Dennis Rodman has the subtlety of a pancake block and the relevance of a disgraced preacher. He has to know this. And yet, in an effort to create interest, he instead reminds us of how peaceful it was without him around spewing nonsensical gibberish.
The former NBA player has the credibility of a loan shark and what he says carries about as much weight as a small leaf. But his rail against the Knicks in general and Derek Fisher in particular speaks to his need for a hug.
Fame is a drug, and many of those formerly in the spotlight crave it when they don’t have it. Rodman lives out of our vision for a while, but then re-emerges with utter nonsense, like building a “friendship” with the North Korea leader Kim Jong-un. You’d think he’d be disgraced enough to take out the nose rings, scrub off the tattoos and dye the hair black (or gray) and slink away forever.
But he has no shame. Criticizing Derek Fisher with his team 4-20 is the lowest hanging fruit around. He criticized the hire of Fisher, who was a championship player, former head of the players’ union and about as smart and upstanding a guy as you can get. Didn’t hear from the Weird One when Fisher was announced as Knicks coach in the summer. To wait until his team with a bad mix of players struggles and then come in with snide remarks about Fisher is weak.
He also had some things to say about Steve Kerr as coach of the Golden State Warriors. Listen, when a team messes up, the coach gets some blame. So Kerr, until something changes, has to get some credit for the Warriors’ best record in the NBA.
But not to Rodman. Seldom has he re-emerged in public spotlight with ease. It’s always a big thud with him. That he misses the attention is something he will have to endure the rest of his life. Many athletes struggle with that part of retirement. They were not that fond of the media attention when the media had intense interest in them. But once they were done and the reporters gone, they missed that adulation, that forum to express themselves.
Rodman misses it probably more than most. It would be better for our senses if he just slinks away. . . for good.
