Dennis Rodman didn’t arrive in Chicago as a neat fit. He came in with baggage, a reputation that had Bulls fans grinding their teeth for seven straight seasons, and the kind of uncertainty that made him look like either damaged goods or a total wild card after a two-year stop in San Antonio.
Then Jerry Krause made the move that changed everything. Near the start of the 1995-96 NBA season, on Oct. 2, 1995, the Bulls general manager sent center Will Perdue to San Antonio and brought Rodman to Chicago. It was a franchise-altering gamble, and it became one of the defining decisions of the Bulls’ dynasty run.
What Rodman did from there was still remarkable more than 30 years later. His whole game revolved around rebounding, and in Chicago that obsession became a weapon.
The Bulls were already no slouches on the glass before he got there, especially on the offensive boards. They finished in the NBA top 10 in offensive rebounds per game in both the 1992-93 and 1994-95 regular seasons.
Rodman pushed that strength into overdrive. With him in the lineup, Chicago became the clear standard-bearer in rebounding, both offensive and defensive. In each of his three seasons with the Bulls, the team finished in the NBA top five in total rebounds, according to Basketball Reference.
That mattered far beyond the box score. Rodman’s work on the glass created quick-break chances and easy looks for the rest of the roster, especially the role players who thrived off the extra possessions. It also meshed perfectly with Scottie Pippen and Michael Jordan, the two central stars of the Bulls’ 1990s run.
Rodman even turned in the best assist season of his 14-year NBA career while wearing a Bulls uniform. He averaged 4.3 assists per 100 possessions across his three Chicago seasons, often making sharp outlet passes after offensive boards or showing enough feel to work cleanly within the triangle offense.
His value was rooted in total commitment to one thing. Rodman led the league in total rebounds in all three of his Bulls seasons, helping power the franchise’s fourth, fifth and sixth championships. At the same time, he stayed almost completely out of the scoring spotlight, remaining a single-digit player in points per game, field goal attempts per game and free-throw attempts per game, according to Basketball Reference.
That combination made him a rare kind of piece - one whose impact on Chicago’s title teams still stands out because it was so extreme, so specific, and so essential.
In Other News...
Matas Buzelis Has One Big Offensive Question Under Tiago Splitter
Matas Buzelis is stepping into his next chapter with the Bulls still trying to define what kind of scorer he can become, and the conversation around his game is getting more specific. On the Cousins Podcast, Buzelis talked about how his role has been shaped before, and how new head coach Tiago Splitter could open the door to more versatility for a young forward who is still learning where his scoring game can have the most impact.
The midrange shot sits at the center of that discussion. Buzelis has made clear he sees value in the middle of the floor as more than just an old-school option, viewing it as a way to keep defenders honest and expand what he can do off the dribble. For the Bulls, the question is whether that part of his game becomes a real piece of his development or stays something he only talks about in theory. [Read more 🡒]
Bulls Should Ignore The Obvious Flyer For A Better Young Fit
Cameron Whitmore has quickly become a familiar name around Chicago after being waived from his rookie-scale deal, and it is easy to see why Bulls fans would circle a 21-year-old wing as a low-cost swing on upside. He fits the broad profile of the kind of young, athletic addition teams chase this time of year, especially for a roster that can always use more size and energy on the wing.
Still, if Chicago is serious about adding a young player who already has some NBA experience, the cleaner argument may be to look elsewhere rather than simply take the obvious free-agent path. One intriguing option is Memphis forward GG Jackson II, who is also 21 but brings a bit more height and has already shown more in actual game action, giving the Bulls a more developed bet if they want a youthful piece with a track record rather than just a fresh lottery ticket. [Read more 🡒]
Bulls Need Answers On Leonard Miller Before This Rebuild Moves On
As the Bulls keep sorting through the next stage of their rebuild, the emphasis has shifted from chasing quick fixes to figuring out which young players can actually fit together. Caleb Wilson, Matas Buzelis, Dailyn Swain, Noa Essengue and Leonard Miller all figure into that evaluation, and Chicago needs the 2026-27 season to be more than a holding pattern if it wants real answers on the core it is assembling.
Miller is the most interesting part of that group because the Bulls still do not know exactly what they have, and there is only so much runway left to find out. Chicago has to decide how much opportunity to give him, how to maximize his minutes alongside the rest of the young talent, and how that evaluation fits with the larger push to add draft capital and keep the rebuild moving. [Read more 🡒]