Del Negro Looks Back On Days With Unique Teammate

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Del Negro looks back on days with unique teammate
By Mike McGraw

Vinny Del Negro never played in the Finals, but he once was the fourth-leading scorer on a team that posted the NBA's best record.

The 1994-95 San Antonio Spurs had a strong connection to the Bulls because of a certain bleach-blond, publicity-seeking rebound machine.

After finishing 62-20, those Spurs lost in the Western Conference finals to Houston while Dennis Rodman frequently sat on the bench with his shoes off.

The following summer, Rodman was traded for Will Perdue, became a national hero (or antihero) with the Bulls, and the rest is history.

"I enjoyed playing with Dennis, because I enjoyed shooting and he enjoyed rebounding," Del Negro said Friday. "So it worked out well."

Everything turned out fine for the Spurs franchise, which drafted Tim Duncan two years later. The Spurs with Rodman didn't quite live happily ever after, for whatever reason.

"Dennis is a different type of guy, but I never had any issues with him," Del Negro said. "I loved playing with him. He definitely brought a different dynamic to your team when he was on it.

"We knew there were going to be some issues with Dennis. But we were such a veteran team, we were focused in on what we needed to do. We just wanted to win, and we knew Dennis helped us win."

True, during his two years in San Antonio, Rodman led the league in rebounds by a ridiculously wide margin. He finished more than 4 rebounds ahead of second-place Shaquille O'Neal (1994) and Dikembe Mutombo ('95).

The other key players on that Spurs team were David Robinson, Sean Elliott, Avery Johnson, Chuck Person, Terry mings, Doc Rivers and J.R. Reid.

Age may have been a bigger issue with that roster than Rodman's distractions.

Of course, if Rodman and the Spurs had been able to coexist peacefully, the Bulls' dynasty might have had a different ending.

"Who knows? Probably," Del Negro said. "Things happen for a reason. You never know what the next year is going to bring."

[50Bestspurever]

Rodman wasn't the reason we lost in 95.