The Basketball Hall of Fame has announced its finalists.  As always, it encompasses a wide arrange of talent from NBA All Stars, Coaches and female candidates.  As you know, we only rank players from the NBA/ABA, but we would like to take a look at the 12 candidates, of which the inductees will be revealed at this year's Final Four.

The All American Red Heads

Considered the first professional women's team, this barnstorming group began in 1936 and do hold a historical significance in women's baseketball.  They are however not well known, though that has not stopped the Hall in the past.

Maurice Cheeks

Our #23 Selection was a four time All Star and a defensive gem.  The former Sixer would not be out of place in the Hall of Fame.

Bill Fitch

A Coach of the Year with Boston, Fitch was mostly known for his ability to help rebuild bad teams.  He is among the top tem in career wins, but is higher on the career loss list.

Bernard King

Our number three selection certainly has what looks to be a Hall of Fame resume woth two First Team selections, four All Star births and five times leading the NBA in scoring.  The knock on him is that he has no championship rings on his finger.

Katrina McLain

Who?

Dick Motta

A successful NBA head coach who led the Washington Bullets to the 1977-78 championship had over 900 career wins.  He also had over 1,000 career losses.  This may be a hard one to put in.

Reggie Miller

We thought he was a lock last year, and he is again the marquee name on the list.  The sharpshooter was a five time All Star and a three time selection to the NBA Third Team.  We have him ranked at #2 on our players list.

Don Nelson

Five times he won a championship ring as a player, he averaged a respectble ten points a game, is a three time NBA Coach of the Year and has the most wins in NBA history as a coach.  Any logical reason to keep him out?

Hank Nichols

He was the former supervisor of officials...honestly, we don't know much more than that.

Rick Pitino

He has taken three different teams to the Final Four and won the big dance in 1996.  He is currently the coach at both Louisville and Puerto Rico, but we wonder if someone who is still as active as Pitino will get in this year.

Ralph Sampson

We may only have him ranked at #52, and mainly that it is because his pro career was not what it was hoped to be: especially considering the hype he had in College.  Of course, the Hall looks at collegiate careers too, and Sampson's was excellent.

Jamaal Wilkes

When we said all he did was win, we weren't kidding.  Four NBA Titles, two NCAA titles and a beautiful jump shot....of course five Super Bowls has not got Charles Haley in yet.

Thought on who gets selected?

Ron Simmons has been selected for the 2012 WWE Hall of Fame class, and we are very happy with this selection.  Simmons wrestled mostly as "Faarooq" in the WWE, first leading the "Nation of Domination" faction in the late 90's and then spending the rest of his WWE tenure in a tag team with Bradshaw (who would later be known as JBL).  Prior to that, Simmons was the first African American World Heavyweight Champion in WCW and was a college football standout at Florida State.  Of note, this makes the third major post career accolade for Simmons as he is already in the College Football Hall of Fame (2008) and had his jersey retired by the Seminoles.  We congratulate Ron Simmons on this latest achievement in what has been a stellar career.