To the Max!

Ziggy Koole wrote:I'm pretty sure Granato (and Angela James) got in last year and those are the only girls I'd put in so far. Obviously when Wickenheiser retires she'll get in but that's still a good 6 or 7 years away. I think there are about 40 male players elligible now who should make it ahead of Rheaume. Heck, I'd put Peter Forsberg in ahead of Rheaume and you know how much I don't like that guy.One question, why are we having a hockey discussion in a basketball forum?

There may be more than 40. And I had a major crush on Rheaume.I was asking myself that very same question. So, to bring it back, I'm not liking the finalists this year, too much. Chris mullin and Dennis Rodman are the only players I can really get behind, and neither is a slam dunk.

Sampson was a legit all-star the first three or four years he was in the league. He is probably the best 7'4" power forward in league history.My biggest issue with the Naismith HOF is how much they seem to emphasize college play vs. pro play. With college, you get four years, max, against competition that is nowhere near as strong as it is in the NBA. Yet it seems what a player did in their college career is as valuable as what they did as pros. That's my biggest issue with Sampson's candidacy. His legendary college career (and he was just an awesome player for Virginia) well exceeded his pro output. Once the knees went, and it wasn't that long into his career, he became little more than a journeyman player. I think his overall basketball output is a shade below Bill Walton's, who just makes my cutoff line. Sampson certainly was better than Christian Laettner, though. For both college and pro.But now that college basketball has its own HOF, I think the college emphasis should be lessened for Naismith. It's almost like how country music has about six different awards shows but the only thing distinguishable is the name for the awards shows.

Here's my opinion on each of the inductees:Artis Gilmore: YES! FINALLY! What the hell took so long?Dennis Rodman: Deserves it.Chris Mullin: Deserves it, but Reggie Miller was better.Satch Sanders: I never really thought about him much, but he deserves it.Arvydas Sabonis: I think he deserves it. But does the Trailblazers now having 2 centers in the hall of fame (Sabonis and Bill Walton) make up for their errors of Sam Bowie (although Bowie wasn't that bad,) and Greg Oden?Tex Winter: I guess he belongs, but Don Nelson should have gotten in first.Tara Vanderveer and Herb Magee: I don't believe college coaches should get in the hall, since they are inducting college coaches, these 2 deserve it.Goose Tatum: Well if Marques Haynes is in then Tatum belongs too, but I'm not sold on either one.Teresa Edwards: Not sold on her, but there are worse inductees.I thought for sure this was going to be Ralph Sampson's year, but I guess I was wrong. I know you disagree but I think he belongs in the hall of fame.

They did all right with what they were choosing from this year. Mullin, Rodman, Gilmore and Sanders are all good choices AFAIC. Sabonis is like Drazen Petrovic, his international play was as important, if not more so, than his NBA play in terms of recognition here.If Miller wasn't the clear No. 1 choice on the outside before, he is now.

Maybe you should do what you did with sadaharu oh in the baseball list, make it all-pro but add in the occasional non-nbaer if theyre really something special. and the only guy i could see possibly topping reggie is artis gilmore. max zaslovsky and hayward should be up there too. i have a feeling reggies stay on the list wont be a long one, that his non-induction was simply either a miscount in the votes or a desire to get rodman officially recognized as a hall of famer.

I have to recheck who the non-NBA players are. There always seems to be more elected than NBA players. Laettner does not belong. 4 years of great collegiate play should not trump or be considered the equal to 12 years of solid to good NBA play. Especially now when there actually is a college basketball HOF. He was on the Dream Team because they simply wanted to take one college player, which is why Olajuwon did not go in 1992. I can't endorse Samspon. He was a top player when healthy, but I think the great when playing but hurt so much NBA career/outstanding college career line begins with Bill Walton. Sampson falls short there. It just bugs me that every NBA candidate was not as good as Miller. Or Artis Gilmore. Or even Spencer Haywood.

I think since Miller isn't going to get in (and CC, please make Miller #1 on your list which I hope eventually will be made,) I basically think Rodman's going to be a shoe-in. I would also love to see Mullin get in, the Dream Team has 10 players in the hall of fame and we should make it 11. As for Christian Laettner, well, I don't think he belongs. But looking back on it, how did Laettner get selected to the Dream Team over Hakeen Olajuwon, who despite being born in Nigeria, played for the United States. I don't think Jamaal Wilkes belongs, but what about Ralph Sampson? As an NBA player alone no but his College career might push him over the edge...Tex Winter, after all, was just an assistant coach, albeit a great one, and I didn't even remember any of the other 7 nominees.

jimmy26 wrote:I am sure all of those grat career statistic accumalators such as Karl Malone, Chuck Barkley and Reggie Miller would trade places with Walton and his one ring. None of those guys could have carried a second rate franchise to the title with limited talent around him. Yes, Mo Lucas was a great power forward but did you see what happened to the Blazers after Walton got hurt. Accumalation of stats are not evrything to being a hall of famer. How truly impactful you were to the game is. And Bill Walton is one of the best ever. A no doubt first ballot hall of famer in any equation.

If you say so.