Boxed In: Who was the most unpredictable NBA player of all time: Dennis Rodman or Metta World Peace?
One left a dynasty in the middle of the season to hang out with Carmen Electra in Las Vegas. The other left the basketball court and was suspended 86 games for a brawl in the stands. In this episode of Boxed In by Yahoo Sports, Chris Haynes, Vincent Goodwill, and LaJethro Jenkins break down once and for all, who was truly the more unpredictable athlete. Watch or listen to Boxed In every Monday, Wednesday and Friday on Yahoo Sports, YouTube or on your podcast provider of choice. Subscribe: https://apple.co/39UC09o https://spoti.fi/3aVpV56
Video Transcript
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CHRIS HAYNES: Welcome to another edition of "Boxed In," with Yahoo Sports here. I'm the Honorable Judge C. Haynes here. The topic of today is, which NBA player was more unpredictable, the Hall of Famer Dennis Rodman or Metta World Peace, formerly known as Ron Artest? LaJethro is going to be arguing on behalf of Dennis Rodman and Mr. Goodwill on behalf of Metta World Peace.
And we're going to start off with opening arguments. And I'm going to say this right now. I will not tolerate anybody being hostile, anybody talking over anybody. If your family members get too rowdy in the background, I'll be kicking people out. It would be order, order, order in my courtroom. You had something to say, Mr. Goodwill? OK, wipe the ugly smirk off your face. All right, let's start with you, Mr. Goodwill, since you started stuff early on this afternoon. Go ahead.
VINCE GOODWILL: Ladies and gentlemen of the court, what you saw was not a gavel. What you saw was something that Chris has never used in his entire life, because Chris doesn't cook. No, you have never used that, not-- maybe you have, but not in a cooking sense. What I will say is, I will prove to you beyond a shadow of a doubt that Metta World Peace, formerly the artist known as Ron, is the most unpredictable player in the history of the NBA.
We can talk about exchange names. We can talk about job applications. We can talk about hostile takeovers, as he did in the Palace of Auburn Hills in 2004. I will prove to you not just that, but that Dennis Rodman is more of a kind and gentle soul that went a little wayward, not unpredictable. But I will let LaJethro handle his end. But on my end, Judge Haynes, ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I will prove to you without a shadow of a doubt that Metta World Peace clearly has no competition in the theater of the absurd. Your witness.
LAJETHRO JENKINS: First, I want to say, I left my mom at home today. So there won't be any outbreaks like the last time, all right, you know, out of respect to your courtroom. You feel me.
CHRIS HAYNES: Thank you, LaJethro.
LAJETHRO JENKINS: I want to point out, number one, I'm a fan of both of these guys. They're both athletes that I find super endearing. But I feel like Metta World Peace, his responses are more emotional. You know, a lot of the things he's did was come from emotion. And I think that makes him more predictable, because the things he did almost made sense because of where he came from.
I feel like Dennis Rodman is searching for self, you know. I mean, and he wasn't bound by, like, you know, concepts of masculinity, sexuality, religion. You know what I'm saying? And I think because of that boundlessness, it made him more unpredictable. Because you know, he was willing to go anywhere on this earth, you know. Oh, he'd go to Mars to find himself, or he'd go to North Korea. You know what I'm saying? But I think, you know, it's not even close who was more unpredictable. And that's Dennis Rodman.
CHRIS HAYNES: OK, now first, I want to say, before we move on to our next feature of this topic, I want to say, LaJethro, thank you for coming to my courtroom clean-shaven, looking nice and dapper there. Now we're moving on to the next thing. Who was more fear on the court, Dennis Rodman or Metta World Peace? And I'm going to start with you this time, Mr. LaJethro, the clean-shaven brother.
LAJETHRO JENKINS: I think, if you're afraid of getting slapped, it's Metta World Peace. We're talking basketball, not boxing. You know, people talk a lot of trash on the court. They don't really have to back it up a lot of times. They don't really have to get in fights. People break that stuff up, you know what I'm saying?
But Rodman was arguably the best defender on the Bulls. And there's three all-world defenders there. And Rodman can guard-- he guarded Jordan with the Pistons. He guarded Shaq, you know what I'm saying, with the Bulls. You know what I mean?
