Committee Chairman

Basketball HOF Weekend

Sep 08, 2013

          Lost in the hoopla that is NFL Opening Week, is the Basketball Hall of Fame weekend, where the Class of 2013 is being inducted in Massachusetts. We are always critical of the process of the Hall, and considering the timing of the induction weekend we think it is correct. The American sporting world is fixated on the National Football League, and thus there will be little attention paid to the inductions of Gary Payton and his brethren.

          Football does their Hall of Fame announcement during the Super Bowl weekend, and does their ceremony to kick off the pre-season. The Basketball Hall of Fame does make the announcement during the Final Four, but could they not make a bigger deal about it, or perhaps announce it during the NBA All Star weekend and make a ceremony about it?

          OK, we are getting off our soap box, and we would like to take one final look at the Class of 2013.

Roger Brown

          Selected by the ABA Committee, Brown was part of the Indiana Pacers team that dominated the renegade organization. Brown was a four time ABA All Star and was named to the All ABA Team in 1997. He joins long time teammate, Mel Daniels to the Basketball Hall of Fame.

          Russ Granik

          Granik was selected as a Contributor, and served in various capacities for the NBA for over three decades. He helped lobby FIBA to get professionals to play in the Olympics, which essentially paved the way for the 1992 Dream Team.

          Richie Guerin

          Guerin joins the Basketball Hall of Fame as a Veterans’ Committee Selection, where the six time NBA All Star was also a former NBA Coach of the Year.

          Sylvia Hatchell

          Hatchell enters the Hall based on being second on the all-time wins list in NCAA Women’s Basketball. She has been coaching the North Carolina Tar Heels since 1986 and won the Championship in 1994. She is also a three time Coach of the Year. This is an induction that reflects the Hall of Fame’s respect of the women’s game.

          Dr. E.B. Henderson

          Henderson was selected in the Contributors category for his early pioneering work in introducing the sport to students in the Washington D.C. area.

          Bernard King

          Our #2 Selection last year, King enters after what seemed like an eternal wait. The Small Forward starred for the Knicks and was a three time All-Star with a 22.4 points per game career average.

          Guy Lewis

          Already a member of the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2007, Guy Lewis enters the Naismith Hall of Fame with the same credentials; a plethora of wins at Houston and four Final Four appearances.

          Gary Payton

          Payton was #1 on our list last year, was a man we thought should have been a first ballot inductee. This turned out to be the case, and the nine time All Star and defensive gem (he was nicknamed “The Glove” after all) is easily the headliner of this group.

          Rick Pitino

          The two time NCAA Champion as a Coach, Rick Pitino has seemingly seen it all and done it all already. As he is only 60, he likely has a lot more left in him.

          Oscar Schmidt

          The choice from the International Committee, Schmidt is believed to me the leading all time scorer of all time (Club Play + International). Schmidt never played in the NBA, but as the Hall honors International accomplishments, this is a much warranted induction.

          Dawn Staley

          Staley was major figure in women’s basketball, leading the United States to three Olympic Gold Medals. She is also a five time WNBA All Star.

          Jerry Tarkanian

          Many thought that this induction would never happen, but the controversial coach that led UNLV to the Championship in 1990 made it to the big dance.



          We again congratulate the Class of 2013, though wish the Basketball Hall of Fame would do a better job of promoting their institution. We won’t hold our breath for that one.

Hockey List revised, Dominik Hasek #1

Aug 28, 2013

Published in Not in Hall of Fame News

          Revisions, Revisions, Revisions.   The Hockey list has been revised, and it what seems to be an annual tradition, a new number one has been crowned and a major overhaul in the top ten has occurred. Last year, three of our top ten were selected (Chris Chelios #2, Brendan Shanahan #5, Scott Niedermayer #6) and there are many new eligible players who are top ten worthy; including our new number one selection.

          The new Number one selection is Czech Goaltender, Dominik Hasek. The “Dominator” won the Hart Trophy in 1997 and the Vezina Trophy six times. There is no logical reason to think he won’t enter immediately. This moved Don Cherry back down to the number two slot, a position he seems to hold every time there is no surefire Hall of Fame Hockey player for enshrinement.

          Paul Kariya moved up to #3, while another first ballot nominee, Peter Forsberg moves into the #4 spot. Like Kariya, Forsberg did not hit the 1,000 point plateau, but both had a stretch where they were considered among the elite; a status that we have always felt should be essential for the Hockey Hall of Fame. American superstar, Mike Modano also debuts in the five spot, bringing the third first ballot nominee into the top five.

          Soviet born, Sergei Makarov slips down to sixth. Although we personally have been a big supporter for Makarov to the Hall, votes from this site has pushed him down the pecking order. As always, this site is assisted by all of you! The #7 rank is a fourth newcomer, Mark Recchi. Although he does not have the accolades of those higher on the list, he does bring to the table the highest career point total of anyone not inducted (and eligible). His could be the most interesting case of the new debuts.

          The top ten rounds out with Eric Lindros, Pat Burns and Dave Andreychuck, who all of have strong Hockey Hall of Fame cases.

          There are other new entries on the Hockey Hall of Fame list. At #38 is Goaltender, Chris Osgood, #39 Doug Weight, #53 Brian Rafalski, #64 Owen Nolan and #79 Sandis Ozolinsh.

          You know what to do! Check out the new entries, and make your votes heard!

Tracy McGrady retires from the NBA

Aug 26, 2013

Published in Not in Hall of Fame News

           And just like that, we have another major retirement in the NBA that received little fanfare. Tracy McGrady has announced that he is officially done with playing in the National Basketball Association. “T-Mac” leaves behind what many consider to be a cluttered legacy, as he is a two time scoring champion, but his critics constantly point to his inability to lead his team past the first round of the NBA playoffs (and no, last year with the Spurs doesn’t count).

          Statistically, McGrady has the credentials. Not only is he a two time scoring champion as earlier mentioned, he eclipsed the 24 points per game mark seven years in a row, was named a First Team All Star twice, a Second Team All Star three times and again a Third Team All Star twice; accolades which in our eyes is a true telling of where a Basketball player ranks among his peers. In advanced metrics, McGrady also had the highest PER in 2003, and retires from the NBA with a career PER of 22.1, a number that ranks him 28^th all time.

          Playoff failures aside, Tracy McGrady is a Hall of Fame calibre player, and barring any continued play in overseas professional leagues, he will be eligible for the Hall of Fame in 2019. He will probably get in, but will they make him wait?

Allen Iverson set to retire

Aug 24, 2013

Published in Not in Hall of Fame News

          The answer is, with a whimper. That is the Jeopardy question to “How did Allen Iverson retire, which a decade ago seemed impossible. It was reported that Iverson was going to announce an official retirement, which considering he has not played professionally in two years (three in North America) is a little anti-climactic.

          That is not how we will remember A.I., as we will think of him as the Shooting Guard who redefined the culture of the National Basketball Association, and brought an urban grit that really did not exist before. We remember him as the man who carried the 76ers on his back, and took them to an NBA Finals, which without him, that team had no business even sniffing. We remember his controversy about “practice” and his four scoring titles, though we also remember that Iverson never saw a shot he never took.

          Regardless of how he is viewed, and whether you are a fan of his or not, any man who is a three Time NBA First Team Selection (not to mention three Second Team Selections and an MVP award in 2001) is an automatic first ballot Hall of Fame selection in our book, and we will vault him straight to the top of our list once he is eligible. That year is 2017, as his extra year playing in Turkey will delay his inevitable induction by a year.