Dennis Rodman: Blackballed From the HOF?

[PrettyT11]

Re: Dennis Rodman: Blackballed From the HOF?

I was a Rodman fan and loved what he did to help my Bulls win 3 rings but I'm sorry Rodman is in no way, shape, form, or fashion a Hall of Famer. Some of you guys throw HOF around a lil to lightly. The HOF is for the all time greats of the game and Rodman is far from that. Yes he was a legendary rebounder and great on the defensive end but he was horrible on the other side of the ball and it only got worse as his career went on. It takes a hell of a lot more than 2 all star games and 2 all nba third eam selections to make the HOF.

On top of that Rodman was NEVER considered the best or even one of the best at his position in his career. He was only great on one end of the court and while he was playing nobody EVER thought of him as an all time great PLAYER. All time rebounder yes. All time player NO. I mean his resume is very similar to Mark Eaton and NOBODY will EVER think of Eaton as a Hall of Famer and he is the greatest shot blocker of all time and a two time defensive player of year as well and he stands ZERO chance of making it and he shouldn't just like Rodman.

[Freelance]

Re: Dennis Rodman: Blackballed From the HOF?

Absolutely not. Half of his rebounds came from his own missed shots. It was always rumored that he missed shots on purpose in a way that would let him get his own rebound. He'd shoot, tip it, tip it again, then tip it again, all misses. That's three rebounds and no points.

[yvesdereuter]

Re: Dennis Rodman: Blackballed From the HOF?

I was a Rodman fan and loved what he did to help my Bulls win 3 rings but I'm sorry Rodman is in no way, shape, form, or fashion a Hall of Famer. Some of you guys throw HOF around a lil to lightly. The HOF is for the all time greats of the game and Rodman is far from that. Yes he was a legendary rebounder and great on the defensive end but he was horrible on the other side of the ball and it only got worse as his career went on. It takes a hell of a lot more than 2 all star games and 2 all nba third eam selections to make the HOF.

On top of that Rodman was NEVER considered the best or even one of the best at his position in his career. He was only great on one end of the court and while he was playing nobody EVER thought of him as an all time great PLAYER. All time rebounder yes. All time player NO. I mean his resume is very similar to Mark Eaton and NOBODY will EVER think of Eaton as a Hall of Famer and he is the greatest shot blocker of all time and a two time defensive player of year as well and he stands ZERO chance of making it and he shouldn't just like Rodman.

He didnt fit into the typical power forward role that gets X amount of points a game so he tends to get dismissed but in reality his unique skillset was just as valuable as any power forward averaging 22, 9, and 4. Getting a dunk is sexy. Getting a loose ball is not. Like has been mentioned, the guy did the dirty work possibly better than anyone in the history of the league. He was like 1.5 or 2 guys on defense.

For anyone who doesnt think he is HOF worthy, can you think of a better rebounder that didnt play at a time when the average NBA player was 6'4 and relatively unathletic? Rodman played at a time when centers were to a large degree neutralized by 6-6 to 6-9 players that could compensate for height discrepancies by being able to outjump centers.

[yvesdereuter]

Re: Dennis Rodman: Blackballed From the HOF?

Absolutely not. Half of his rebounds came from his own missed shots. It was always rumored that he missed shots on purpose in a way that would let him get his own rebound. He'd shoot, tip it, tip it again, then tip it again, all misses. That's three rebounds and no points.

LOL. The guy only averaged 5.8 shots per game over his whole career and he shot 52%. Nice try.

[PrettyT11]

Re: Dennis Rodman: Blackballed From the HOF?

He didnt fit into the typical power forward role that gets X amount of points a game so he tends to get dismissed but in reality his unique skillset was just as valuable as any power forward averaging 22, 9, and 4. Getting a dunk is sexy. Getting a loose ball is not. Like has been mentioned, the guy did the dirty work possibly better than anyone in the history of the league. He was like 1.5 or 2 guys on defense.

For anyone who doesnt think he is HOF worthy, can you think of a better rebounder that didnt play at a time when the average NBA player was 6'4 and relatively unathletic? Rodman played at a time when centers were to a large degree neutralized by 6-6 to 6-9 players that could compensate for height discrepancies by being able to outjump centers.

