 Rodman hopes for an NBA return
Rodman hopes for an NBA return
Associated Press
Posted: 2 hours ago
LONDON (AP) - Dennis Rodman hopes his appearance in the British Basketball League will help get him back into the NBA.
The 44-year-old former Chicago Bulls and Detroit Pistons star played for the Brighton Bears on Saturday in the BBL, scoring four points and getting seven rebounds in a 91-88 win over the Guildford Heat.
"If I worked out consistently for a month, I think I could go back and play" in the NBA, said Rodman, who spent the three previous weeks in the British reality TV show "Celebrity Big Brother."
"I think my body is in good condition, I need to go out and get the fundamentals back down, get my movement from side to side right."
Rodman, who led the NBA in rebounding seven times, last played in the league for the Dallas Mavericks in 2000.
"I don't need to sink the ball, I just need to do things that got me where I was," Rodman added. "At 44, it is difficult. If it happens, it will be a mark in history."
Bears coach Nick Nurse isn't sure Rodman could make a successful return to the NBA.
"Dennis could go out there and collect six or seven rebounds like he did tonight, not the 17 he managed in his prime," Nurse said. "I think the off-court stuff would be a problem. Sustaining his focus would be difficult."
The five-time NBA champion had signed a deal with the Bears to play one game, but he might rejoin the team for two more games next month.
The Bears' team sponsor reportedly paid 25,000 pounds ($44,000) for Rodman's appearance, but it could cost the team even more.
The BBL is expected to investigate whether it was legal for Rodman to play. Guilford coach Paul James played the game under protest because the Bears have three other Americans on the team - Andrew Alleyne, Terrance McGee and Jerry Williams - and leagues rules state that each team can have only three work-permit holders.
Rodman's appearance drew a 1,500 capacity crowd and 60 journalists to the Triangle. He missed a pair of free throws with six seconds left, but otherwise played well in his 26 minutes.
"I'm sorry I didn't put on a good show, but it wasn't for me to put on a good show," Rodman said. "I don't shoot free throws, but I knew I would get the rebounds when we needed them." | 
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