Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame's 2024 Class Includes Dick Barnett, Chauncey Billups, Vince Carter, Doug Collins, Michael Cooper, Walter Davis, Herb Simon, and Jerry West
The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame's 2024 class includes 13 inductees, eight of whom have strong NBA ties: players Dick Barnett, Chauncey Billups, Vince Carter, Michael Cooper, and Walter Davis, plus contributors Doug Collins, Herb Simon, and Jerry West. West joins Lenny Wilkens as the only three-time inductees, as West was previously inducted as a player and as a member of the 1960 Team USA Olympic team. This year's other five inductees are Seimone Augustus, Harley Redin, Bo Ryan, Charles Smith (a Louisiana high school coach, not the former NBA player) and Michelle Timms. At 20 Second Timeout I focus on the NBA game, but I will note that Timms is one of my favorite female basketball players of all-time (along with Cynthia Cooper, who I interviewed during the 2006 NBA All-Star Weekend). Timms was a heady, scrappy player whose impact on winning was greater than her individual numbers might suggest.
The eight inductees who are connected with the NBA have impacted basketball from the 1950s through today.
During the 2019 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame induction ceremony, Barnett narrated a powerful tribute to his school--Tennessee A&I--and his college coach, John McClendon. Barnett led Teneessee A&I to three straight NAIA championships (1957-59) before enjoying a successful 14 season NBA career that included winning two NBA titles with the New York Knicks (1970, 1973) and earning one NBA All-Star selection (1968). Barnett averaged a career-high 23.1 ppg in the 1965-66 season, and he finished his career with 15,358 points (15.8 ppg).
Billups won the 2004 NBA Finals MVP as his Detroit Pistons defeated the L.A. Lakers, who had won three straight championships (2000-02) with the powerful Shaquille O'Neal-Kobe Bryant duo leading the way. He earned the nickname "Mr. Big Shot" because of how often he rose to the occasion in clutch situations. Billups ranks sixth in ABA/NBA history in free throw percentage (.897). Billups was not a dominant player or a perennial MVP candidate, but he earned five All-Star selections, three All-NBA selections, and two All-Defensive Team selections. Also, every NBA Finals MVP who is eligible for Hall of Fame induction has been inducted except for Cedric Maxwell.
Carter holds the record for most ABA/NBA seasons played (22), breaking the mark of 21 previously held by Moses Malone (19 NBA seasons, two ABA seasons), Robert Parish, Kevin Willis, and Dirk Nowitzki. After Carter retired, I analyzed his Hall of Fame candidacy:
Should Carter be selected as a Hall of Famer? The answer to that question depends on how you think about the Hall of Fame. If you think that the Hall of Fame should only welcome the absolute best of the best, then you would likely think that Carter is not worthy. Carter is not one of the 50 greatest players of all-time, and may in fact not be one of the top 100 greatest players of all-time. However, if you think that the Hall of Fame should welcome players who played at a high level for an extended period even if they never reached MVP level then Carter easily meets that standard. Carter was no worse than a top 20-25 player for an eight to 10 year period, which is excellent peak value. He then spent an even longer period as a solid rotation player; those final seasons lowered his career per game averages, but should Carter's Hall of Fame resume be downgraded because he had great longevity compared to his peers whose bodies failed them at a younger age, or who were not able to adjust to a lesser role in order to stay in the league? Carter proved that he was a coachable player who was willing to help younger players, and he proved that there was more to his game than just eye-popping leaping ability. Carter's role in elevating (pun intended) pro basketball in Toronto, and his iconic dunks (both in games and in the Slam Dunk Contest) are intangibles that bolster his Hall of Fame candidacy.
Cooper won the 1987 Defensive Player of the Year award, and he made the All-Defensive Team for eight straight seasons (1981-88), including five First Team selections (1982, 1984-85, 1987-88). He was a key member of all five Showtime Lakers championships teams (1980, 1982, 1985, 1987-88). Cooper was a prototype for what is now called a "3 and D" player; in addition to his defensive prowess he ranked in the top 10 in three point field goal percentage three times (1984, 1986-87), and he twice ranked second in the league in three point field goals made, albeit with numbers that do not look impressive in today's NBA (38 in 1984, 89 in 1987).
