Dennis Rodman Compares Current Warriors Team to 1996 Chicago Bulls
Former Chicago Bulls star Dennis Rodman expressed a unique take Thursday when asked about the Golden State Warriors' undefeated start. Their early success has led to comparisons to the dominant Bulls squad from 1995-96, which finished the regular season 72-10.
Rodman tried to downplay what the Warriors could accomplish this season during an appearance on SiriusXM NBA Radio. He did it in a way only The Worm could.
"People say they're going to go 72-10, I don't care they can go 81-1. We did it first," he said.
He believes his Bulls were better regardless of what Golden State does this season. He also claimed the NBA was "110 percent better" when Chicago posted its 72-win campaign, per the show's host, Justin Termine.
There's no doubting the amount of talent that Bulls roster had. Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen headlined a group that included Toni Kukoc, Steve Kerr, Ron Harper, Luc Longley and Rodman. It's easy to see why they lost just 10 games.
The Warriors are making quite a statement of their own, though. Their comeback victory over the Los Angeles Clippers Thursday night moved them to 13-0, which is just two victories away from tying the best start in league history.
Golden State is also beating opponents by an average of 14.7 points per game. Chicago's average margin of victory during its record-breaking season was 12.3 points.
It's no surprise Rodman is defending the Bulls' success. The comparisons are only just getting started, though. If the Warriors are able to maintain such a remarkable pace, their efforts to break the record will get a lot of attention heading into 2016.
The biggest hurdle for Golden State will be staying healthy. As Michael Lee of the Washington Post pointed out after the Warriors won the title last season, they benefited from avoiding major injuries and facing wounded opponents, but he also noted that's not at all uncommon.
While they do have some depth, led by sensational sixth man Andre Iguodala, it's not on the same level as Rodman's Bulls. Losing Stephen Curry is obviously the worst-case scenario, but even an extended absence for Draymond Green or Klay Thompson would be a huge setback.
Then there's playing in the Western Conference. While the East is certainly more competitive in the early going this season, the West remains loaded. The Warriors stand atop the mountain, but when you're talking about losing 10 games or fewer, many pitfalls lie along the way.
It seems as though the only thing that would impress Rodman is if the Warriors are able to go 82-0. They're 69 games away from doing just that.
