Well, looks like the oft-criticized Naismith Hall of Fame got one right.
Dennis Rodman told the Associated Press he has been elected to the hall and was told to be in Houston Monday (site of the Final Four) for the announcement. The official induction is not until August, and we can’t wait to hear that induction speech.
This is as it should be. A Hall of Fame without Rodman in it would be a sham. People focus on the hair and the antics and miss what should be the only thing that matters for the hall — Dennis Rodman was a fantastic player and as good a rebounder the game has ever seen.
Rodman grabbed 23.4 percent of the available rebounds when he was on the floor over the course of his career. Meaning he grabbed nearly one of every 4.5 rebounds he could have grabbed for his entire career. For comparison, Dwight Howard’s career average is 20.7 percent. Kevin love is a beast this season and he is grabbing 23.5 percent of the boards available – that was an average year for Rodman. Or, look at it this way: Rodman has a better rebound rate than Moses Malone, Dikembe Mutombo, Tim Duncan and anyone else you want to name.
Rodman was also an amazing defender. Rebounding and defense is why Rodman has five rings — he was among the best ever at doing the dirty work. He was seven-times on the all NBA defensive team
The Pistons have come around, too. Friday night, the Pistons retired Rodman’s No. 10. As it should be.
Other potential members in this Hall of Fame class, the finalists, are:
Chris Mullin; UCLA legend and four-time NBA champion Jamaal “Silk” Wilkes; Tex Winter (the inventor of the triangle office and a coaching legend); Ralph Sampson; Teresa Edwards (a five-time Olympian); Tara VanDerveer (Stanford’s women’s coach); Dick Motta; Herb Magee (Philadelphia University coach); Hank Nichols (college referee); and Al Attles, assistant general manager of the Golden State Warriors.