2014 Basketball Hall of Fame Finalists

Players
Tim Hardaway
Spencer Haywood
Kevin Johnson
Mitch Richmond
Alonzo Mourning

Coaches
Harley Redin
Nolan Richardson
Eddie Sutton
Gary Williams

Team
Immaculata University Women's Basketball

Direct Inductees
Bob Leonard
Nat Clifton
Sarunas Marciulionis
Guy Rodgers
David Stern

I could see Mourning as the only player since it is something of an underwhelming list, but knowing this Hall they could pick two or three. Sutton's probably the lock out of the 10 finalists.

 

Also, Al Attles, lifetime achievement award.

 

As a Pacers fanboi, I'm glad to see Slick finally get in.

 

I would love to see KJ and Richmond go in together.

 

Would really like to see Gary Williams and the Immaculata women get in ...

 

Putting Immaculata in is kind of like putting the Harlem Globetrotters in on the basis of their won-loss record.

My mother briefly played college basketball in the late 1940s. Like most of the players on her team, she had never played in high school or anywhere else. They lost most of their games. She said they played Immaculata and lost by about 20 points.

What margin do you suppose a .500 Div. III womens' team of today would beat a team of players who had never played organized basketball before? 60 points? 80 points?

 

Tim Hardaway should have to wait as long as possible just based on that radio interview with DLB.

So many people get in trouble for not choosing their words well or saying a joke that falls flat or where there is room for interpretation.

Hardaway's was an all-timer, especially since DLB gave him about three chances to take back his comments or clarify and let him know how bad he was going to look.

 

Can't say I ever thought of Spencer Haywood as an HOFer.

I realize he has some historical significance with the Supreme Court case and challenging elgibility rules, but when his NBA career gets discussed seems like it's usually in reference to him being a symbol of the "cocaine era" with more than a few scandalous related stories (didn't he once try to hire a hit man to murder his coach?). And the only time he was ever a member of a title contending NBA team, his coach kicked him off the team right before the Finals for falling asleep in practice due to the prior night's drug binge.

He would certainly be one of the sketchiest off court characters to ever be inducted.

 

Mourning is just a douchebag. He played 9 good years at 20/ppg. 9/RPG. Is that a HOF?

 

I think KJ, Richmond and Hardaway will definitely get in at some point... I tend to think Mourning will get in. I think having a serious illness like he did will be looked upon differently than an injury.

I'm sure KJ's off-the-court stuff would help, or at least wouldn't hurt.

 

They all (except Haywood) played when I followed basketball most. None seem like HOFers to me. Is Rolando Blackmon in? Seikely? None of them were nearly as good as Bernard King, did he ever get in?

 

Haywood was a college All-American, an Olympian and then the first underclassman to (officially) turn pro.

He was real good right away for Denver (although the ABA was a very weak league while he was in it) and then jumped to Seattle where he was also really good, but he seemed to just gradually tail off as he bounced around the league after that. The only time he was on a really good team was the Lakers, and that didn't end well. He woudln't be the worst player in the HOF but there aren't any real good arguments why he should be.

Except maybe that a similar and near-contemporary player, Bob McAdoo, has been in since 2000, with credentials not tremendously better.