OT: HOF???
Posted: Sun Jan 24, 2010 4:33 pm
Just thinking today about current players that I would say are locks for the HOF. There are some really obvious picks such as KG, Kobe, etc, but a few seem really up in the air, and I wanted to get your opinion on these guys' chances for the Hall:
1) Vince Carter- Tons of points, spectacular dunker, never really a winner. Had some amazing statistical years, but has never been considered a top-5 player in the league at any given time, let alone the best. A compiler on bad teams. Never the best player on a good team. The stats are impressive, though:
Career: 23.2 ppg 5.4 rpg 4.2 apg 1.2 spg 0.8 bpg 44.5% 0 titles
2) Ray Allen- A great pure shooter who was even a great scorer with Seattle in his prime, but did not play any meaningful games until the dusk of his career. With the Celtics he finally got a ring, but he was the third option on that team with two other guys I consider HOF locks.
Career: 20.7 4.4 3.7 1.2 0.2 44.8% 1 title
3) Manu Ginobili- Not about the stats, but a huge-impact player for a three-time championship team in the NBA, along with a terrific international record prior to his Spurs years. Never the best player on his team, but probably the second-best in San Antonio's dynasty, along with great defense and terrific clutch performance. A short career, and stats are not impressive:
Career: 14.6 4 3.6 1.5 0.3 45% 3 titles
4) Tracy McGrady- Big time scorer, but very Carter-like when it comes to winning. Has never made it out of the first round, but was the best scorer in the league for a year or so with the Magic. Injured a lot, but tremendous talent.
Career: 21.9 6.1 4.7 1.3 0.9 43.6% 0 titles
5) Alonzo Mourning- Great defensive center who was still capable of 20 ppg. One of the better C's of his era, despite being undersized. 7x all star, 2x DPOY, never got a championship until riding dwyane and shaq's coattails in 2006 although he was involved in many epic playoff battles with the Knicks. Biggest issue: health. Never really had a healthy year, and never played 80 games in a season. Has been in many great off-the court causes as well. Career cut short because of kidney disease, so stats aren't as good in average or total as they might have been:
Career: 17.1 8.5 1.1 0.5 2.8 52.7% 1 title
6) Dikembe Mutombo- The best defensive center post-Russell? Only Hakeem had more blocks, and Mutoimbo actually built his career on them. 8x all-star, 6x all defensive team. A tremendous rebounder that played forever, and one of the most respected players to ever play. Robert Parish without the rings and half the offense. Has done a ton of work abroad for charitable causes.
Career: 9.8 10.3 1.0 0.4 2.8 51.8% 0 titles
Opinions? And BTW, please do not give me some "x-player is 60% to get in" answer. The point is to give yes/no and why. I already know it's up in the air, and would like definitive responses.
1) Vince Carter- Tons of points, spectacular dunker, never really a winner. Had some amazing statistical years, but has never been considered a top-5 player in the league at any given time, let alone the best. A compiler on bad teams. Never the best player on a good team. The stats are impressive, though:
Career: 23.2 ppg 5.4 rpg 4.2 apg 1.2 spg 0.8 bpg 44.5% 0 titles
2) Ray Allen- A great pure shooter who was even a great scorer with Seattle in his prime, but did not play any meaningful games until the dusk of his career. With the Celtics he finally got a ring, but he was the third option on that team with two other guys I consider HOF locks.
Career: 20.7 4.4 3.7 1.2 0.2 44.8% 1 title
3) Manu Ginobili- Not about the stats, but a huge-impact player for a three-time championship team in the NBA, along with a terrific international record prior to his Spurs years. Never the best player on his team, but probably the second-best in San Antonio's dynasty, along with great defense and terrific clutch performance. A short career, and stats are not impressive:
Career: 14.6 4 3.6 1.5 0.3 45% 3 titles
4) Tracy McGrady- Big time scorer, but very Carter-like when it comes to winning. Has never made it out of the first round, but was the best scorer in the league for a year or so with the Magic. Injured a lot, but tremendous talent.
Career: 21.9 6.1 4.7 1.3 0.9 43.6% 0 titles
5) Alonzo Mourning- Great defensive center who was still capable of 20 ppg. One of the better C's of his era, despite being undersized. 7x all star, 2x DPOY, never got a championship until riding dwyane and shaq's coattails in 2006 although he was involved in many epic playoff battles with the Knicks. Biggest issue: health. Never really had a healthy year, and never played 80 games in a season. Has been in many great off-the court causes as well. Career cut short because of kidney disease, so stats aren't as good in average or total as they might have been:
Career: 17.1 8.5 1.1 0.5 2.8 52.7% 1 title
6) Dikembe Mutombo- The best defensive center post-Russell? Only Hakeem had more blocks, and Mutoimbo actually built his career on them. 8x all-star, 6x all defensive team. A tremendous rebounder that played forever, and one of the most respected players to ever play. Robert Parish without the rings and half the offense. Has done a ton of work abroad for charitable causes.
Career: 9.8 10.3 1.0 0.4 2.8 51.8% 0 titles
Opinions? And BTW, please do not give me some "x-player is 60% to get in" answer. The point is to give yes/no and why. I already know it's up in the air, and would like definitive responses.