Comments on: Looking back: Sean Elliott-for-Dennis Rodman doesn’t get nearly enough credit for being one of the worst trades the Detroit Pistons ever made

By: Dennis Rodman’s jersey retirement is as good as a Pistons championship | Patrick Hayes

Fri, 24 May 2013 17:03:54 +0000

[...] wasn’t his exuberant self in that final season and the players they received in return for him seemed really terrible. Looking back on what happened, it’s easy to see Rodman became a malcontent and it was necessary [...]

By: Dan Feldman

Dan Feldman — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 22:58:18 +0000

Thanks, fixed.

By: Woody

Woody — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 22:49:53 +0000

Elliott*

By: Patrick Hayes

Patrick Hayes — Fri, 07 Jan 2011 13:42:13 +0000

@Glenn:
It was reportedly in his truck. And you’re right, Rodman would’ve been out of the league had he done the equivalent today.
My point isn’t necessarily that hte Pistons were wrong to trade him. It’s just crazy that they knowingly took a player with a very serious medical condition in return. I can’t imagine a team doing that today. Even the Wizards waited to move Arenas and actually didn’t make a bad deal, since Rashard Lewis’ contract has one less year on it than Gil’s did.

By: Glenn

Glenn — Fri, 07 Jan 2011 13:16:17 +0000

I seem to remember a story about Rodman sitting in the rafters at the stadium with a shotgun all day… Or maybe it was in his truck in the parking lot… or maybe both! Either way, doesn’t really surprise me that they just wanted him out. Being a headcase is one thing, walking around with loaded guns is another. Look at the Arenas/Crittenton situation and think how Rodman would have been ostracized if he had done that in the present day.

By: gmehl1977

gmehl1977 — Fri, 07 Jan 2011 03:00:48 +0000

@patrick
If the Horry/Elliot trade wasn’t rescinded then there is no guarantee we win it all in 2004. Didn’t you see the Butterfly Effect. I guess we might not of drafted Darko then either :-)

By: detroitpcb

detroitpcb — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 23:50:41 +0000

yes, i was elated when we got rid of Elliot for Horry. Then that trade was rescinded.

But you are right Patrick – that was one of the worst trades ever made by management. There is another story behind it that had to do with Dennis Rodman and Vinnie Johnson but I’ll let someone else who remembers tell it.

By: brgulker

brgulker — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 18:13:22 +0000

herm, that’s just dirtay.

By: gordbrown

gordbrown — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 17:49:50 +0000

The thing that always bothered me was how he came to the Pistons without a physical or somehow passed a physical that missed such an obvious problem (and it was clearly affecting his performance, the problem seemed to me to be more than just fit). Re Rodman in Chicago I always felt one of Jordan’s finals MVPs really belonged to Rodman, but Rodman lost out strictly because of off court behaviour. That’s David Stern’s NBA for you.

By: Patrick Hayes

Patrick Hayes — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 15:27:55 +0000

@herm:
You’re right. And taking that even further, perhaps if Horry was traded to the Pistons, his career trajectory is changed and he never ends up in San Antonio, hitting a certain wide open three in the 2005 Finals …