Back in the heyday of the Chicago Bulls, and during their second three-peat bid, there was talk of a player that had been signed to the roster solely because he (and I quote) “provided a calming influence on Dennis Rodman.” Basically he’d been signed not because of his athletic ability, but because he kept Rodman from going off and doing stupid, destructive things that could cast a bad shadow on the team. I distinctly remember articles talking about the gentleman in question, calling him “a professional friend.”
I always wondered how true it all was. I’m sorry that I can’t remember the player’s name; it’s literally been driving me crazy.
In any case, did this really happen? Did the Chicago Bulls keep a guy on their roster just to keep Dennis Rodman in check?
Bizarre! So, let me get this straight – they gave this guy a roster spot, and most of the research I’ve done on his career stats indicates that he barely had enough skills to start on a collegiate squad. So how did they fly this past Bulls management?
They clearly got along together, but in reality were only teammates in 94-95 (Spurs) and 95096 (Bulls).
Haley was indeed a very poor pro, about as bad as they come. But, he had a couple of things working for him. The NBA tends to recycle players that cost very little money and cause no headaches. Basically, get your foot in the door for 1 or 2 years, and you can probably parlay that into another 5 or 6 as long as you stay quiet, take up little cap space, and don’t get injured.
And, Haley found his niche. He and Rodman came together on the Spurs, where Haley actually played a little, though not enough to be a regular nor enough to make an impact. But, when Rodman went to the Bulls, they knew he was a headcase and brought in Haley to ease the way. Look at the stats. He played one game. But, the Bulls viewed the investment in Rodman as important enough to use a minimum salary on Haley and essentially keep him on injured reserve all year long just to ease Rodman into the Bulls way of doing things.
So, yeah, the story in your OP is true. But, the Bulls spent basically nothing to do it, used up no roster space, assimilated Rodman well, and turned that into 3 championships.