DEERFIELD, Ill. - Dennis Rodman is on trial again - with the NBA, with the referees and with his own teammates.

Suspended six games for head-butting a referee March 16, Rodman returns to the Chicago Bulls for tonight's game at Miami.

''Everybody's going to be watching Dennis,'' teammate Scottie Pippen said yesterday. ''I'm hoping that he's going to be professional enough to get himself back on the right track. He's got some rebuilding to do.''

Michael Jordan just wants Rodman to behave for 10 weeks - long enough for the Bulls to complete a victorious run through the NBA Finals.

''We go out and bust our butts to put ourselves in a position to win a championship,'' Jordan said. ''If he can't adhere to that, if he wants to be a distraction...

''We have to be able to rely on him being there every night. He let this team down.''

Jordan and Pippen, the Bulls' two stars, were leery when Chicago traded for Rodman just before training camp. After all, the ''Worm'' had a reputation as a hot-tempered, selfish player who undermined the San Antonio Spurs in the playoffs each of the previous two seasons.

This season, Rodman leads the league in rebounding, and his energy has helped the Bulls (62-8) in their pursuit of an NBA-record 70 victories. Though he has been assessed 23 technical fouls, he had avoided any serious problems until the incident with referee Ted Bernhardt.

That incident, however, has renewed doubts in the minds of his teammates.

''Once again, we fall back to where we started from Day 1,'' Jordan said. ''We have to put trust in this individual for the talents that he provides for this team. We hope that he can fall in line and adapt to what we need him to do for this team to be successful.''

But Rodman - with his ever-changing hair colors, tattoo-covered torso, vulgar language and penchant for posing in Playboy - is no fall-in-line-and-adapt kind of guy.

At yesterday's practice, he showed off his new 'do: bright red.

''I think Dennis looks best as a blond,'' coach Phil Jackson quipped.

Rodman wouldn't talk about his return, but during a paid appearance on Chicago's WMAQ-TV Sunday night, he was more condescending than contrite: ''I've been a bad boy. I'm sorry. I'll be a good boy.''

Of his relationship with referees, Rodman said: ''It's going to be touch-and-go in the beginning, but I will work my way through it.''

Even though he gets away with dozens of grabs, pushes and shoves during the course of a game, Rodman claims that the league in general and referees in particular pick on him.

''He should feel that he's definitely going to be picked on now,'' Pippen said. ''Anytime you try to intimidate an official, they're going to come together. He's in a tough situation now.''

Jordan, who has taken on the basketball establishment in the past, said Rodman must learn that the NBA will never lose a confrontation with a player.

''The league is going to test him. The referees are going to test him,'' Jordan said. ''He should be aware of that. He's got to turn the other cheek. Right now, he should know that he can't win against (commissioner) David Stern or against the referees.''

Chicago was 5-1 in Rodman's absence. So if the Worm isn't ready to fit in and help the Bulls, they are ready to go on without him.

''Dennis has been missed for his rebounding and enthusiastic defense,'' Jordan said. ''But this team compensated well for him. It puts us in a very difficult position, but we can win without him.''