And there was one time he got 30-- and on top of that guarding the best player, he's also, you know, give you like-- one time, he gave a team 34 rebounds. 18 of those were offensive rebounds. Can you imagine that film room the day after you gave up 18 actual possessions to another team? You know, that's embarrassing. You know what I'm saying? So like, you know you're going to fight for every single inch, everything you got on the court with Dennis Rodman.
And the thing is, he's not going to give up. Not only is he's tough or he's stronger than you, he's a guy that's never going to back down. And I mean, that's the person-- if you're a hooper, that's who you fear going against, because you know you've got to earn every inch that night.
VINCE GOODWILL: That is all well and good. And Judge Haynes, you know, in the age of social distancing, you can't even show up to the court looking clean-shaven. So I do not want to disrupt the orders of the greater land by showing up looking dapper. What I will say about Metta World Peace is, who's more feared than the guy who broke Michael Jordan's ribs with an elbow?
Now, Dennis Rodman has done a lot of different things. He's an irritant. He's a gnat. He would get on your last nerve, and he would grab every offensive rebound. But he actually never inflicted harm on anybody. Metta World Peace broke Michael Jordan's ribs, the greatest player of all time. He broke the man's ribs. And it wasn't even in a sanctioned NBA game. It was a pickup game.
Also, if we're talking about a guy who's a little bit unpredictable and feared on the floor, game six of the 2004 Eastern Conference Finals, the last two minutes of the game, the Pacers have to win to send it to a game seven on their home floor. He gives Rip Hamilton a flagrant foul, hitting him in his face, which almost could have broken his nose for the third time. And Hamilton had on a mask at that point.
And here's the thing about that. You have to win that game. The NBA finals are on the line, and you take that opportunity to inflict harm on an opponent. That's going to cost you possession, two points, and the ball again.
Now, to me, if someone's willing to do that with all of that on the line, that person is clearly not wrapped the same way everybody else is wrapped. Now, the film room is one thing. And to that, you are absolutely right, LaJethro. But what about the training room? Because that's where Ron Artest is sending you.
CHRIS HAYNES: All right, now we're going to pivot to our next question I have for you gentlemen. And I'm going to start with you, LaJethro, on this end. Who would you rather have on your team, Metta World Peace or Hall of Famer Dennis Rodman?
LAJETHRO JENKINS: Hall of Famer Dennis Rodman, I mean, that speaks for itself. But he doesn't just affect the game [INAUDIBLE]. I think Dennis affects the game more than Metta. You know what I'm saying? Metta's a world class defender, a great offensive player, too. You know, I mean, those years with the Pacers, he was a dog. You know what I mean?
But also, Dennis did all the things that you hate to do as a hooper. You know what I'm saying? Like, not only is he going to help you win by getting, you know-- fighting for those rebounds and guarding the best player-- you know what I'm saying, which is-- are things that not necessarily [INAUDIBLE].
VINCE GOODWILL: Objection. Objection, your Honor, objection, objection.
CHRIS HAYNES: Objection sustained.
VINCE GOODWILL: I object to the line of questioning. This is about the absurdness of both players, not about the effectiveness of both players. I feel like the topic itself is slightly unfair and tilted towards LaJethro.
CHRIS HAYNES: Objection denied. Go ahead, LaJethro.
LAJETHRO JENKINS: [LAUGHS]
CHRIS HAYNES: Proceed, sir.
LAJETHRO JENKINS: Thank you. Thank you, Honorable Judge C. Haynes. Not only is he-- he's going to guard the best player, you know what I'm saying? He's going to give you 18 of them rebounds. You know what I'm saying? And you don't have to do all the dirty stuff you don't want to do. You know, as a hooper, you just want to get the buckets. And that's what he had. I'll do all this stuff. You do you. You just-- you just play, get buckets. I'm going do all the stuff that you don't want to do on other side.
And I mean, that's-- that's, as a teammate, you love to see that. You know what I mean? Somebody's going to give you everything they have on the court, as well as doing all the dirty stuff that you don't want to do, as well.
CHRIS HAYNES: Mr. Goodwill, you have the floor.
VINCE GOODWILL: I feel like this is a-- I would like to file a protest.
CHRIS HAYNES: Mr. Goodwill, we haven't-- my ruling hasn't been conveyed yet. There is no need to even proceed to anything like that [INAUDIBLE].
