mitchweber wrote:Both of you cut out the personal crap right now.
You're not going to need to worry about any more posts directed towards him. Let's just say I'll stop reading them.
But I'd like to discuss the Rodman vs. Grant subject and how they would have fit on the Bulls.
My contention was that the Bulls would have been able to perform comparably ("winning in six games") against the Jazz if Rodman were replaced by another decent PF. I mentioned Grant, by which I mentioned the '91-'93 edition; I presume that even though I didn't mention it explicitly that it wasn't unambiguous, as Grant had previously played for the Bulls.
In his prime, Rodman was one of the best rebounders in the game and a lockdown man defender, if not one that will collect steals or blocks out of the helpside. Moreover, he had a good sense of offensive awareness despite not scoring many points, so you could count on him to move the ball and get garbage points. But my recollection was that he didn't have much of an impact in the 1996-97 and the 1997-98 Finals (whereas he played tremendous defense on Kemp and got huge rebounds in the closing game in the 1996 Finals).
So after my hypothesis was challenged, I decided to look up the stats. Indeed, they confirm what I had suggested.
By 1997 and 1998, Rodman was still an excellent rebounder, but he was no longer a shutdown defender. He didn't make either all-NBA defensive team, and obviously, he was never much of a shot blocker. In the 1997 Finals, he posted an average of 2.3 ppg on 25% shooting. Obviously, he isn't known for his offense, but he only got 7.7 rpg.
He didn't do much on defense either, as his 0.67 spg and 0.17 bpg might indicate. However, I don't like using steals and blocks alone to assess defensive impact, particularly for Rodman. However, he gave up 23.8 ppg and 10.3 rpg to Malone on 44.3% shooting. Which is a solid defensive effort, but hardly a lockdown job, especially considering Malone has a reputation of not stepping up in big games.
In the 1998 Finals, Rodman wasn't even starting anymore (replaced by Kukoc). He posted 3.3 ppg and 8.3 rpg and again tallied meager defensive stats. This time, he gave up 25 ppg and 10.5 rpg on over 50% shooting to Malone. The numbers from the 1997 and 1998 Finals are probably slightly better than the average career playoff numbers that Malone posted, and certainly worse than the numbers he posted during his prime.
So to recap, during the Finals in question:
1) Rodman wasn't contributing anything offensively, which isn't a surprise, as he was known for rebounding.
2) Rodman was also putting up weak rebounding numbers. He was thoroughly outrebounded by Malone.
3) Rodman gave up better stats to Malone than he averaged throughout his playoff career, let alone his prime--despite the fact that the Bulls were the most defensively talented team that he had ever played with. One would seriously have to question the defensive impact Rodman had on Malone.
4) He also came off the bench in the 1998 Finals, which suggests that Jackson didn't think his defensive contributions compensated for his lack of offense anymore.
5) Nor did the voters, as he missed out on both all-NBA defensive teams in 1996-97 and 1997-98.
So if he wasn't contributing on offense or helping out significantly on Malone, who was he guarding? Ostertag? I didn't think so. But somehow, the Bulls wouldn't have done as well in the Jazz with a very efficient, workmanlike 14/10 Horace Grant who was a serviceable shotblocker.
I hope I laid all doubts to rest.
