When the tears ran rampantly down the cheeks of Dennis Rodman during his Hall of Fame Speech last weekend, the Detroit/Chicago side in me figuratively produced enough water to fill up both Lakes, Erie and Michigan.
I was torn and at a crossroads! The situation was inevitable yet I hadn't come to grips with the decision. The Hall of Fame caught me off guard. Which city should I pledge my allegiance, highlights and identity for Dennis Rodman? Detroit or Chicago? I'm one of the few people in the world who can say he lived in Detroit and Chicago during the years Rodman played for those teams. Rats!!!! Or in this case, Worms!!!!!!!!
It seems like it was yesterday I was on Steel and Puritan on a cold December night, watching channel 50 and hearing the voice of the Pistons George Blaha, commenstrate: "Worm cleans the glass and dishes off to the Captain (Isiah Thomas).
Make no mistake Dennis Rodman, the NBA player, was born in Detroit, MI on October 31, 1986. He was raised by his father Chuck Daly, and groomed by his brothers Zeke, Joe, Spider, Buddha, Microwave, Lamb, and Dantley. Collectively they became the "Bad Boys."
We know the history and feats that notorious unit contributed to the NBA: designing a defensive blue-print that serves as precedence for winning teams to this day, implementing the "Jordan Rules", and representing the only team in the play-offs that ever gave Michael Jordan problems.
After the "Bad Boy" era surpassed it's prime and ultimately concluded it's run, it was off to San Antonio. This marked a pivotal point in the Worm's career. SA is where Dennis began to develop, well enhance, his off the court persona.
Donning a new blonde salad, it was clear this was a different Rodman. It was as if Dennis left "home" (Detroit) for the first time and begin to explore and experiment with different things in "college" (San Antonio).
Like most people, you know when your welcome is over, and so did Dennis. His antics proved to be too much for San Antonio, so the Spurs shipped him to Chicago in 1995, and the rest is history.
With a brand new number that would make a defensive lineman proud and the same production on the court, the Bulls went on to win 3 straight titles from '96-'98. For what they each brought to the table, Jordan/Pippen/Rodman may have been the greatest trio to ever play. Initially, when they assembled, I was taken aback.
How dare Dennis sign with the Bulls? I'm a man that needs to have a strong, contextual analogy, and to me, Rodman going to the Bulls was a NY born Tupac leaving jail screaming "WestSide!" or a brother switching sides during the Civil War to fight his own brother.
Thankfully the Worm brought it all together during his induction and made it make sense. Clad in a tux jacket that had both Pistons and Bulls colors, as well as the numbers he wore fore each respective team, Dennis diffused any and all confusion.
Standing on the stage cracking jokes with Scottie Pippen, a man he once slammed to the floor and constantly abused, I was reminded that it usually takes a traumatic experience or adversity until we really know someone and gain respect for them.
After years of battling, I'm sure there is an implicit, mutual understanding and respect Chicago and Detroit has for one another. And when it comes to Dennis, I'll just treat him like a step-child.
When he's in Detroit, he is ours. When he's in Chicago with his step-family, he's one of theirs, or vice-versa depending on your perspective. In any case, when he played in those cities, he represented the characteristics of those cities to the fullest!
*Quick "Worm" Stats
*Dennis averaged a "double-double" his first four years in the league, including 16.0 ppg and 12.0 reb in 1987-88.
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