VINCE GOODWILL: I am performing under protest. So even if I-- even if I win today, even if I win the ruling, I am still filing on the protest. The criteria for unpredictable player, who you'd rather have, has nothing to do with who was unpredictable. I think those are two totally different arguments. But--
CHRIS HAYNES: Mr. Goodwill, the question is, who would you rather have on your team? You're are delaying our court rule. I have another trial in 10 minutes. Please proceed with your argument.
VINCE GOODWILL: I would actually rather have Dennis Rodman on my team, your Honor. I am a native of Detroit. I've seen Dennis Rodman at his best, before the hair colorings, before the tattoos, when Dennis Rodman was the best and most versatile defendant in the history of the game.
CHRIS HAYNES: Order, or-- or-- order in the court! Order in the court. Mr. Goodwill--
VINCE GOODWILL: But had nothing to do with being unpredictable.
CHRIS HAYNES: Yeah. But, Mr. Goodwill, hold on. You are-- Mr. Ron Artest is sitting right next to you, and you're basically telling the courtroom that you would rather have-- LaJethro, quiet-- you would rather have him on your team? What are we-- you know what?
VINCE GOODWILL: Because--
CHRIS HAYNES: I'm ruling-- hold on, hold on. This is over. The judge-- this is over. This is over. Mr. Ron Artest, Metta World Peace, I apologize for the attorney that you hired. He clearly did not do you a disservice right here. Look, I'm going to embark my ruling right now. Look. I have my ruling.
VINCE GOODWILL: I object.
CHRIS HAYNES: [INAUDIBLE]
VINCE GOODWILL: I object, your Honor.
CHRIS HAYNES: [INAUDIBLE] Order in the court! Mr. Goodwill, this is over. This is over! My ruling is this. First of all, I have two things to say before I convey my ruling. First of all, your couch look like it hasn't been cleaned since you bought it. And number two, your mustache looks like it keeps getting in your mouth, and you're not able to speak properly. Now, with all that said, the ruling-- I'm ruling in favor of LaJethro Jenkins of why Dennis Rodman is the most unpredictable player in NBA history. That's my ruling. Court is adjourned. Good day, everybody.
LAJETHRO JENKINS: I didn't even have to bring up the fact that he went-- he left in the middle of the season.
VINCE GOODWILL: And I didn't get a chance to bring up the fact that Metta World Peace applied for a job at Circuit City as a rookie with the Chicago Bulls. We're talking about unpredictable. We're talking about a [INAUDIBLE].
LAJETHRO JENKINS: Just in case, backup plan-- I get it. That's understandable.
VINCE GOODWILL: And we're not-- we're talking about the player who ran into the stands. I have yet to see-- and I think we need a new judge-- I have yet to see how, on the floor, who would you'd rather have, plays into unpredictability, the criteria that was being set.
LAJETHRO JENKINS: I want to talk about him running to the stands, though. If somebody throws something on your face, are you not running into the stands? I think that is almost a normal response. I think that because it's [INAUDIBLE], he didn't think before we ran into the stands. I mean, Steven Jackson went in. There was a bunch of players that were-- that were fighting with him.
VINCE GOODWILL: You don't [INAUDIBLE].
CHRIS HAYNES: LaJeth-- hold on, hold on! Hold on. LaJethro, are you defending his client?
LAJETHRO JENKINS: No, ah, no, I'm not defending him. I'm saying he's predictable. I'm saying what he did is always predictable.
CHRIS HAYNES: OK, OK.
VINCE GOODWILL: Judge-- no.
LAJETHRO JENKINS: His response was predictable--
VINCE GOODWILL: Judge Haynes-- Judge Haynes, he is defending the indefensible. My client was penalized for 75 games, lost $8 million in salary, I believe, because he did an indefensible act. Now, if I were Judge Haynes, I would take umbrage to my court being insulted in that way. Because he should look at Dennis Rodman and be properly defending his defendant. The same ways you penalize me, Judge Haynes, you should be-- you should be penalizing. We should all be held in contempt right now, all of us.
LAJETHRO JENKINS: We're talking unpredictability. I was talking about what--
VINCE GOODWILL: Judge Haynes, where's that gav-- where's that gavel, Judge Haynes?
LAJETHRO JENKINS: What he did was predictable. What he did was predictable. A lot of people responded in the same way.
