Dennis Rodman: Was Dennis Rodman the Most Important Bad Boy in Detroit?

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Dennis Rodman is having his No. 10 jersey retired by the Detroit Pistons tonight against the Chicago Bulls. In his playing time with both of those teams, Rodman won five NBA championships.

Yet for some reason, the rebounding legend says that he does not deserve to have his jersey retired by Detroit because he was not the most important member of those championship teams with the Pistons.

But is he right?

Say what you will about Rodman. He was colorful, controversial and antagonistic. He got in trouble on and off of the court. But nobody can take away what he did on the court, most notably on the defensive end of the floor.

But it was not just his rebounding. Early in his career, he averaged around a dozen points per game. When his team needed him to step up on offense, he did. But it was defense that made him famous. He was voted to the first team All-Defense seven times in his career, and was named Defensive Player of the Year twice, including once with the Pistons in 1990 when they won the NBA title.

Rodman was one of the original "Bad Boys" of Detroit, along with the likes of Rick Mahorn, Bill Laimbeer, John Salley, Vinnie Johnson and Isiah Thomas. One could argue that while his teammates received more accolades and attention, that it was Rodman who was the most important member of those teams.

He will go down as one of the greatest rebounders of all time, especially when you consider that he was a small forward, and somewhat undersized even for that position. He was not a big guy, but not too many players could prevent Rodman from coming down with a rebound.

In fact, in the 1991-1992 NBA season, Rodman averaged over 18 rebounds per contest. He grabbed more that season than any other player since Wilt Chamberlain, and no player has topped that mark since.

Rodman may say that he is not worthy of having his No. 10 jersey retired by the Pistons. He would be wrong.

For more on The Bad Boys of the Pistons, make sure to check out Bleacher Report Pistons Featured Columnist Jay Wierenga, who takes a look at Regime Change for Detroit Pistons? Bring Back Bill Laimbeer!

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