The first incarnation of the Charlotte Hornets had some good moments and memorable players, but they had an athletic Point Guard named Baron Davis, whose career and contributions to the sport are yet to receive their proper due.

A Pac-10 Freshman of the Year at UCLA, Davis was the third overall pick in199y by the Charlotte Hornets, and he was their starting Point Guard as an NBA sophomore.  Davis blossomed over the next five years, where his athletic leap and strong defense consistently put him in the top ten in Assists and Steals while still scoring in bunches when needed.

Twice an All-Star with the Hornets, Davis was a Third-Team All-NBA Selection in 2003-04, and while that was his peak, it can easily be imagined that if Davis was with a better team, his trophy case would be fuller. His Assists and steals numbers speak for themselves. 

Orlando Cepeda, a teammate of Willie Mays who died a week ago, passed away. He was 86 years old.

Cepeda debuted in 1958 with the San Francisco Giants where he won the National League Rookie of the Year.  He was named to the next six All-Star Games, and the slugger won the Home Run (46) and RBI (142) Titles.  He was later traded to the St. Louis Cardinals, where he helped them win the World Series in 1967.  Cepeda also played for Atlanta, Oakland, Boston and Kansas City and retired with 379 Home Runs, 1,365 RBIs and a .297 Batting Average.

Cepeda was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1999.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to extend our condolences to the fans, friends, and family of Orlando Cepeda.

Jack Coleman was a dual-sport athlete at Louisville, where he played football and basketball, but it was the latter where he became a nine-year professional.

Coleman might be best known for being on the wrong end of a Bill Russell block in 1957 when his Hawks lost to Russell’s Celtics, but Coleman was a two-time NBA Champion, having anchored the Rochester Royals to a title in 1951 and the Hawks to one in 1958.  An expert rebounder, Coleman averaged over ten boards a game in the first five seasons, which was tracked, and was also high on the Field Goal Percentage leaderboard regularly.  Coleman’s was also above-average defensively.

Will Derek Fisher ever get into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame?

No, but he deserves to be honored at a high level somewhere.

Derek Fisher was the consummate role player, an outspoken leader and the perfect floor general, which made up for a lack of natural ability.  No other guard could have complimented Kobe Bryant better, and he was not just along for the ride in those five championships for the Lakers; he helped design the car.

Fish could shoot, made few mistakes, and was underrated on defense.  We are not saying he should have been a multi-time All-Star, but super high-IQ players like Fisher are rare.