I’m currently in the midst of reading Phil Jackson’s newest book ‘Eleven Rings: The Soul of Success’, and have come across some extremely interesting tidbits from Phil about his experiences as both the head coach of the Chicago Bulls and the Los Angeles Lakers.
The section I’m currently in centers around Phil’s efforts to acquire Dennis Rodman from the San Antonio Spurs, as he noted he felt the Bulls needed toughness and more rebounding to secure another championship after the return of Michael Jordan from retirement.
What I found extremely interesting, was Phil’s account of what Rodman said while meeting with him prior to the trade. Jackson had concerns about Rodman’s troubles with the Spurs, and Dennis was very open about what he felt the issue was in San Antonio.
I expressed my concern over his reputation for selfishness. He said that his real problem in San Antonio was that he was sick of helping out center David Robinson, who he said, was intimidated by Houston’s Hakeem Olajuwon. “Half the Spurs players had their balls locked up in the freezer every time they left the house,” he added sarcastically.
Always interesting to get insight from players about their teammates, and to hear Rodman say this about David Robinson certainly made me raise an eyebrow.
Perhaps Robinson was just waiting on the arrival of Tim Duncan to really play like himself.