[Slam] Almost Famous: Hall of Fame prognosticatin’

mms · Mar 9, 2009

http://slamonline.com/online/blogs/2009/03/almost-famous/

LOCKS Justification is provided where I figured certain players might need it; the rest are too obvious for any remotely sane person to argue with, and thus required nothing beyond their names.
Ray Allen 13th season, 20.9 ppg, 9x All-Star, 1x NBA champion, 1x First-Team A-A

Ray Allen is a member of the All-Star Advisory Council for the Jr. NBA and Jr. WNBA youth basketball support program. Ray Allen is the NBA Spokesman for the Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund. Ray Allen is also considered one of the best pure shooters in NBA history. Knock him for being one-dimensional if you like (even if the criticism isn’t really accurate), but Ray’s better at that one thing than pretty much anyone’s ever been. Add in terrific college and NBA resumes, and his long-time standing as one of the NBA’s ultimate “good guys” — i.e. a player the League can safely market to advertisers and ticket-buyers, not just the sort of degenerates who read SLAM. Playing an integral role in the C’s title last year clinches it.

Shane Battier

Kobe Bryant

Tim Duncan

Kevin Garnett

LeBron James 6th season, 27.5 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 6.6 apg, 3x First-Team All-NBA, 5x All-Star, 2x All-Star MVP, ‘04 ROY, 1x Olympic gold medalist, 2x National HS POY

On the VERY off chance you think LeBron is too young to be a lock, consider this: Hall of Famer Bill Walton scored 6215 points in 468 career NBA games. Bron has more than DOUBLED that point total — in 15 fewer games. Obviously Bill’s got that ridiculous college career going for him, plus rings at UCLA and Portland. Bron counters with three state high school championships and a very high-profile Olympic gold — all of which is unnecessary, of course. He’s in regardless.

Jason Kidd 15th season, 13.9 ppg, 9.2 apg, 6.7 rpg, 9x All-Star, 5x First-Team All-NBA, 4x First-Team All-Defense, ‘95 co-ROY, 2x Olympic gold medalist, 1x First-Team A-A

His stats actually underwhelm, and he’s never won an MVP or a ring. But the rest of the resume is unfadeable.

Steve Nash 13th season, 14.3 ppg, 8.0 apg, 2x League MVP, 3x First-Team All-NBA, 5x All-Star, 3x led League in APG, 1x led League in FT PCT

Stand-up guy; actively charitable and insanely marketable; Canadian. None of which matters, really, because he’s a TWO-TIME LEAGUE MVP. Nash was a lock three years ago.

Dirk Nowitzki 11th season, 22.6 ppg, 8.6 rpg, 1x League MVP, 3x First-Team All-NBA, 8x All-Star, 1x Eurobasket MVP

Strong NBA numbers, a boatload of All-Star berths, strong international credentials, and that one somewhat regrettable MVP are more than enough to erase doubts about Diggler’s manhood.

Shaquille O’Neal

Paul Pierce 11th season, 22.9 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 7x All-Star, 1x NBA champion, 1x Finals MVP, 1x First-Team A-A

Prince Paul has spent his entire career with the League’s most storied franchise, which he last year led — both as team captain, and as Finals MVP — to the NBA title. He’s in.

Yao Ming 7th season, 19.1 ppg, 9.2 rpg, 7x All-Star

Statistically, he hasn’t done enough for long enough. And then you remember that he’s the basketball ambassador of an emerging nation that contains 20 percent of the global population. Any questions?
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mms · Mar 9, 2009

SLAM loves Shane Battier.

SamFisher · Mar 9, 2009

Probably listing Battier as a joke I imagine to generate page views. Anyway that's a pretty good list.

FFz · Mar 9, 2009

Shane Battier was the leader of NCAA championship team. Of course he deserves to be there.

The_Yoyo · Mar 9, 2009

remember this isnt the NBA Hall of Fame this is the BASKETBALL Hall of Fame.

all levels and leagues are considered

BucMan55 · Mar 9, 2009

FFz said:

Shane Battier was the leader of NCAA championship team. Of course he deserves to be there.
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My thoughts as well, not so much what he has done in the NBA(though a great defender) but what he did at Duke.

Is Laettner in?? Although Laettner was a better collegiate player than Battier, I think Battier eclipses him in the NBA, due to just flat out making his team better.

vlaurelio · Mar 9, 2009

more rox players

SLAM said:

PROBABLY OUT
I found this category the hardest. I could’ve just done “In,” “On the Bubble,” and “Out,” but I figured “Probably In” and “Probably Out” would make it more interesting. As such, it would’ve been easy to put guys like EB and Tracy on the bubble and leave it at that, but I didn’t. If this doesn’t generate discussion, I give up.

Tracy McGrady 12th season, 22.1 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 4.7 apg, 2x First-Team All-NBA, 7x All-Star, 2x led League in PP

3, 4, 4, 7, 7, 7, 6: The number of games, per season, that McGrady has played in seven career postseason trips. Nobody remembers that he averaged 28.5, 6.9 and 6.2 in those games. What everybody remembers is that none of those teams made it past the first round. Throw in an increasingly questionable level of commitment, and Mac’s in trouble.

LOCKED OUT
Again, these are guys you could make a theoretical case for; some are likely future locks who are just two young, while others have good-to-great stats but are either too marginal, or too crazy.

Ron Artest 10th season, 16.7 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 1x All-Star, 1x Defensive POY, 2x First-Team All-Defense

Duh.
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ClutchCity3 · Mar 9, 2009

man, how can you guys forgot DEKE!

Dikembe Mutombo 18th season, 9.8 ppg, 10.4 rpg, 2.8 bpg, 8x All-Star, 4x Defensive POY, 3x First-Team All-Defense, 2x led League in RPG, 3x led League in BPG

Dude hasn’t averaged double-digit rebounds in seven years, yet his career average is still over 10, and he’s second all-time in blocks. His lack of any offense beyond put-backs won’t help, but it should be countered by the fact that THE MAN BUILDS HOSPITALS FOR POOR PEOPLE. Anyway, he’s a four-time Defensive POY. That’ll be awfully hard to deny.
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thacabbage · Mar 9, 2009

Yao Ming could retire tomorrow and he would still be a lock for the hall. Aside from being a global pioneer, he's far and away the greatest "giant" to ever play the game. The others were barely functioning role players.

Artesticles · Mar 9, 2009

I find it interesting that T-Mac is "probably out", while his cousin Vince is considered "probably in". Then again, VC had college success at UNC with Jamison (I don't remember how much exactly) and is one of the best dunkers ever.

ParaSolid · Mar 9, 2009

T-Mac is a nice guy who was given too much talent. I wish they gave his talent and physical tools to someone else who would be willing to give it all they got. Orlando T-Mac was just a glimpse of what he really should have been.

Microfridge · Mar 9, 2009

You guys can click on each player's names to go to the Onion's news piece about that player

For tmac: (NSFW language)

http://www.theonion.com/content/news_briefs/houston_rockets_catch_tracy

I was laughing so hard, if I were drinking milk, it would've came outta my nose

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[Slam] Almost Famous: Hall of Fame prognosticatin’

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