Carter: Rodman's volatility surfaces again

Zone users: Suspend Rodman for season

MULTIMEDIA

Fred Carter says we should expect outbursts like this from the volatile Rodman.
206k wav

SportsZone: What's your overall impression of what happened with Rodman on Wednesday night?

Carter: That's really an emotional situation there. I don't know what was going through his mind. To me, it was a spontaneous reaction, not premeditated.

It appeared as if he tripped and stumbled over the cameraman, and Dennis, having that volatile personality, is going to react in a volatile manner. Someone else, who is not a volatile personality, might have looked down at the cameraman and said, "Are you OK?" But instead, Dennis has a volatile personality, and that's the way he's going to respond.

SZ: What about his punishment?

Carter: I'm not one to suggest, "Off with his head," or, "He has to lose a finger." Sometimes emotions are something different, and that's what that was. It happens.

Players have done things in the past. For example: (Cedric) "Cornbread" Maxwell went into the stands; Vernon Maxwell went into the stands; Charles Barkley had his episode spitting at a fan.

I don't know where that falls in line, with the cameraman that Rodman tripped over. There was contact, it was emotional, and then he kicked him. But I don't know how hard that kick was.

SZ: Are cameramen too close?

Carter: I think yes, because eventually they're on the inbound line. They're right there because they want to get the emotions, the grimace, the action coming in at the basket. So it's no different from when you see the correspondents in times of war who are right there in the heat of the action. So they want to get close to the action as well.

I've always felt there was a danger of them, because I've seen the referees so many times shoo them back. And then as the play goes the down the floor, and the cameramen, trying to get the best angle they possibly can, they're sliding back toward the line. I've always been in fear of a player hitting a camera and really bodily hurting himself.

SZ: So does the league need to do something about the cameras?

Carter: Things always address themselves. And sometimes you don't have to address the situation; the situation will make you address it. Now the questions are: Are the cameramen too close to the action? Can this happen again? Can a cameraman receive a broken leg because of a fall, or can a player break his leg because of running into a cameraman?

So, all those things will probably now be addressed, which probably would not have happened before.

Now, they'll have a line for the cameramen, and once they become across the line, they become illegal photographers. They'll probably move them back a little bit.

SZ: If you were Phil Jackson, what would you do? How would you handle it?

Carter: As a coach in that situation, Jackson sees that Rodman did not violate one of the coaching rules or one of the rules within your family as a team. So, now that becomes more of a violation in terms of organizational or league, not so much coaching. So, the coach wouldn't handle that one.

SZ: What about his teammates, like Michael Jordan?

Carter: That's none of their business, so they'll move on. That's between Dennis and the injured party.

SZ: And do you think the Bulls will do anything about it as an organization?

Carter: I don't know whether they will or not. It will be addressed by everyone because it has become so public and so visible and so seen that something will be said and done about it.