Rodman Signs With Mavericks

The Dallas Mavericks wrapped up their courtship of Dennis Rodman on Thursday, signing the controversial power forward to a contract.

Rodman passed a physical earlier in the day, and the Mavericks issued a press release about 6:30 p.m. that said only, "Seven-time N-B-A champion Dennis Rodman has signed today with the Dallas Mavericks."

He signed before Dallas' home game Thursday night against Charlotte, but team officials said he planned to take a week off to get in shape or maybe fly to Hawaii for the Pro Bowl.

"He should be back and ready to play here" Wednesday against Seattle, said Mavericks' coach-general manager Don Nelson.

Rodman will work with a personal trainer to get in playing shape. He's been out of the NBA since playing just 23 games last February and March for the Lakers, and there's no telling what he's put his body through since then.

Rodman's initial talks with the Mavericks broke off last week so he could go to Atlanta for some Super Bowl parties. He said from there that he wanted to delay his NBA return until after the Pro Bowl and NBA all-star game Feb. 13.

He returned to Dallas to continue talking with incoming Mavs owner Mark Cuban. Rodman even moved into his prospective boss' 4,000-square-foot guest house. They talked more Wednesday as Rodman got settled into his new digs, making him the country's most unusual houseguest since Kato Kaelin shacked up with O.J. Simpson.

Rodman will pay Cuban $3,000 in rent, but not because the billionaire co-founder of broadcast.com needs the cash. League rules force him to charge the going rate, which is why reserve Greg Buckner is paying $15 a day to drive one of Cuban's cars.

For his new tenant, Cuban has promised no curfews or bed checks. He has other freedoms, such as being allowed to ride a stationary bike instead of practicing and having a later re-game arrival time than teammates).

Cuban is setting new rules for Rodman because he knows the 38-year-old forward's presence will bring his lowly team more exposure than it's had in years. And, there's the chance his rebounding and defense may actually help the team on the court, too.

What does Rodman have to gain?

It's not money because the roughly $470,000 he'll make for the next three months is less than the $500,000 he reportedly received for appearances in Atlanta over Super Bowl weekend.

Part of it is exposure. Rodman needs to remain in the public eye to maintain the celebrity status that enables him to command six-figure appearance fees.

Also, he could be hoping his stay in Dallas is just an audition for a contending team that thinks it is a rebounder away from the championship. Rodman has won five titles.

The clock is ticking, though, as the trade deadline is Feb. 24 two weeks after Rodman's debut. He'll have played only five games assuming he makes it onto the court Wednesday.

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