AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- Dennis Rodman of the Detroit Pistons celebrated two milestones Monday -- he turned 30 years old and was named the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year for the second straight season.
He is the first back-to-back winner since Milwaukee's Sidney Moncrief in 1982-83 and 1983-84. Utah center Mark Eaton is the only other two- time winner.
'I wanted to be like James Worthy, but I knew I could never play offense like he does,' Rodman said hours before his team met the Boston Celtics in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.
'Then I remembered those great Philadelphia 76ers teams and the defense they played. The guy who set the tone for that team was Bobby Jones. I decided to make myself that kind of player. A guy who would do the little things to help his team win.'
Rodman received 51 of a possible 96 votes from a panel of sports writers and broadcasters. San Antonio's David Robinson was second with 18 points and Milwaukee's Alvin Robertson had 15.
'He's the most unique player in the league, maybe one of the most unique ever to play in the league,' Brendan Suhr, the Pistons assistant coach, said of Rodman.
Rodman, a 6-foot-8 forward completing his fifth season, says his defense comes at a price.
'Defense is hard work and when I step out on that court, nobody is going to outwork me,' he said. 'I enjoy playing defense and it motivates me to go against some of the best players in the league. When I play against a Charles Barkley or a Larry Bird or a Chuck Person I want him to know he's going to be wearing my jersey for a while. My opponent is going to earn every point he gets.'
Rodman averaged only 8.2 points a game during the season, but was second to Robinson in rebounding with a 12.5 average.
His style of play is ideally suited for the Pistons, who led the NBA in defense the last two seasons. This year Detroit held opponents to 96. 8 points a game, the lowest mark in the NBA since Chicago allowed 95.0 in 1974-75.
'You don't look good unless you have good people around you,' Rodman said. 'I think Joe (Dumars) and I set the tone for this team's aggressive defense but everyone else is exerting themselves to play more defense.'
Rodman was drafted by the Pistons from Southeastern Oklahoma State in the second round in 1986.
'I never played defense in college,' he said, smiling.
Said Suhr: 'The two positions he plays -- small forward and shooting guard -- are the two main scoring positions in this league. How many coaches would have had the courage to put a non-scorer in one of those spots?'
Pistons Coach Chuck Daly did, and hasn't regretted it.
'He's a machine,' Daly said. 'He is incredibly active. He's got a nose for the ball and a work ethic like no one else in the NBA.'
Boston's Kevin McHale said Rodman's game is enhanced because of the role he is asked to play.
'The main thing that separates him is that he isn't part of the Pistons' offense, so he can concentrate on defense and rebounding,' McHale said. 'He just thinks rebound, rebound and defense, defense. That's probably why Dennis is such a phenomenal defender.'
