Has Forum Been Equipped With New Revolving Doors?

The Lakers just went from Showtime to Freakshow Time.

JIM ANGERMAN, Pasadena

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It’s Sideshow Time.

JOHN ROTUNNI, Glendora

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Del Harris is fired on the day he would otherwise have become Dennis Rodman’s coach. Quite possibly, Mr. Harris is the luckiest man on the planet (which Mr. Rodman is just visiting).

MEL POWELL, Los Angeles

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The good thing about Del Harris was all the kind words said about him. “Class act.” “Nice man.” “Well liked.” But not once did anyone say “great coach,” “fierce competitor” or “leader.”

I hate to break the news to you, Del; no one ever questioned your integrity or knowledge. What were in question were your offense, defense, substitutions and game plans.

Good luck, Del. You’re a good man. You’re just not a good coach.

GENO APICELLA, Burbank

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Larry Drew, Kurt Rambis, Phil Jackson, James Naismith or, as Chick would say, “Moses and all his disciples” couldn’t coach the Lakers to the NBA title right now until the players do two things: Grow up and sacrifice for the good of the team.

RICHARD M. CRASNICK, Santa Monica

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Del Harris may not have been Pat Riley, but any team president or general manager who fires a coach during a season should have to take over the job himself. Jerry West put this team together. Let’s see if he can coach it.

JAMES E. DUNLEVEY, Sun City

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When did Jerry Buss purchase Barnum & Bailey?

I don’t know which is worse, that a freak like Rodman will be wearing a Laker jersey or the realization that they actually need this mercenary to inject some life into their anemic play.

SU HAN PAK, Los Angeles

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I have been a Laker fan for longer than I care to remember. My daughter, now 26, grew up mesmerized, watching Kareem, Magic and A.C. Green. Win or lose, the Lakers always provided us with great fun.

But win with Dennis Rodman? I don’t think so. Mr. Rodman brings too much eccentric baggage with him. I understand that professional teams must win. But the Lakers are a class organization and with Mr. Rodman on the roster, they will lose much more than just a game or two.

C. TIM QUINN, Fresno

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The people railing against Rodman must be the same “fans” who start leaving the Forum in the middle of the fourth quarter. If they ever watched a full game of basketball--like the Lakers’ consecutive losses against Seattle and Denver, or, at the other extreme, any game from the last couple of NBA finals--they’d understand why the Lakers desperately need a seven-time rebounding champ who wears five more rings than Shaq.

MIKE CLINE, Big Bear City

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I didn’t think I could feel worse for the Lakers than when Magic Johnson tested positive for HIV. Sadly, there is always a deeper level to sink to.

MARK CHALLY, Littleton, Colo.

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I hear from many people how the acquisition of Dennis Rodman will hurt the Lakers, but I have one simple question: Can they play worse than they already have?

DAVE BAKER, La Canada

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I grew up in Long Beach, listening to Chick Hearn late into magical nights. Then the real Magic came, and I and my new wife were carried away from the daily grind by the Lakers of the ‘80s. Now I live out of state, have two young kids and can watch almost every game on our new 61-inch TV via a satellite dish (both purchased for this purpose), including the home feed with Chick and Stu. Bliss!

Now the news that the Lakers are going to sign Dennis Rodman, the anti-Laker. A great basketball player, yes. A decent person, no. Sadly, if Dennis Rodman becomes a Laker, I become an ex-fan. To do otherwise would be to contradict all I’m trying to teach my two children.

JOHN T. GRIFFITH, Calumet, Mich.

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Jerry Buss changes the Lakers from a team run by a decent, honorable guy (Harris) to one that will be run by world-class degenerate (Rodman). Well, I’ve just changed from a Laker fan to a Celtic fan.

RICH MASTERS, Santa Monica

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NBA player, now that’s the job for me. Forget about the money, fame, adulation, as well as the other perks that accompany these athletes.

Just think, if you are unhappy with the coach (your boss), all you have to do is just show up to practice and the games (your work), tune him out (ignore his years of experience), go through the motions (because you know more than he), and then your coach gets let go instead of you. That’s the job for me.

Unfortunately for most of us in the real world, it’s not like that.

JEFF ETCHER, West Hills

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Hooray for the coming of the Worm. Thank God for Dennis Rodman.

He is style. He is sex.

He is ugly. He is cool.

He is stupid. He is cutting edge.

He is worthy. He rocks.

He is victory. He is L.A.

Let’s party!

MARSHALL BELL, Los Angeles

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Thank you for all of the stories on Dennis Rodman. You have saved me a great deal of time. I skip them all and go on to something more worthwhile.

How about even more stories on Rodman, Mike Tyson, Latrell Sprewell and Bobby Knight? Then I can skip the whole sports section and save even more time.

RICH RUDY, San Diego

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Please tell me I am not the only reader who is upset in finding a front-page article about Dennis Rodman, who, according to the author of the article, “uses obscenities as if they were prepositions and speaks of sexual activities as if talking about taking out the garbage.”

Surely, there is newsworthy activity somewhere in the USA or the world that could be printed on the front page of the L.A. Times, one of the major newspapers in this country, which could offer some news that did not necessitate stomach-upset medicine for the reader.

ULA PENDLETON, Los Angeles

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Can’t you give Dennis Rodman a chance? What does “started coloring hair in 1993” have to do with career stats?

JUDY GUNDERSON, Buena Park

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I couldn’t be happier with the Lakers signing Dennis Rodman, if only to make Mark Heisler and Bill Plaschke miserable.

DAVID ALLSPAW, Valley Village

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Hey, Dennis, there’s no crying in basketball.

REGGIE BOYLE, Thousand Oaks