Mj Knocks Rodman; Raptors Dump Bulls
Michael Jordan is worried that Dennis Rodman is more interested in becoming a multimedia star than in helping the Chicago Bulls win another NBA title.
Jordan said Rodman - whose MTV show debuted Sunday night and who has movie and book deals for 1997 - was outplayed the past three games.
“Dennis has had a tough week, really hasn’t been in a good rhythm,” Jordan said. “He hasn’t been playing solid defense. The last couple of guys he’s faced have played well, and he has not met the challenge. Maybe he’s lost motivation. Let’s hope it’s only one week.”
Rodman had 18 rebounds against the Heat but “P.J. Brown was beating him to every loose ball,” Jordan said. “Last game, Loy Vaught came in here and played well. He’s being challenged and he’s got to elevate his motivation to meet that challenge.”
Early in the season, Rodman talked about how bored he was. And after he was badly outplayed by Karl Malone as Utah ended Chicago’s season-opening 12-game winning streak two weeks ago, Rodman said he simply was not interested.
To add insult to injury, the lowly Toronto Raptors handed the Bulls their second straight loss 97-89 Sunday in Toronto.
Rodman and Jordan drew costly technical fouls in the final 2 minutes.
Damon Stoudamire had 31 points and 13 assists and Popeye Jones had 12 points and 18 rebounds for the Raptors, who won their fourth in a row at home and duplicated their biggest victory of last season.
Scottie Pippen led the Bulls with 28 points, but Jordan scored just 13 points on 5-of-17 shooting. Jordan was held scoreless in the second half despite playing the entire fourth quarter.
Kidd hits the skids
Two years ago, he shared the Rookie of the Year award. Two years later, he certainly isn’t in the running for Most Improved Player.
If anything, Jason Kidd has regressed. As Grant Hill, who shared the rookie award with Kidd, continues his ascent in Detroit, Kidd is spinning wheels in Dallas, where Kidd and the Mavericks are off to a tough start.
Kidd’s passing is still sharp and effective and he is third in assists. However, given his rookie year, many expected Kidd to lead the league in assists by now.
More disturbing is Kidd’s outside shooting. He was a poor shooter as a rookie and hasn’t improved. He was hitting 35.5 percent through 17 games, down from 38.5 as a rookie and 38.1 last year. His scoring has dropped from 16.6 last year to 9.6.
“Everybody’s talking about my points going down,” Kidd said, “but that’s not my game. Everybody should know that.”
Scoring hasn’t been Kidd’s only problem. Last week, Tim Hardaway burned him for 33 points and Allen Iverson scored 36.
Robinson hurt in Bucks’ win
Vin Baker scored 24 points to help the Milwaukee Bucks overcome the loss of Glenn Robinson to an ankle sprain as they defeated the visiting Boston Celtics 100-87 Sunday night. Robinson left the game in the second quarter with a sprained right ankle.