Gregg Popovich?s Attempts to ?Tame? a Wild Dennis Rodman Could Have Ended Badly for Both Legends

NBA legend Dennis Rodman is remembered by posterity as one of the best defenders and rebounders ever, who won five NBA titles over the course of his NBA career. Similarly, legendary head coach Gregg Popovich is widely considered to be one of the best coaches ever, with five rings in his cabinet so far. One would assume, the two would flourish in the same team given their abilities. However, things did not work out well when the two joined forces, owing to their unique but disparate personalities. While Rodman did everything his way, Popovich was all about discipline.

The Worm was not happy with the Pistons’ management because of the changes in the team. This brought out the rebel in Rodman who went rogue after that. Dennis the Menace’s antics were in full swing during his stint with the San Antonio Spurs.

Dennis Rodman and Gregg Popovich’s personalities

Gregg Popovich played for the Air Force from 1966 to 70 and then was an assistant coach from 1973 to 79. From his time in the Air Force and as an assistant to head coach Larry Brown, Popovich developed a disciplinarian style of management. When Dennis Rodman joined the San Antonio Spurs in 1993, the head coach was John Lucas II. Rodman gave an instant boost to the team and their title aspirations.

He also led the league in technical fouls and head-butted two opponents that season. The former Pistons star was late to many practice sessions and did not show up during shootarounds before games. However, the head coach Lucas II looked the other way because of his performances on the court, and the team won 55 games that season.

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But then the Spurs were swept in the first round of the playoffs by the Utah Jazz. And Rodman’s unavailability in the all-important game-3 because of a suspension did not help the team. Then came Gregg Popovich.

Popovich’s arrival and the beef with Rodman

The next season saw the arrival of Gregg Popovich as the general manager and Vice President of basketball operations. New owner Peter Holt was apparently a fan of Popovich’s disciplinarian style. However, there were doubts about this appointment as many thought Popovich did not deserve the role. But he went straight to business. The Spurs also brought in Bob Hill as the new head coach. Now, Dennis Rodman’s antics were no longer tolerated.

He was fined multiple times for being late during preseason games and was even suspended for three regular season games. According to a report from the Arizona Daily Star, Rodman was even fined for wearing blue jeans on the team jet. Popovich had the support of Rodman’s teammates as well.

However, he soon realized the importance of the power forward and started to back down, even though he was not happy about it. And the Spurs finished with the best record in the NBA. David Robinson won the MVP award and Rodman won his fourth straight rebound title. Also, the doubts about Popovich’s abilities were gone.

Before the playoffs, Popovich talked about wanting to “tame” Rodman more. This did not sit well with the Worm. Rodman’s antics during the Western Conference Semi-Finals saw him benched. The Spurs were eliminated in the next round and Rodman was traded to the Chicago Bulls.

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This could have easily been the end of Rodman’s career owing to his antics and personality. Also, Popovich’s inability to work with a rebellious star could have spelled the end of his relatively unproven career. Safe to say it ended up as a blessing in disguise for both, as they went to built legendary careers after parting ways.