Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2008

[Andrew]

Broadcaster Dick Vitale, a man who had limited success as a coach but brought the game of basketball to millions of TV watchers, was selected to the game’s Hall of Fame on Monday alongside Pat Riley, one of the most successful NBA coaches of all time.

Overcome with emotion, Vitale broke into tears during the announcement in San Antonio, site of the NCAA Men’s Final Four.

“I can’t run, can’t jump, can’t shoot, but just have had a tremendous—I’d like to think—passion about the game,” said Vitale, who had a short stint as an NBA coach in the late 1970s but made his name as a college basketball analyst.

Others in the Class of 2008 were Hakeem Olajuwon and Patrick Ewing, two greats who battled on the court for years; player Adrian Dantley; coach Cathy Rush; and William Davidson, owner of the Detroit Pistons since 1974.

Full story @ Yahoo! NBA

I wonder if Dennis Johnson will get his due next year. It could be a while though, after all it took Dantley sixteen years rather than five. I'm surprised Don Nelson still hasn't made the cut yet.

[Matthew]

How in god's name can Bill Davidson be inducted and not Dennis Johnson? Thats such a joke. You'd think the HOF would be able to separate a business man from an actual player.

[Andrew]

Maybe they're trying to fill a quota of non-player inductees every year. It's sure coming at the expense of some worthy candidates though.

[Matthew]

They have a quota for that? Wow what geniuses. Maybe They'll induct me before Kobe Bryant one day.

[Andrew]

Maybe they don't but looking at the year-by-year inductions they only seem to induct a couple of players each year (and not always former NBA players), in recent years anyway, snubbing someone deserving along the way. That seems to suggest they want to make sure different aspects of basketball are acknowledged every year but it's sure unfair to people like Dennis Johnson.

[benji]

They didn't vote in any players last year IIRC.

Background:

Individuals who receive at least five votes from a seven-member screening committee in a given year advance to an Honors Committee, composed of 12 members who vote on each candidate and rotating groups of 12 specialists (one group for female candidates, one group for international candidates, and one group for American and veterans candidates); any individual receiving at least 18 affirmative votes 75 per cent of all votes cast) from the Honors Committee is approved for induction into the Hall of Fame. Advancement to the Honors Committee is generally pro forma, although the Hall's Board of Trustees may remove any candidate who "has damaged the integrity of the game of basketball" from consideration.

To be considered for induction by a screening committee, a player must be fully retired from play for at least five years, while a coach or referee must be fully retired for at least five years or have been active full time in his/her respective craft on the professional, collegiate, of high school level for at least 25 years. No temporal criterion is enforced for the election of contributors, who must have made a "significant contribution to the game of basketball". Unlike the Baseball Hall of Fame, sportswriters and commentators in the Basketball Hall of Fame (such as Chick Hearn and, in September 2008, Dick Vitale) are full-fledged members.

[Bruce]

I think he will get his due. As in all things, I think politics played a role here. Perhaps is somebody from the media lobbied for entry to make his case, he would have made it in sooner.

[Sauru]

dennis johnson not getting in is a fucking insult.

[Andrew]

I think he will get his due. As in all things, I think politics played a role here. Perhaps is somebody from the media lobbied for entry to make his case, he would have made it in sooner.

It's not as though that support isn't there though, it seems to be coming down to the limited number of inductions and the committee's desire to represent the different categories in which a person can be inducted. It seems they want to ensure that coaches and contributors get their due which is fair enough but it's coming at the expense of players like Johnson.

Increasing the number of annual inductions to ten could alleviate that. Allowances shouldn't have to be made for someone like Dennis Johnson to make the Hall as he should be there already but if it cuts down on the snubs, so be it.

[Sauru]

why cant it be as simple as a yes/no vote? if we have 4 people this year good enough then 4 get in, if next year we have 7 worthy people to make the hall then 7 it is

[Andrew]

Well, it is a Yes/No vote from a panel of 24 voters, 18 of whom need to vote Yes for a candidate to be inducted. The problem seems to be the agenda of the committee, assuming they are limiting the number of inductees year-to-year and looking to represent different areas of the game in each class instead of simply inducting the most worthy candidates.

Unless of course they continue to snub Dennis Johnson based on some other criteria but I can't imagine what that criteria would be. Considering that he was a Finals MVP, three time champion, five time All-Star, six time All-Defensive First Team selection (with three Second Team selections) and registered over 15000 points, 5000 assists and 4000 rebounds over his career, he's as worthy of HOF honours as much as some of the other players who are already enshrined.

[Bruce]

I think it really comes down to who has made the most impact to the game of basketball. Dennis Johnson as great as he was, in my opinion his impact was felt for only 3-4 years. As compared to Ewing, who sucked in Seattle and Hakeem who sucked in Toronto, but as compared to DJ, these two were actually franchise players and carried their team for many years. I would go as far to say that during most of his career, Ewing was NYC basketball. So i would understand if the panel didn't feel the urgency to get DJ in the HOF.

[Sauru]

it makes even less sense to me if it is already a yes/no vote. how can some players not make it thier first time? if a player is good enough to make the hall then why not make it the first time? they gotta have some sort of limit on letting people in otherwise DJ would be in, at least should be

[Andrew]

I agree, but that isn't going to be the case if they limit the number of annual inductees and further limit the number of players being enshrined each year by choosing to make sure that each class features coaches and contributors as well. If they decide to induct only two or three players in a class of six or seven inductees, they're probably going to go for the most noteworthy candidates who are perceived as making a stronger case for induction, thus snubbing candidates (like Dennis Johnson) who are deserving but for one reason or another don't stand out as much.

It's a stupid and grossly unfair policy, but I wouldn't be surprised if that is indeed their off-the-record line of thinking in determining each class of inductees.