However, while Billups fits the Hall of Fame profile as a Finals MVP and multiple-time All-Star and Carter was a top 20-25 player for an extended time, Cooper's resume lacks such credentials. Thus, Cooper's induction raises more questions about what it means to be a Hall of Famer: it is one thing to determine that players such as Billups and Carter deserve Hall of Fame induction, but if Cooper--who never made the All-Star team, and never averaged more than 12 ppg, 6 apg or 4.5 rpg in a season--is a Hall of Famer then where is the line drawn? Should Robert Horry and Bruce Bowen be inducted as well? This is not meant to diminish the value that Cooper, Horry, and Bowen provided to multiple championship teams; the point is that at no time during their playing careers did any credible analyst seriously consider them to be Hall of Famers. With very few exceptions, Hall of Fame status meant, at a minimum, playing at an All-Star level for a sustained period. Cooper, Horry, and Bowen were tremendous role players who played alongside multiple players whose Hall of Fame credentials are beyond reproach, and those first ballot Hall of Famers likely could have won championships with other supporting casts, but one cannot picture Cooper, Horry, or Bowen being the first, second, or third best player on a championship contender.
I am not saying that Cooper should not be a Hall of Famer, and I am not trying to rain on his parade, but I am saying that the criteria for Hall of Fame induction should be clarified; the criteria seem to have evolved or shifted.
Davis was known as "The Greyhound" because of his graceful and smooth playing style. He won the 1978 Rookie of the Year award over Hall of Famer Bernard King, and Davis finished fifth in MVP voting that season as well. He earned two All-NBA Second Team selections (1978-79), and he was a six-time All-Star (1978-81, 1984, 1987). Prior to his NBA career, he was an excellent college player at North Carolina and an Olympic gold medalist in 1976.
Collins earned four All-Star selections in his injury-plagued eight season NBA career with the Philadelphia 76ers before compiling a 442-407 record as an NBA head coach with Chicago, Detroit, Washington, and Philadelphia. He also established himself as one of the premier color commentators on NBA and FIBA telecasts.
Herb Simon has owned the Indiana Pacers longer than any other owner has owned a team in NBA history. He co-owned the team with his brother Melvin from 1983 until Melvin died of cancer in 2009. Under Simon's ownership, the Pacers have reached the Eastern Conference Finals eight times (1994-95, 1998-2000, 2004, 2013-14) and the NBA Finals once (2000).
West is a Pantheon-level player who also coached the L.A. Lakers for three seasons (1977-79) before enjoying one of the most accomplished front office careers in NBA history, building Lakers teams that won eight NBA titles (1980, 1982, 1985, 1987-88, 2000-02); although West left the Lakers after the 2000 season, it is fair to say that the Lakers would not have won their 2001 and 2002 championships had West not brought Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant to L.A. West won the Executive of the Year award twice (1995 with the Lakers, 2004 with the Memphis Grizzlies). The dust jacket to Roland Lazenby's Jerry West biography asserts that West is "a man who has done more to shape basketball than anyone on the planet."
Labels: Basketball Hall of Fame, Chauncey Billups, Dick Barnett, Doug Collins, Herb Simon, Jerry West, Michael Cooper, Vince Carter, Walter Davis
posted by David Friedman @ 8:44 PM
9 Comments:
Yeah Coop's induction reminds me of an old White Shadow episode, I think it was season 3, where the scholarly and more proper-speaking Black player was getting an A in history. But he complained to his burnt-out teacher that his A didn't mean anything if the teacher was just going to give everybody in the class an A. The ballplayer said he worked hard for his A and it wasn't fair for everybody else in the class to get A's willynilly.
Michael Cooper's induction to the Hall of Fame does diminish the institution in Springfield. Coop was a very good role player, but the Hall of Fame ain't for role players! The man never even won the Sixth Man Award! Coop was iconic with that rail-thin frame and those high socks, but then again he also made the ultimate posterization when he suffered one of the most ferocious dunks of all time, that Dr J cradle that had Coop ducking under the backboard for his life.
If I'm a legit Hall of Famer I'm feeling like that kid that earned the A and is like why you giving that guy an A!?
With all due respect to Michael Cooper, who was a terrific player, especially as a defender, and a great guy, it is unfair he got in over several players who were more deserving.
There is no way you can tell me Maurice Lucas did not have at least as good of a career as Michael Cooper (Lucas even has ABA/college accolades to boost his case even more). Cooper was great and won multiple rings, but Lucas to me was the better player (who also won a ring too as the #2 option).
