HOF means you were a great player, Multiple Chips means you were a part of some great teams...would rather be in HOF. There are plenty of role players who have multiple chips that will be soon forgotten but great players live on even without chips...
So basically this question is, would you rather be someone like Jim Loscutoff or would you rather be someone like Charles Barkley, Karl Malone, or John Stockton? I'd rather be the great player in the HOF over the guy who happened to be on great teams.
I normally would go with the HOF, but for some odd reason I have the desire to tell people I have multiple rings.
I'm pretty sure if you have multiple rings but don't make the HOF, then you were a role player. So question should be phrased: HOF, best player on a no win team vs a role player on a championship team There's reason to enjoy being either. But I'd rather be Barkley than Steve Kerr
I picked HOF...you were the best at basketball to be recognized by your peers and forever enshrined as the games greats... People forget that championships take a lot of good fortune and luck. Great teams may not always win and sometimes teams get lucky. I think history will look more kindly at Charles Barkley as opposed to Gene Guarilia with his 4 rings(and 3.2ppg career avg).
This unfortunately is the real-est answer...ask the former greats if their titles mean, HOF status or rings matter as much as having spending cash... People like Tracy McGrady, Joe Johnson, Shareef Abdur and Eric Dampier made out like gang busters...while all time greats are twiddling their thumbs hoping to get a TV job... http://www.celebritynetworth.com/articles/entertainment-articles/the-top-100-cumulative-nba-salaries-of-all-time/
A while back Robert Horry essentially chose the HOF option, even though he was an important part of multiple championships. http://bbs.clutchcity.net/showpost.php?p=3690718&postcount=42
For me, it's all about winning Championships without a doubt. Who cares if you're a role player, bench brigade or a star? That's like saying I'd rather look good and lose than be a team guy and win. Three words: Robert Freaking Horry Edit: remember all of you that kill T-Mac for not making it to the second round. Great player, no titles. Game, set, match. It's about Championships!!
You can be both ya know, But I'd rather be a HOF player over a scrub that was on the bench of a championship team.
But if you're in the league, are you really a scrub? Ok Jack Haley was a scrub It's incredibly difficult to make it to the NBA as you know. Being in the league is an accomplishment in itself.
I understand why most choose HOF but you play this game to be a champion. All those guys who are in and didnt win a Chip will trade their spot in the HOF for 1 chip. Yea a guy like Rick Fox might not get into the HOF but he is a champion he can die saying he was apart the best team 3 times in his career.