Just because you do the dirty work or hustle doesn't make you a Hall of Famer. Yes he was great at getting loose balls but so are plenty of other people. Plus let's not exaggerate he was good on D but he wasn't as good as two people on defense. But even if he was he was worth less than one on the offensive end. His offense got worse and worse with each passing year.

Yes Rodman was a great rebounder. He was damn legendary on the glass but that doesn't make you a hall of famer just cause you excel in one area. Again Mark Eaton was the greatest shot blocker ever and NOBODY mentions him at all as far as HOF goes and they shouldn't just like Rodman.

He was a only good on one end of the floor. He he even brought an average gome on the offensive end it might be a different story but his offense was HORRIBLE. I'm sorry but when I think of Rodman I don't think of an all time great basketball PLAYER. I think of a great rebounder but as a PLAYER as a whole he doesn't rank on a Hall of Fame level.

[Bears_16_and_0]

Re: Dennis Rodman: Blackballed From the HOF?

there are a lot worse players in the HOF

[yvesdereuter]

Re: Dennis Rodman: Blackballed From the HOF?

Just because you do the dirty work or hustle doesn't make you a Hall of Famer. Yes he was great at getting loose balls but so are plenty of other people. Plus let's not exaggerate he was good on D but he wasn't as good as two people on defense. But even if he was he was worth less than one on the offensive end. His offense got worse and worse with each passing year.

Guess what Bill Russells career FG% was. Guess what his best FG% was in any season. Also, bear in mind that he played in an era when there werent as many guys who could challenge your shot. Plus Rodman entered the league a little older and more unpolished than a lot of guys. Youre making way too much out of the fact that he was a late bloomer.

Yes Rodman was a great rebounder. He was damn legendary on the glass but that doesn't make you a hall of famer just cause you excel in one area. Again Mark Eaton was the greatest shot blocker ever and NOBODY mentions him at all as far as HOF goes and they shouldn't just like Rodman.

Rodman did more than just rebound. Youre going out of your way to sell him short. Again, the guy also was a master of intimidation and getting loose balls to go along with rebounding. He was so good on defense, it took some of the pressure off some of his teammates on defense. It was easier for the stars like Thomas and Jordan to be great on offense because Rodman was taking care of the dirty work on the defensive end. Also, Mark Eaton didnt play on 5 NBA champions. Its not a coincidence that Rodman did.

He was a only good on one end of the floor. He he even brought an average gome on the offensive end it might be a different story but his offense was HORRIBLE. I'm sorry but when I think of Rodman I don't think of an all time great basketball PLAYER. I think of a great rebounder but as a PLAYER as a whole he doesn't rank on a Hall of Fame level.

Sorry, but Bill Russell wasnt a force on offense either. Ozzie Smith didnt make into the baseball hall of fame because of his offense either. Theres a place for guys who were great at defense and Rodmans contribution in the paint (actuall at both ends) was that substantial. He just wasnt worried about scoring. There are enough guys in the HOF are there because of offense only and theres a strong chance that Rodman was better at rebounding than they were at scoring.

[Cebby]

Re: Dennis Rodman: Blackballed From the HOF?

For anyone who doesnt think he is HOF worthy, can you think of a better rebounder that didnt play at a time when the average NBA player was 6'4 and relatively unathletic?

Nobody is saying he wasn't a HoF rebounder.

However, role players aren't Hall of Fame players in my book. Hall of Famers are people who (in their prime) you can build a team around and be very, very good.

I'd put Rodman in the same category as Lorenzo Neal on the NFL board when that topic came up. They are both players that you would no doubt love to have on your team.

But if there was a Madden/NBA 2k-esque draft of every player in the league during their careers in their prime, where are you taking either? I can't see myself taking Rodman in the first two rounds. Maybe a borderline third rounder.

If Rodman was in the league today, would you even take him over a Caron Butler, Joe Smith, or Lamar Odom? I wouldn't.

Guess what Bill Russells career FG% was. Guess what his best FG% was in any season. Also, bear in mind that he played in an era when there werent as many guys who could challenge your shot.

You can't just compare across eras like that. In 57, Russell's 42.7% shooting was fifth in the league. He finished second in 59 with 45.7%.