VINCE GOODWILL: Because they had-- so-- so you--
LAJETHRO JENKINS: If he didn't run into the stands after getting hit in the face with ice, I would find that unpredictable. I would think that Ron Artest would run into the stands after getting in the face with ice. That's predictable.
VINCE GOODWILL: Have you ever seen a player lay down--
LAJETHRO JENKINS: We don't know what Rodman--
VINCE GOODWILL: --on the scorer's table--
LAJETHRO JENKINS: --would have done.
VINCE GOODWILL: --throughout a game, Judge Haynes? Have we-- have we ever seen a player throughout the course of a game with time left on the clock-- have you ever seen a player put on a headset that you and I, that the three of us are all wearing, to jump on to the team broadcast, just to listen to find his, quote unquote, "zen"? Not to say that he asked for it. But no other player was going to get hit with a cup of ice, because no other player was going to be that close to the fans aside from courtside seats. So--
LAJETHRO JENKINS: What other player-- but what other player was going to take a vacation in the middle of a playoff run, in the middle of a threepeat?
VINCE GOODWILL: It was the middle [INAUDIBLE].
LAJETHRO JENKINS: --have the most--
VINCE GOODWILL: It was the middle of the reg-- it was during the regular season.
LAJETHRO JENKINS: Right, yes, yes--
VINCE GOODWILL: And I was--
LAJETHRO JENKINS: --yes!
VINCE GOODWILL: And wait--
LAJETHRO JENKINS: --the regular season--
VINCE GOODWILL: --wait, wait, wait.
LAJETHRO JENKINS: [INAUDIBLE]
VINCE GOODWILL: I got something for you.
LAJETHRO JENKINS: OK, OK, but wait. But let me finish this statement. You can have-- you can say what you want I say. But look. But look. Then he had the best-- the most famous player-- it [INAUDIBLE] famous person in the world chasing him, waking him up. Carmen Electra, one of the most famous women in the world, hiding under sheets. And what's crazy is Phil Jackson understood, because that's how ridiculous Rodman is. And when we heard the story, we weren't that shocked, because we expect the unexpected from Dennis Rodman. And that-- and I thinks that's the only player in the world that could have gotten away with that in that way.
VINCE GOODWILL: Au contraire, corn fritter.
LAJETHRO JENKINS: [LAUGHS] What?
VINCE GOODWILL: Metta World-- Metta World Peace, before he became Metta World Peace, he was Ron Artest. And sometime around the time of the brawl, Ron Artest was-- wanted time off. He wanted a vacation from the Indiana Pacers to promote the R&B group Allure. He didn't want a break to go to Las Vegas and blow off some steam. He wanted a break so he could go out here and be Sean "Puff Diddy" Combs and get on the touring circuit. He wanted to be Suge Knight. Dennis Rodman just needed a break. Ron Artest wanted to do a completely different job.
Now, you tell me, who goes onto "The Today Show" as an NBA player in the moment? We didn't find about this in hind sight, gentlemen. We found out about this in real time. We found out about Dennis Rodman 20 years after the fact, which lets you know that the team did not find it that unpredictable or that wild, because they kept it under wraps. This was Dennis being Dennis.
LAJETHRO JENKINS: Different time period, different time period.
VINCE GOODWILL: But in 2004, there was no social media Judge Haynes. In 2004, there was no Twitter, no Snapchat, no TikTok, no TweetDeck. No, there was none of that in 2004, yet, yet, Ron Artest went on national TV on "The Today Show" to tell people, I want to take time off from my team to go promote this R&B group. I want to take time off from the team that's paying me $8 million a year right around the same time that he wound up going into the stands.
Judge Haynes, I would also venture to say to you that, was this a calculated-- a calculated risk by Ron Artest to run into the stands, because he really just wanted a break to go produce some R&B music?
LAJETHRO JENKINS: Objection-- speculation, speculation.
CHRIS HAYNES: Objection sustained. I'm sorry to say, Mr. Goodwill, my ruling hasn't changed. It's still the same ruling that it was 10 minutes ago. I just wanted to hear-- listen to you two continue to go on and go on. We continue-- we can continue this for as long as we want. But we're going to end it right here. I have ruled. This has been another edition of "Boxed In" on Yahoo Sports. Please be sure to check us out every Monday, Wednesday, or Friday. Court is adjourned.
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