Let's get to the true reason why he's on this list. Let me run down his season averages for rebounds during the '90s...12.5, 18.7, 18.3, 17.3, 16.8, 14.9, 16.1, 15.0, and 11.2, although that 11.2 came with the Lakers, and only playing in 23 games, and starting in only 11 of those 23 games.
Those numbers are insane.
Let's put it in perspective.
Last season, Kevin Garnett led the league with 12.8 a game.
They year before that, Garnett, again, with 12.7.
Before that, Garnett, again, with 13.5.
You get the point. Garnett would have placed a distant second to The Worm in every season, except one, and that was due, mostly, to Rodman not getting a lot of minutes (only 33, compared to averages of over 35 for most of the '90s).
Rodman was the Defensive Player of the Year for the '89-90 season and the '90-91 season.
He made the All-NBA Defensive First Team in '90, '91, '92, '93, '95, and '96.
On top of that, he was named to the All-NBA Third Team in '92 and '95, despite averages of 9.8 and 7.1 points per game during those seasons.
Just for good measure, he was a 5-time NBA Champion, and you can't deny his impact on those teams.
My favorite memory of him, though, is his triple double game he had for the Bulls. The one, and only, in his career. Yes, he deserves to be on this list.
13. Dikembe Mutombo
Too often, we remember players for what they are like now, instead of remembering what they used to be.
Dikembe Mutombo is one of those players that people forget about.
During the '90s, he was a monster defensive presence.
He led the league in blocked shots three times during the '90s, and was in the top 5 every other season.
And, had it not been for Dennis Rodman, Dikembe would have been topping the NBA in rebounds, consistently averaging over 11 rebounds per game. His lowest output in the '90s was 11.4, during the '96-97 season.
His scoring might not have been what his teams needed it to be, but considering all the points he took away, 6-8 points should be added to each of his scoring averages.
I might have put him on here for the finger wag, alone. The NBA should have never taken that away from him. Although, it does backfire on him, seeing how one of my favorite memories of Dikembe involved Michael Jordan blocking his shot, then returning the finger wave.
If you are an awards buff, you will know that Dikembe was (I should say is) a 3-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year.
Enough said.
12. TIM HARDAWAY
Don't laugh.
Again, you may not remember just how good Tim Hardaway was.
He is one of only 7 players to average 20+ points a game, along with 10+ assists. And, he did it twice. And, fell short by only a few assists of doing it two more times.
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