Tristan Thompson is a longtime admirer of Dennis Rodman

The newest addition to the roster for second-year head coach Billy Donovan and the Chicago Bulls has clearly made a big impact on the team so far. Former Indiana Pacers and Sacramento Kings big man Tristan Thompson was picked up by the Bulls off the buyout market just ahead of All-Star Weekend.

And this looks to be an addition for the Bulls that can really help them in the stretch run of the season, and in the postseason. Thompson was also eager to show just excited he was to contribute right away to such a storied franchise in his various press conferences and interviews after his signing with the Bulls was officially announced last week.

Thompson even said at one point that he felt like five-time All-Star forward DeMar DeRozan was the league MVP in his eyes at this point of the season. That is a lot of praise to shroud on a new teammate just days after joining a team.

New Chicago Bulls’ big man Tristan Thompson “idols” Hall-of-Famer Dennis Rodman

There were more topics that Thompson had to speak on regarding the current and historic Bulls stars. In a piece with the Chicago Tribune this week (paid content), Thompson spoke on how he essentially felt honored to be playing in a role for the Bulls similar to what Hall-of-Fame forward Dennis Rodman did for the team in the dynasty years of the 1990s.

Of course, Thompson isn’t an All-Star and Defensive Player of the Year contender this season, but he was still brought in to be a solid interior defender and efficient rebounder. Those were roles that Rodman excelled in back in the 1990s with the Bulls.

It sounds like there is a lot of admiration that Thompson has for those dynasty teams of the 1990s for the Bulls. And one particular area of his admiration goes to the five-time NBA Champion and two-time Defensive Player of the Year Rodman.

If Thompson can come anywhere close to being as efficient of an interior defender and rebounder as Rodman was for the Bulls in the 1990s, this team could be set to make a deep postseason run. There are other pieces in place too for the Bulls to really contend in this East this year.

There is still work left to do for Donovan and the Bulls, though. Following a loss to star point guard Ja Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies at home at the United Center on the night of Feb. 26, the Bulls continue their struggles against top competition in the NBA. The Bulls will now carry a record of 39-22 into a meeting with the first-place Miami Heat on the road on Feb. 28.