Chris McCosky of the Detroit News offers some final thoughts on the Tuesday’s All-Time Team ceremony in his blog, including a not-so-flattering depiction of John Salley:
This guy has become an insufferable jerk. I am not kidding. The guy shouldn’t even have been on the all-time team, in my judgment. Nobody has ever gotten more (popularity, championship rings, movie and TV deals) with less talent. Eddie Miles should have been on the team, not him. Shoot, Antonio McDyess should have been on the team instead of him. Terry Mills, Curtis Rowe — Zelly Rebraca (OK, I went too far) — anybody but Salley.
So, there we are before the game, talking to the players as they walk through. Everybody, from Dave Bing to Bob Lanier to Chuck Daly — I mean, legit Hall-of-Fame stars — stop to talk to us media types. They are cordial, happy to do so. In comes Salley with the biggest entourage of anybody. He literally travels with his own TV crew. Captain Pretentious. It’s absurd. We ask politely if we can talk to him for a second. He doesn’t even break stride, “Nope.” Well, at least he gave unlimited access to his own crew. He’s like a walking reality TV show that nobody wants to watch but him. I hope the Pistons never retire his number. If they did, it would devalue all those others who’s jerseys justifiably hang in the rafters.
Not to worry: if No. 22 is ever floating above the court, I’m sure it’ll be because of Tayshaun Prince, not Spider. But even if Salley is as arrogant as he’s made out to be, I don’t think 99.9% of the fans actually care, especially considering Salley seemed to be at ease smiling and cracking wise with his former teammates throughout the ceremony. More than anything, seeing all of those guys together on the court one more time gave me goosebumps — I would have been bummed had Salley, who’s always had an over-sized personality, been left out.
Update: Not to be left out, Terry Foster is ripping former players in his blog, too:
Rodman was a noticeable no show during the Pistons 50th anniversary celebration before Tuesday’s game against the New York Knicks. The Pistons floated out that Rodman missed two flights. They floated out at the Palace that he was sick.
I am not buying any of that. Rodman missed those flights on purpose. He was a no show because he wanted to be a no show. If he was sick, he was sick of the Pistons.
Rodman is a flake. He is flighty, but he still holds resentment with the organization and former teammate Vinnie Johnson. He holds grudges and does not let go.
It did not surprise me he did not show.
Foster follows with a story about Rodman’s last days in Detroit, though I wish he explained the Vinnie Johnson back story. In any case, yeah, Rodman may be a flake, but that would have been true even if he showed up.
If there really were reasons beyond the stated excuses for his absence, I’m guessing it had more to do with Rodman being the same old emotionally fragile guy that he used to be in Detroit. He’s created a convincing facade of being a living, breathing circus act, and if I had to guess, I’d say he was probably intimidated being around a bunch of old teammates who could see right through his act. But that’s enough armchair psychology for today …
I could be completely wrong. After all, it’s all rumor and innuendo, but I thought the Vinnie Johnson back story was something about Vinnie sleeping with the Worm’s lady (at the time).
On Salley, I agree he gets a lot of run for what he was - someone who sort of slept through the regular season only to come up big time after time with strong playoff performances.
Gotta love the old Bad Boys. It’s too darn bad they didn’t get that third ring and one for A.D. That phantom foul and the head butt incident is still too painful to watch - almost 20 years later.
BH is correct, I remember that same stroy about Vinnie and Rodman’s girlfriend. I’m not exactly sure that Foster is hinting to that, but it seems logical and understandable.
Everybody needs somebody to keep things light at times. I think he was that person. Is that enough for him to have made the list? No, absolutely not. Did it make fans pop when he walked out? Yeah, it did.
And in the end? After all the talk about who was included and who was not? It’s clear they just wanted the fans to pop.
Yeah, I’m sure Rodman never slept with anyone else’s girlfriend.
Yeah, Vinnie “the microwave” warmed up Rodman’s wife, I believe. This was back before Rodman went all crazy — back when he had normal hair & still wore shorty-shorts. David Halberstam included that story in a New Yorker article about Jordan that was published sometime in 1998, after the 2d MJ retirement.
I have to say, I disagree with all of the bashing from the news papers. After all these years, Rodman and Salley got honored by the organization, good for them…who are T-Fos and McCoskey to bash them for being honored. Sure, Dennis might have always been a little crazy and didn’t show….and Salley might be an arrogant comedian type….but that is what you expect. Salley is a TV show host. You had to figure he was going to bring his own crew. His stats might not be better than some of the guys on the team, but complain to the guys who made the list…the media and Pistons team guys who put it together. Making these guys look bad after they are honored makes the writers look like jerks too. I know the media are paid to critique things and write interesting stories, but it isn’t as if Rodman and Salley elected themselves to this team. Who knows why Dennis didn’t make it?…but this was supposed to be a celebration of what he did here in Detroit on the court, not a platform to bash on his life and past.
Yep… I remember something to that effect.
Too bad. I think Dennis is one of the best PFs of all time. 7 straight rebounding titles, 5 rings, the highest winning percentage of any player… EVER. If he had the personality of… well… just about anybody else he’d be a lock.
My All-NBA team would have him along side Magic, Jordan, Bird, and Shaq. Who needs more scoring when you got those 4?
Does anyone else other than Chris McCosky really care that John Salley won’t give him the time of day?
Dunno how that makes long John an insufferable jerk. What, you’re instantly Barry Bonds now if you won’t sing and dance for 2nd rate beat reporters when you’re retired? Nah…
Salley really is a jerk. I had the “privilage” to mean the douche on LA at a taping of Best Damn. Seriously suffers from assholitis. He is the dude at work that thinks he is hilarious, but people mock him behind his back.
That being said, Rodney Peete was super nice. He talked with us during breaks and was an all-round class act.
dude. vinnie johnson bagged carmen electra? that’s incredible!
it wasn’t carmen electra, Jack. Was a different chick.
I am amused at McCrapsky being so irriated with Salley. I bet Salley is a douchebag, but who cares.
lol, I guess Salley didn’t grant McCosky access to his legendary parties back in the day.
Salley is a known tool. He thinks his isht doesnt stink, makes cracks at others expense without ever being able to take one about himself, he is the ultimate gravy train with rings in Chicago and LA too. He was a decent player at best in his prime with Detroit. I remember being pissed when they drafted the guy out of Ga Tech. He certainly seems to have no class and I am thrilled that his Hollywoodish lifestyle is failing. Anyone remember that feeble talk show he had? Exactly.
Salley is a punk and a jerk. He did’nt deserve to be on this team but I guess every squad has a coat tail rider on it. Kevin Porter or Eric Money would have been much better choices.