A member of the Dodgers throughout his entire Major League Baseball career, Jim Gilliam is one of the few players who won a World Series ring in both Brooklyn and Los Angeles.

Gilliam made an instant splash as the National League Rookie of the Year in 1953, where he led the NL in Triples (17) and had a career-high 125 Runs.  Gilliam would have at least 100 Runs in the next three years and was twice an All-Star (1956 in Brooklyn and 1959 in L.A.).  Gilliam performed his role as the Dodgers leadoff hitter, leading the NL in Walks in 1959 and having four 20 Stolen Base years.  A member of four World Series Championship Teams, Gilliam was also an above-average defensive player at Second Base, and he led the NL in Total Zone Runs in 1956.  Gilliam also had two top-ten finishes for the NL MVP.

While Gilliam might not be considered Hall of Fame worthy, he should have at least been on the ballot when he was eligible in 1972.

If you are a regular visitor at Notinhalloffame.com, you know that we created the Notinhalloffame NBA Cup, where in every regular season game, we award points (5-4-3-2-1) to the top five performers.  This is the third year that we have done this, and Denver’s Nikola Jokic won the first two.

To keep everyone regularly in the loop this time, we have decided to give regular updates, starting at when the first player cracked 100 Points, and tell all of you the top ten.  We will this going forward with every update as the first player breaches the elevated ten-point threshold afterward.

Here is the current top ten, based on the first player to breach 150 Notinhalloffame Cup Points:

1. Kevin Durant, Brooklyn Nets, 152 Points:  38 Games, 30.0 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 5.4 APG, 0.8 SPG, 1.5 BPG, 27.1 PER, 6.4 WS.  (#2 on last ranking)

The Nets are on fire, and whether are winning or losing, Durant always shines.  Currently, he leads the league in Free Throw Percentage (.935).

2. Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks, 151 Points:  38 Games, 34.0 PPG, 8.8 RPG, 8.7 APG, 1.7 SPG, 0.6 BPG, 31.7 PER, 7.2 WS.  (#1 on last ranking)

Doncic dropped to number two, behind KD, but for our money is still he front runner for the MVP.  The European star is currently leading the NBA in Points per Game (34.0) and VORP (4.4).

3 (Tie). Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics, 137 Points:  33 Games, 30.7 PPG, 8.2 RPG, 4.2 APG, 1.1 SPG, 0.9 BPG, 24.9 PER, 5.4 WS.  (#3 on last ranking)

Tatum continues to get better which should scare the hell out of anybody cheering against the Celtics.  He has never finished a season averaging over 30 Points per Game, and Tatum is over that now.

3 (Tie). Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks, 137 Points:  30 Games, 32.0 PPG, 11.8 RPG, 5.2 APG, 0.8 SPG, 0.9 BPG, 27.9 PER, 4.3 WS. (#4 on last ranking)

Giannis moves up another spot and the two-time MVP’s Bucks look ready to win it all.  He is in the top five in Rebounds and Points per Game.

5. Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets, 135 Points:  36 Games, 25.3 PPG, 10.8 RPG, 9.5 APG, 1.4 SPG, 0.6 BPG, 32.0 PER, 7.8 WS.  (#6 on last ranking)

The “Joker” is on fire lately, and we know someone wants to get that third Cup!  He is currently leading the NBA in PER 32.0, Box Plus/Minus (12.3) and Win Shares (7.8).

6. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder, 134 Points:  35 Games, 30.9 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 5.7 APG, 1.6 SPG, 1.1 BPG, 26.6 PER, 5.3 WS. (#5 on last ranking)

Gilgeous-Alexander is going to be an All-Star this year, and is shattering last year’s averages, which were already good.  How great will this Canadian be?

7. Ja Morant, Memphis Grizzlies, 129 Points:  33 Games, 27.2 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 8.0 APG, 1.1 SPG, 0.2 BPG, 24.9 PER, 3.7 WS. (#8 on last ranking)

Morant is the face of the Grizzles, and he is posting similar numbers from last year, when he took Memphis to the next level.

8. Jaylen Brown, Boston Celtics, 126 Points:  37 Games, 26.9 PPG, 7.1 RPG, 3.3 APG, 1.1 SPG, 0.4 BPG, 20.4 PER, 3.1 WS. (#7 on last ranking)

Brown’s appearance here gives Boston the only team to have two players in the top ten, and he currently has the highest traditional numbers of his career.  

9. Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers, 122 Points:  28 Games, 33.5 PPG, 9.8 RPG, 4.6 APG, 1.2 SPG, 1.6 BPG, 30.7 PER, 5.0 WS.  (#8 on last ranking)

Embiid is currently second in Points per Game (behind Doncic), but is currently dealing with a foot injury.

10. Julius Randle, New York Knicks, 117 Points:  40 Games, 24.4 PPG, 10.0 RPG, 3.8 APG, 0.8 SPG, 0.4 BPG, 20.9 PER, 4.9 WS. (Not on last ranking)

Randle makes his first appearance this year in the top ten, and is currently boasting a higher PPG (24.4), than his All-Stat year two years ago (24.1).

DeMar DeRozan of the Chicago Bull fell off the top ten, just after making it on.

Our next update will happen after the first player breaches 160 Cup Points.

The Los Angeles Dodgers were an excellent team in the 1970s and early 80s, and Ron Cey was a part of it.

Nicknamed the "Penguin" for how he moved, this was one non-flying bird that could play baseball.  Cey played at Third, winning that job in 1973 for L.A.  In the following season, he began a six-year streak of All-Star Game appearances.  From 1974 to 1980, he was a 20-plus Home Run hitter, and he probably would have extended that in 1981 had there not been a strike that year.  Nevertheless, that was the season he was a large part of the Dodgers' World Series Championship and co-winner of the World Series MVP.

Cey was traded to the Cubs after the 1982 Season, leaving the team after 228 Home Runs and 1,378 Hits.

There is always one player on these top 50 lists that seem impossible to lock down.  For the Dodgers that man is Roy Campanella, as he is a three-time MVP, but had they been judged in terms of current metrics, he likely would not have won any.

Before the Dodgers signed him, Campanella had played baseball in the Negro Leagues, Mexico, and Venezuela.  Brooklyn's General Manager had Campanella and Jackie Robinson poised to break the color barrier.  Robinson would shatter that ceiling in 1947, and a year later, Campanella joined the Dodgers.

Campanella had a promising rookie year but exploded the year after to emerge as the National League's top Catcher.  An All-Star every season from 1949 to 1956, Campanella brought good power to the Catcher's position, smacking 221 Home Runs in that time, which, again, was not common by a Catcher in the 1950s.  He also hit for average, having three .300 seasons.  Due to his offensive prowess, Campanella was rewarded with the 1951, 1953, and 1955 MVPs, with the middle year being Campy’s best season.  That year, he set a personal best in Home Runs (41) and led the NL in RBIs (142).  

Defensively, Campanella was solid, leading all National League Catchers in Range Factor per Game nine times, and was also a five-time leader in Caught Stealing Percentage.  He was also an anchor for their post-season success, with Campanella helping Brooklyn win the 1955 World Series and appear in four others.

In January of 1958, Campanella overturned his rental car when he struck a telephone pole.  The ensuing accident resulted in a broken neck and the end of his baseball career.  Campy left the Majors with 1,161 Hits, 242 Home Runs, and the promise of so much more.

Campanella was chosen in 1969 for the Baseball Hall of Fame in his seventh year of eligibility.

Again, if this rank does seem a little low, remember that the Dodgers ahead of him have much longer tenures than Campanella, though not all of them were as important.