KoriEllis
09-22-2004, 04:32 PM
Worm resurfaces, briefly
Ingrown toenail shortens Rodman's planned workout with Nuggets
By Marc J. Spears
Denver Post Staff Writer
"The Worm" turned up at the Pepsi Center on Tuesday but soon wiggled out of a workout.
Former NBA rebounding champion Dennis "The Worm" Rodman played one game of full-court pickup basketball at the Nuggets' practice gym before departing, saying he was going to a local hospital to get an ingrown toenail removed.
Nuggets general manager Kiki Vandeweghe said he granted Rodman the opportunity to work out after Rodman's agent, Darren Prince, made an inquiry. Prince had been trying to get Rodman a workout with Denver for more than a year.
"(Rodman) wanted to come in and see where he was," Vandeweghe said. "He's thinking about playing again. He asked if he could come in and work out with the guys. He didn't work out much. It was more informal."
Rodman, 43, is a two-time NBA defensive player of the year and a four- time rebounding champion, and has five NBA championship rings, but hasn't played in the NBA since the 1999-2000 season.
Rodman arrived in town Monday night. In the pickup game, he scored a basket and got two rebounds. Vandeweghe said he talked to Rodman briefly and invited him to work out again once he got healthy.
"I was curious to see how he would look," Vandeweghe said. "You couldn't tell, because he had the ingrown toenail."
Footnotes
Hall of Famer Clyde Drexler said last week he would consider returning to the NBA for a championship situation, and included the Nuggets as a possibility. When asked this week by the Portland Tribune if he would stay retired, Drexler said: "Very likely, unless the right team would approach me about serving in a player-assistant coach role. Every team needs a wily veteran to help its young players." ... The Nuggets' expected addition of free-agent guard Greg Buckner would fill 10 of Denver's expected 13 roster spots. Other free-agent candidates include swingmen Dion Glover, Bryon Russell, DerMarr Johnson and Melvin Sanders, forwards Rodney White and Ryan Bowen and centers Popeye Jones, Mark Pope and Sean Rooks. ... Most Nuggets under contract are expected back in Denver this weekend, and 18 players are projected to be invited to training camp, which begins Oct. 5. ... Maggiano's Little Italy in the Denver Pavilions will host former Nuggets star Dikembe Mutombo's luncheon fundraiser Thursday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The luncheon, which includes a silent auction, will feature Mutombo as a keynote speaker, addressing his goals to build a 300-bed hospital in his homeland, the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Ingrown toenail shortens Rodman's planned workout with Nuggets
By Marc J. Spears
Denver Post Staff Writer
"The Worm" turned up at the Pepsi Center on Tuesday but soon wiggled out of a workout.
Former NBA rebounding champion Dennis "The Worm" Rodman played one game of full-court pickup basketball at the Nuggets' practice gym before departing, saying he was going to a local hospital to get an ingrown toenail removed.
Nuggets general manager Kiki Vandeweghe said he granted Rodman the opportunity to work out after Rodman's agent, Darren Prince, made an inquiry. Prince had been trying to get Rodman a workout with Denver for more than a year.
"(Rodman) wanted to come in and see where he was," Vandeweghe said. "He's thinking about playing again. He asked if he could come in and work out with the guys. He didn't work out much. It was more informal."
Rodman, 43, is a two-time NBA defensive player of the year and a four- time rebounding champion, and has five NBA championship rings, but hasn't played in the NBA since the 1999-2000 season.
Rodman arrived in town Monday night. In the pickup game, he scored a basket and got two rebounds. Vandeweghe said he talked to Rodman briefly and invited him to work out again once he got healthy.
"I was curious to see how he would look," Vandeweghe said. "You couldn't tell, because he had the ingrown toenail."
Footnotes
Hall of Famer Clyde Drexler said last week he would consider returning to the NBA for a championship situation, and included the Nuggets as a possibility. When asked this week by the Portland Tribune if he would stay retired, Drexler said: "Very likely, unless the right team would approach me about serving in a player-assistant coach role. Every team needs a wily veteran to help its young players." ... The Nuggets' expected addition of free-agent guard Greg Buckner would fill 10 of Denver's expected 13 roster spots. Other free-agent candidates include swingmen Dion Glover, Bryon Russell, DerMarr Johnson and Melvin Sanders, forwards Rodney White and Ryan Bowen and centers Popeye Jones, Mark Pope and Sean Rooks. ... Most Nuggets under contract are expected back in Denver this weekend, and 18 players are projected to be invited to training camp, which begins Oct. 5. ... Maggiano's Little Italy in the Denver Pavilions will host former Nuggets star Dikembe Mutombo's luncheon fundraiser Thursday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The luncheon, which includes a silent auction, will feature Mutombo as a keynote speaker, addressing his goals to build a 300-bed hospital in his homeland, the Democratic Republic of the Congo.