| | DALLAS -- Dennis Rodman needed less than a month to wear out his welcome in Dallas.
The Mavericks gave up on their biggest drawing card Wednesday, giving him his release hours after he lashed out against owner-in-waiting Mark Cuban.
This could be the end of the line for the most-pierced,
most-tattooed player in league history, albeit one who won seven rebounding titles and played for five championship teams.
|  | | From now on, these Dennis Rodman fans will have to watch 'Double Team' to see their hero. |
He's 38 and may not find another team willing to hire him. If
one did sign him now, he would not be eligible for the playoffs.
"If we were three games out of a playoff position, we would not
be releasing him," Cuban said Wednesday. "This has to do with creating
playing time for the younger guys and creating continuity for next year. We just didn't think it would serve Dennis or the Mavs well if we just sat him down and didn't play him."
Cuban told Sportspages.com that Rodman's critical comments "had nothing to do" with his release. "We got Dennis for a run at the playoffs," Cuban said. "We are all upset about losing. I would do this all again and sign Dennis in a heartbeat. It was the right move -- we just didn't get the wins we wanted."
Cuban said he "absolutely" considers Rodman still his friend.
"I think the world of Dennis," he said. "He is a great
competitor and rebounder."
There also was no immediate comment from Rodman. His Los
Angeles-based publicist was preparing a response.
"I enjoyed getting to know Dennis as a person and enjoyed coaching him," said Dallas coach Don Nelson on Wednesday.
"He was brought here to help us make a playoff run, which obviously hasn't happened," Nelson said. "Therefore, it is in the best interest of the organization to play our younger players throughout the remainder of the season."
Dallas, which begins the post-Rodman era tonight at home against Minnesota, was willing to suffer Rodman's off-court antics as a tradeoff for his production on the court and his box-office attraction. He didn't sign with the Mavericks until he was convinced no contenders were interested.
The 29-day stint in Dallas is the shortest of Rodman's career.
He lasted 48 days with the Los Angeles Lakers last season.
The Mavericks were 4-9 with him on the roster, although one of the victories came in a game he missed because of a suspension. Rodman also was ejected twice and fined $13,500.
Rodman had only been on a losing team once before in his 14-year career. Still, as a Dallas native he should've known what he was getting into with a team that hasn't had a winning season since 1989-90 -- so long ago that Rodman didn't have any tattoos.
His frustrations boiled over Tuesday night following a fifth
straight loss. Rodman slammed Cuban, even though the boss had jeopardized his bid to buy the team by buddying up to the league's biggest thorn.
Cuban had personally wooed Rodman and gave him permission to
skip practices and show up late for games. The soon-to-be owner
even became Rodman's landlord, letting him live in a guest house
until the league ended that deal.
"Mark Cuban wants to win, but he's an owner, not a player,"
Rodman said following a 101-86 loss in Seattle. "He doesn't need
to be hanging around the players like he's a coach or something.
That's like Jerry Jones, and it's dumb. That's why the Cowboys went
down. He needs to be the owner, step back and put people in who can
get this team in the right direction."
Rodman also suggested that Dallas needs "a backup center, a
starting center, a true power forward, a couple of guards."
"Above all, we need some more veterans to come in here and
provide some leadership," he said. "If we don't get that, then
this team is always going to be on the bottom."
The Mavericks play Minnesota at home Thursday night. Attendance
surely won't be as high as it had been with Rodman wearing No. 70.
Three of the four sellouts this season came during his tenure.
His first game drew 18,203 fans, the second-largest home crowd in
the team's 20-year history.
Rodman was thrown out of his second game for sitting down on the
court. He berated officials, then left the court slowly, drawing a
one-game suspension and $10,000 fine.
He was thrown out of his next home game for taunting Utah's Karl Malone and again lingered on the court. He was fined $3,500 that time.
Fans loved it all. They brought signs to cheer him and lined up
to buy Mavs jerseys with his name and number on back. Many will be
disappointed to miss seeing him with his latest hairdo: blue and
green, just like the team's colors.
Ever-changing hair patterns and a postgame jersey toss into the
stands brought Rodman more attention than any other player who
averaged 7.3 points for his career.
Self-promotion is what made him stand out -- like the time he
showed up at a book signing wearing a wedding dress. If this is the
end of his career, Rodman will have left without fulfilling what he
said was his basketball fantasy: leaving the court naked.
The NBA office can probably breathe easier now knowing that's
unlikely to happen. In the little time he was in Dallas, he
challenged commissioner David Stern to a fight and constantly
accused the league office and officials of being out to get him.
In 12 games for the Mavericks, Rodman averaged 2.1 points and
11.2 rebounds. He averaged 13.1 rebounds per game for his career,
which also included stops in Detroit, San Antonio and Chicago.
Even without basketball, Rodman is sure to remain in the news.
He has an April 3 arraignment in Costa Mesa, Calif., for a misdemeanor drunken driving charge. | |
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AUDIO/VIDEO
 Dennis Rodman rips Mavericks management on Tuesday night.
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