not exactly the same, but both effective. 

Without Rodman, it is doubtful the Bulls would have gotten their second three-peat in the mid-1990’s. Without James, Miami probably would not have won its second championship this soon, if at all. But no matter what you would say about either player, the bottom line is that Rodman has five rings, and the prodigious James has one.

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