Powder Keg Known as Rodman Capable of Erupting at Any Time

By now, you've probably heard or read numerous reports about howcoach Phil Jackson and Michael Jordan will use all of their combinedpowers of persuasion and influence to rein in Dennis Rodman'ssometimes explosive behavior.

The theory goes that the philosophical Jackson and team leaderJordan will team up to ensure that another incident like thehead-butt fiasco doesn't occur in the playoffs and potentially derailthe Bulls' championship express.

But the only person truly capable of controlling Rodman'sbehavior is Rodman.Whether he learns from this latest chapter in the epic sagabetween him and the NBA - let's use "Crime and Punishment" as aworking title - remains to be seen.We probably won't learn those results tonight when he returnsagainst the Miami Heat, and we might not even know by the end of theregular season in three weeks.The true test of whether Rodman has changed anything besideshis hair color won't come until the next time he feels he has beenwronged.Will he again allow his emotions to take over and go ballistic,or will he finally use the wisdom of his years and realize there aresome battles in life you can't win?There's nothing Jackson and/or Jordan can do to determine whichpath Rodman will choose. No, that's totally up to Rodman, and atthis point he's sending mixed signals.He has talked privately with some Bulls players, and they cameaway convinced he was truly sorry for letting down the team.But recently on his paid radio and television gigs - Rodmanhasn't talked to the media since his suspension - he has remainedsomewhat defiant.Sunday night on Channel 5, he kept repeating that he was a "badboy" in a manner that was flippant and slightly sarcastic, but farfrom repentant.It's almost as if he still considers himself a victim in theentire situation. That's not the sort of maturity you'd expect froma 34-year-old, 10-year veteran.When he steps on the United Center court Thursday night for thefirst time since serving the six-game suspension, Rodman no doubtwill receive a rousing ovation from the crowd. It's understandablewhy the fans will react that way. They simply want to show theirsupport and inform him they are on his side.Let's hope he doesn't misinterpret that ovation as support ofhis stupid, childish actions Feb. 16 in New Jersey - and let's hopethe fans are smart enough not to make light of the incident.If Rodman is indeed embarrassed by his nationally televisedtemper tantrum - as any mature adult would be - then perhaps theentire situation will prove to be a turning point and he'll join therest of us in the real world, where life isn't always fair and youdon't always get your way.If he's not, then he will remain a potential time bomb, capableof living up to - or down to - his reputation and maybe even ruiningwhat has been a magical season to date.