Rodman’s Return Hinges on Jordan

Dennis Rodman’s agent has already spoken with the Chicago Bulls about the seven-time rebounding champion returning, but--like everything else--it could hinge on Michael Jordan’s decision to play another year or retire.

“I know that Chicago is Dennis’ first choice,” Dwight Manley said Saturday, adding that Rodman was “in his annual retirement stage right now.”

“For five years in a row he said he’s retiring. Then he sees everybody else is going to play.”

Agents are allowed to speak with teams as lawyers work on the specifics of the lockout agreement. However, teams cannot sign or talk to players until the opening of training camp Jan. 18.

“‘We’ve talked,” Manley said of the Bulls. “Bringing everybody back is their first choice. We don’t know because Michael Jordan has such an impact.”

Rodman, who made news during the lockout with his marriage to actress Carmen Electra, is “in training camp shape,” Manley said.

“Nobody’s in game shape.”

Rodman, who will be 38 in May, has played a key role on the Bulls’ last three championship teams.

David Falk, Jordan’s agent, told the Chicago Sun-Times that Jordan’s announcement could come as early as this week.

“He’s still out of the country with his family enjoying some vacation,” Falk said. “I expect Michael will come back home early [this] week and then we’ll sit down and talk some more and move from there.

“He’ll make an announcement as soon as he’s comfortable. . . . And we have no real timetable on that.”

Falk said he still doesn’t know what Jordan will do.

“I want to hear his views and sort of bounce some ideas around and play a little devil’s advocate on some things,” Falk said. “At this point, Michael’s 35 years old and he’s a very sophisticated businessman.”

*

The Bulls’ Toni Kukoc plans on playing for Croatia in the European Basketball Championships this summer in France.

“I want to play and contribute as much as possible,” Kukoc told the daily Jutarnji List in an interview in his Chicago home. “I gave my word to Bozidar Bozic [the national coach] and my rejoining the team is just a matter of scheduling a date.”

Kukoc has not played for the national team since its seventh-place performance at the Atlanta Olympics in 1996.

The Croats took a silver medal at the Barcelona Olympics in 1990, a silver at the world championships in 1992 and a bronze at the European championships in 1995.

Because of the lockout, the NBA playoffs could run through the end of June. The European Championships begin June 21.