Gilbert Arenas explains why Dennis Rodman wouldn't be able to guard LeBron James
Gilbert Arenas is convinced Dennis Rodman wouldn't stand a chance against LeBron James
During an interview Dennis Rodman had with Overtime in 2019., the Hall of Famer was asked how he would fare against LeBron James; what Rodman said made a lot of attention for weeks after his initial comment.
Rodman said he would lock down LeBron
F*ck yeah. I would have locked his a** up. LeBron is so easy to play. He’s so f*cking easy to play; he don’t have any moves. Only move he has is streak down the line. He ain’t got no moves. Where he going?? Where is he going that’s quick?
Dennis Rodman, Overtime
Reactions to Dennis's words were split. Skip Bayless agreed with him, saying Rodman was 'nearly as tall, at least as strong, underrated sly smart and the all-time greatest irritant and distractor.' On the other hand, Charles Oakley called the 5x NBA champion 'the fake tough guy,' representing former NBA players who don't see eye to eye with The Worm. Gilbert Arenas joined that group that discredited Rodman's toughness and ability to guard physically imposing players.
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Dennis Rodman, 6-7, 210-pound guy, wouldn't be stopping LeBron James. Let it go.
Gilbert Arenas, Fubo Sports
Arenas thinks Rodman wouldn't stand a chance
According to Agent Zero, Rodman wasn't used to guarding guys who were as active on the perimeter as LeBron James. Despite having the physical tools to match the Lakers superstar, going from battling giants down low to constantly defending the ball handler in the pick and roll would be an impossible transition for Dennis to make in today's NBA.
He's a point guard; you were great at defending people back to the basket. He's going downhill; your brute strength has no bearing on downhill guards.
Gilbert Arenas, Fubo Sports
Even playing under the 90s rules, with hand checking allowed, wouldn't help Rodman's case against James. Why? Because LeBron is a constant threat to score. And according to Arenas, guys like that wouldn't be impacted by the famous NBA rule of the 90s.
The hand check worked because the guard wasn't a scorer. He was a set-up guy. So he's sitting there with his back to the basket, trying to get this offense and get it to the big man down low. So it's easy to just hand check a guy who's not moving anywhere.
Gilbert Arenas, Fubo Sports
It seems like no matter the rules they're playing under, Arenas feels there's no way Rodman would be able to lock down LeBron. And that's fair -- no one ever did it. But he would be a factor, that's for sure. To say anything else would be disrespectful toward one of the greatest defenders this league has ever seen.
