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MULTIMEDIA

Dennis Rodman attempts to explain his actions. (Courtesy: KSTP)
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Luc Longley says the NBA needs to do address the safety issue involved.
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Christian Laettner says there's no point to speculate about Rodman's punishment.
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Soon it will be Eugene Amos' turn to punish Rodman. Reached at home early Thursday, the cameraman was emphatic when asked if he planned to file suit.

DENNIS THE MENACE

Rodman-related problems over the past five seasons: Oct. 9, 1992: Misses all of Detroit Pistons training camp, saying his pending divorce and the departure of coach Chuck Daly have sapped his desire to play basketball. Nov. 20, 1992: Suspended three games for refusing to go on a Pistons road trip. March 11, 1993: Suspended one game for skipping practice. Dec. 20, 1993: Rodman, now with the Spurs, is suspended one game and fined $7,500 for head-butting Chicago's Stacey King and failing to leave the court in a timely fashion after being ejected. Jan. 4, 1994: Fined $10,000 for verbally abusing referees and failing to leave the court in game against the Lakers. March 4, 1994: Suspended one game, fined $5,000 for head-butting John Stockton and making derogatory comments about refs after the game. May 2, 1994: Fined $10,000 and suspended for Game 3 of a first-round playoff series after being called for a flagrant foul and receiving two technicals, his sixth ejection of the season. Oct. 20, 1994: Fined $15,000 by Spurs for arriving late to an exhibition game in which he was not expected to play. Nov. 2, 1994: Suspended by Spurs for throwing a bag of ice toward coach Bob Hill and an official after receiving his second technical in an exhibition game. Nov. 12, 1994: Begins 14-game paid leave of absence from Spurs. May 1, 1995: Fined $7,500 and assessed one flagrant foul point for throwing Denver's Dikembe Mutombo to the floor. May 14, 1995: Benched during Game 4 of Western Conference semifinals for arguing with Hill and refusing to join team huddles. Jan. 12, 1996: Rodman, now with Chicago, is fined $5,000 for verbally abusing referees and failing to leave the court in a timely fashion after being ejected. March 18, 1996: Suspended for six games and fined $20,000 for head-butting a referee following his ejection from a game. Dec. 10, 1996: Suspended for two games without pay after a profanity-filled tirade on live television following his ejection from a Dec. 8 game in Toronto. Jan. 15, 1997: Kicks a courtside photographer in the groin during a game at Minnesota.

"Most definitely," he said. "I feel hurt. I feel let down. I admired him."

Amos declined further comment at the advice of his attorney.

Rod Thorn, the league's senior vice president of basketball operations, said Thursday he needed more information on the incident in which Rodman kicked Amos, who was carried off on a stretcher and treated at Hennepin County Medical Center.

Thorn did indicate a penalty would be imposed.

"As close as people are around the court, you have a lot of contact with players or people in the front row," Thorn said. "That happens virtually every night."

In fact, it happened to Amos last Saturday, when Los Angeles Clippers forward Rodney Rogers inadvertently ran into him.

"What changes this," Thorn said of the Rodman incident, "is there was a kick involved. This wasn't a guy going to the basket and falling down."

Video replays of Rodman's misadventure Wednesday showed him fighting for a rebound with the Wolves' Kevin Garnett. Rodman fell out of bounds along the baseline, where cameramen and photographers sit.

From a sitting position, he kicked his right foot at a seated Amos, catching him high under his right leg or in the groin.

Amos, 48, fell onto his left side and lay motionless for several seconds.

Rodman said his kick didn't hit Amos' groin.

"I was aiming at his camera because that's the first thing I saw," Rodman said. "I wasn't kicking him. I'm not going to try to hurt somebody, try to hurt him severely. I just tried to kick his camera out of the way.

"I thought I hit him in the thigh, then all of a sudden he went back. I said, 'What's wrong with you? I'm sorry I hit you.' Then all of a sudden he says, 'Get away from me.' All of a sudden he passed out. I'm like, 'Yeah, right.'

"It's one thing to get hurt, but don't pretend you're more seriously hurt than you are."

Wolves physician Sheldon Burns confirmed that Amos was kicked in the groin. Amos was treated and released at the hospital, where he was interviewed by police.

"It looked like he kicked the guy in the knee, and the guy suddenly got falsetto," Bulls coach Phil Jackson said. "I said, 'Dennis, did you do that on purpose?' He said, 'He tripped me up and I kicked him, I kicked him right above the knee.' That's what I saw.

"He looked like he was in a lot of pain," Jackson said of Amos. "I hate to see that happen on the court."

Prosecutors were considering assault charges Thursday against Rodman for kicking Amos.

"We took an assault report, listing Dennis Rodman as the suspect here," Lt. Sharon Lubinski said. "However, absolutely no charges have been filed and there hasn't been any contact with Dennis Rodman by Minneapolis police."

Sgt. Bob Goedderz, who works off-duty at Target Center and attended Wednesday's game, said Rodman was not confronted immediately by police because Amos was unavailable to relate the circumstances.

"If (Amos) had been able to talk with us, we probably would have arrested (Rodman) at the end of the game and given him a citation," Goedderz said.

Amos' attorney, Gale Pearson, said her client would be watching to see how the NBA and the Bulls respond.

"We're hoping to see some messages from the NBA and the Chicago team," Pearson said. "He wants to say that it's not OK for (Rodman) to do that. If we were on the streets, it would not be OK. You've got to call it what it is, and that's an assault."

Why did Rodman kick Amos?

"Because he had this camera, man," Rodman said. "In the first place, the camera people are too close around the baseline. All of a sudden, Boom! I stepped on this camera. Any athlete will react to the same thing; that's your career. I stepped and twisted my ankle and I kicked the cameraman. I don't care who it was, you don't need to be that close."