Bill Russell was a 5 time MVP. Rodman was 3rd team All NBA twice.

[yvesdereuter]

Re: Dennis Rodman: Blackballed From the HOF?

Nobody is saying he wasn't a HoF rebounder.

However, role players aren't Hall of Fame players in my book. Hall of Famers are people who (in their prime) you can build a team around and be very, very good.

I'd put Rodman in the same category as Lorenzo Neal on the NFL board when that topic came up. They are both players that you would no doubt love to have on your team.

You lost a lot of credibility with that comparison. Sorry but a fullback in football doesnt even remotely come close to comparing to a rebounder/master defender in basketball. Fullbacks are actually dying out kindo of. Thats not the case with rebounding and defense in basketball. Nice try though.

But if there was a Madden/NBA 2k-esque draft of every player in the league during their careers in their prime, where are you taking either? I can't see myself taking Rodman in the first two rounds. Maybe a borderline third rounder.

If Rodman was in the league today, would you even take him over a Caron Butler, Joe Smith, or Lamar Odom? I wouldn't.

It would depend on who I had with my first pick. If I had a great scorer, with my first pick, Id definitely take Rodman with my 2nd pick. A great scorer and a great rebounder is an awesome place to begin building a team.

You can't just compare across eras like that. In 57, Russell's 42.7% shooting was fifth in the league. He finished second in 59 with 45.7%.

Bill Russell was a 5 time MVP. Rodman was 3rd team All NBA twice.

Once again, no one was saying Rodman was popular. Thats what All NBA teams typically are...and like has been mentioned numerous times, Rodman wasnt focused on scoring. Plus, what youre missing is that in spite of there not being nearly as many guys who could block his shot (like in the era Rodman played), he never really sniffed 50%. Yet people criticize Rodmans offense.

[ehh]

Re: Dennis Rodman: Blackballed From the HOF?

Lil OT but I was checking out Russell's page at bball reference and out of the five MVP's he won he wasn't even first-team all NBA for three of em. WTF is that?

[AlexBrady]

Re: Dennis Rodman: Blackballed From the HOF?

I never, ever thought "Hall of Famer" while watching Rodman play.

Really? Wow. You see, most of the great rebounders in todays game have a rebounding range of 3 or 4 body widths in every direction (Howard, Chandler). But Rodman was an 8 space rebounder (8 body widths in any direction), the best of all time bar none! He deservedly was a 2 time defensive player of the year. He was masterful at disrupting his check's offense and essentially scrambling his psyche as well.

Rodman was a basketball genious, rarely made mistakes, could run like a gazelle in the open court, and he could finish at a good clip. He was great at pressuring the ball and harrasing the inbounds passer or rebounder in the backcourt which totally stymied any chance of a fast break. When Rodman, was on the Spurs however, he would try this tactic but David Robinson refused to cover Rodman's check (fearful that he would be embarrased by a quicker player) for a couple seconds until Dennis could hustle back and reassume his position. It was a coward move by Robinson and right then Rodman knew that the Admiral was not serious about winning the title.

But of course, since Rodman accomplished so much without the ball in his hands he has been overlooked by the media and been labeled a role player. He is a slam dunk Hall of Famer and he has 5 rings for a reason.

[AlexBrady]

Re: Dennis Rodman: Blackballed From the HOF?

Lol, now we are looking at how many All NBA teams a player made?

[KG]

Re: Dennis Rodman: Blackballed From the HOF?

Lol, now we are looking at how many All NBA teams a player made?

I think he was just looking at Bill's stats and happened to notice that. I don't think he meant to use to validate Bill's greatness or detract from Rodman's accomplishments. I just took it as a weird coincidence.

[ZB9]

Re: Dennis Rodman: Blackballed From the HOF?

there are a lot worse players in the HOF

like who? give examples

[AlexBrady]

Re: Dennis Rodman: Blackballed From the HOF?

like who? give examples

Connie Hawkins, Walt Bellamy, Pete Maravich, Patrick Ewing, George Gervin, Charles Barkley, Elvin Hayes, Bob McAdoo, David Robinson, David Thompson, Robert Parish, Gail Goodrich, Alex English

All were either useless in the clutch, selfish, cream puffs, defenseless, and one dimensional.