So while it’s cool Cooper will now get his Lakers jersey retired, I feel like he got in for being popular. Both Lucas and Laimbeer were better imo but just not as popular.
To clarify: I don't mean to suggest that Michael Cooper's iconic posterization thanks to the Doctor in any way disqualifies him for the Hall of Fame. But I do think that that single play symbolizes the qualitative difference between a Hall of Famer like Dr J, and the likes of Coop. Coop should keep ducking away under that backboard to relative oblivion where he belongs, at least as far as NBA history is concerned. The Hall of Fame is for the basketball history-makers. Michael Cooper, much like Robert Horry to cite your excellent comparison, was no basketball history-maker.
Cooper was a very important player, but not even a starter albeit on stacked teams but still. Bowen/Horry should both be in if Cooper is, though it should be obvious none of them should be in. If they deserve it, then at least 150 currently NBA players deserve it.
It's a down year for the HoF, no high profile names. This is when guys that wouldn't normally get in, get in. It took Cooper 34 years and Billups 10 years. Carter was definitely a better player than Billups.
Timms played 116 wnba games, making 1 AS team in 5 seasons, averaging 7.5ppg. I don't know anything about her nor do I care, but the standards for making the HoF seem to have greatly diminished.
I tend to agree with everyone here that Cooper doesn't appear to be a HoF caliber player. Playing devil's advocate: He's 1 of only 8 perimeter players to ever win Defensive Player of the Year. He earned 5 first team all defense, 3 second team (during MJ's time). And, he was a key starter for 5 championships.
I know that coaching is separate from playing is separate from GMing (as evidenced by West's third induction), but Coop is noteworthy for winning Coach of the Year and then leading the Sparks to two championships.
@anonymous, you make a great comparison between Dr. J and Cooper. I think that's a smart and emblematic way of showcasing the difference. However, as a fan of basketball, defense often gets overlooked (especially over the past 10 years). The NBA product is super watered down with scoring at a near peak all-time not seen since Wilt (115 ppg average for teams) and most players not giving any effort at all on the defensive side of the ball. So many games this year where the lane is wide open and guys just travel their way down the lane for easy layups/dunks. So many players only give that first effort, and then give up. Quite a few "stars" who can't even be bothered to give that first effort (LeBron cough cough).
I think it's a good thing to honor defensive genius, especially when it's backed by winning. Gives current players incentive to play the game the right way. To value both sides of the ball. And Coop was a top 5 defensive winger during the bulk of his career. The Legend even claimed he was the toughest to go up against. I think that means something. I think defense is a key and oft-overlooked aspect of NBA history.
Jordan, how did Riley treat Cooper as a D POY winner? Answer: by starting 2 games out of 82 and playing only 27.5mpg. Cooper only started 94 games out of his 873 game career. Even worse in the playoffs: 4 starts out of 168. So no, he wasn't a key starter for 5 championships, though he was a key role player. Career role players aren't stars and shouldn't even be in the conversation for HoF, which Cooper probably never was until this year for some reason.
If you want to think his 2 titles as a coach in the WNBA are that important, ok. But, then he should be in the WNBA HoF, though there isn't a distinction between men and women HoFs for basketball. So I guess it's good they at least distinguish between player, coach, etc.
Defense probably gets overlooked some, but that's because offense remains the most important aspect of the game. Even if Cooper actually deserved his D POY honor, he was never an AS even once and probably never close to being an AS.
Anonymous:
Regarding Timms, the WNBA was founded in 1997, when Timms was 32, past her prime and near the end of her career. Also, the WNBA did not have an All-Star Game during Timms' first two seasons. She was an All-Star in the WNBA's first All-Star Game in 1999, when she was 34 years old.
I believe that Timms was inducted primarily based on her FIBA career. Timms was not a dominant WNBA player, but I enjoyed watching her because she was clever, scrappy, and unselfish.
Marcel
Just wondering David it's been loud cries for stephon marbury to get in the hof
By Isiah Thomas and Carmelo Anthony
What's ur take on that
Marcel:
Marbury made the All-NBA Team twice, made the All-Star team twice, never led the league in a major statistical category, and posted a career playoff series record of 1-5 (and the lone win came as a little-used reserve for the 2009 Celtics).
I don't consider him even close to being a HoFer because he was not dominant individually and he was not a key contributor to winning teams.
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