Joe Johnson was a Mr. Arkansas Basketball and he stayed in state to play his college ball at the University of Arkansas where he was the SEC Rookie of the Year.  Johnson declared for the draft in 2001, where he was taken 10^th Overall by the Boston Celtic 10^th Overall, but he did not last the season, as he was traded to Phoenix.

The trade accelerated Johnson’s development as he saw significantly more playing time with the Suns and in all three of his full seasons in the Desert, Johnson obtained Most Improved Player of the Year votes.  Johnson was a restricted free agent in 2005, and the Atlanta Hawks pulled the trigger, landing Johnson in a sign-and-trade.  The ATL suited Johnson well.

With the Hawks, Johnson was the lead option and averaged over 20 Points per Game in his first five seasons (2005-06-2009-10), with All-Star appearances in the last six (2006-07-2011-12).  Johnson was named to the All-NBA Third Team in 2009-10.  As good as Johnson was, the Hawks were never serious championship contenders, though he had impressive numbers in Atlanta with a 20.8 PPG over 508 Games.  Johnson was traded to Brooklyn in 2012, and in 2014, he went to his seventh and final All-Star Game.

In 2016, Johnson was traded to Miami for their playoff run, and he signed with Utah the year later but was now a reserve player until he retired (for the first time) in 2018 after a stop with the Houston Rockets.

Johnson’s Hall of Fame clock was pushed back by three years, as he returned to the Celtics on a 10-day contract as a hardship exemption.  He only appeared in one Game, scored 2 Points in 2 Minutes, but joined Dirk Nowitzki as the only players to score at the age of 20 and 40 for the same team.  Considering, he only played 49 Games in total for the Celtics, it is a fascinating statistic, isn’t it?

Still, With Johnson, we have the definition of a borderline candidate.  Despite the seven All-Stars, we have a player who only twice received MVP votes and was no higher than 12^th.  Johnson never won a championship at any level.  This will be interesting.

Selected in the 2^nd Round out of the University of Arkansas in 1938, Jim Benton would go on to be one of the first great receivers in the history of the Rams franchise.  Benton led the NFL in Yards per Reception as a rookie and was named to the Pro Bowl in his second season.  He took 1941 off and returned to the NFL in 1942; because of a heart murmur, he was not permitted to enlist in the U.S. Military for World War II.  He was loaned to the Chicago Bears in 1943 because the Rams couldn't field a team due to a depletion of talent, but he returned in 1944, 1945, and 1946, and together they had two excellent seasons in which he led the NFL in Receiving Yards.

1945 was a uniquely special season for Benton.  Not only would it be a large part of the Rams’ 1945 NFL Championship, but his league-leading 1,067 receiving yards were also accomplished in only nine games.  He also would become the first Wide Receiver to exceed 300 Yards in a Game, a mark that was duplicated for another 40 Years!

At the time of his retirement, he was second all-time in Receiving Yards, and he was chosen for the 1940’s All-Decade Team.

Alvin Robertson may be the best perimeter defender to ever play the game of basketball.  Michael Jordan certainly thought so.  Robertson still leads the league in most steals per game, and is one of a handful of backcourt players to win Defensive Player of the Year.  A four-time All-Star, Robertson wasn’t only about defense as almost 11,000 points can attest.  He was a complete player who averaged 14 points and both 5 assists and boards a game.  However it is the legacy of Alvin Robertson to be known as that of a big guard who could shut down anyone in the league.