Part Two- NBA Hall of Famers to Be?

Welcome back for Part Two of my NBA Hall of Fame posting. In Part One I tackled the players that should be enshrined into Springfield both this coming year and in the next five years. Now in Part Two I’ll discuss the plethora of players that currently star in the NBA that are surefire Hall of Fame inductees once they are eligible. In my mind there are 10 players that are no question Hall of Famers and a few that should be if their careers continue to trend upwards. First I’ll tackle the no-brainers.

1.      Kobe Bryant- The Black Mamba is an easy choice to start with seeing as he has 30588 points and counting in his career which is good enough for 5^th all-time. The 14 (soon to be 15) time All-Star Game selection also has won 5 NBA Championships and been named to 9 All-NBA Defense First-Teams. Bryant is also 11^th in made 3pt field goals, 4^th in made free throws, and 17^th in steals. He was also MVP of the league in 2007-08 season and is a 10-time All-NBA First Team selection.

2.      Tim Duncan- The Big Fundamental is 2^nd to no one when it comes to a sure first ballot Hall of Famer. Duncan has 13 (soon to be 14) All-Star Game selections to his name as well as 9 All-NBA First Team selections. Duncan has won 4 NBA Championships and was MVP of the league in 2001-02 and 2002-03. He is 16^th all-time in rebounds (5^th in defensive rebounds), 24^th in points, and 8^th in blocks. Duncan was also named to 8 All-NBA Defense First-Teams. 

3.      Kevin Garnett- The Big Ticket spent many years toiling in Minnesota putting up huge numbers and was finally rewarded by winning an NBA Championship in 2008 with the Boston Celtics. KG is a 14 (soon to be 15) time All-Star selection and is a 9-time All-NBA Defense First Team selection. Garnett ranks 12^th in rebounds, 18^th in steals, 19^th in blocks, and 17^th in points in 18 seasons. KG was also MVP of the league in the 2003-04 season. 

4.      LeBron James- King James is a sure-thing in my book since he is a 3-time NBA MVP and won an NBA Championship in 2012 with the Miami Heat. LeBron has been selected to 8 All-Star Games and will soon make it 9. LBJ is a 6-time All-NBA First Team selection and currently ranks 38^th in points, 55^th in assists, 67^th in steals and 36^th in made free throws. Oh and don’t forget he’s only 28 years old and in his 10^h NBA season. His place is reserved in Springfield, all that is left to decide is how high he will rise amongst the names like Jordan, Magic, Bird, Kareem and Bryant. 

5.      Dirk Nowitzki- The Big German has played 15 years in the NBA with the Dallas Mavericks and has been named to 11 All-Star Games. He has won 1 NBA Championship in 2011 and also has 1 MVP award to his name in the 2006-07 season. Dirk is a 4-time All-NBA First Team selection and ranks 48^th all-time in rebounds, 19^th in points 13^th in free throw percentage and 30^th in made 3pt field goals. 

6.      Paul Pierce- The Truth has been a favorite of mine for years seeing as he has played his entire 15 year career for the Boston Celtics, winning the NBA Championship in 2008. Pierce is a 10-time NBA All-Star selection and ranks 12^th in made free throws, 7^th in made 3pt field goals, 32^nd in steals and 23^rd in points all-time. 

7.      Jason Kidd- J-Kidd has now played in 19 NBA seasons and won 1 NBA Championship in 2011 with the Dallas Mavericks. Kidd is a 10-time All-Star selection and a 4-time All-NBA First Team selection. Kidd ranks 3^rd all-time in made 3pt field goals, 53^rd in rebounds, 2^nd in assists, 74^th in points and 2^nd in steals. He was also named to 4 All-NBA Defense First Team teams. 

8.      Ray Allen- Allen is in his 17th season in the NBA and has won 1 NBA Championship in 2008 with the Boston Celtics. Ray is best known for the purest shooting stroke in the game and has made 10 All-Star games. Ray ranks 1^st in 3pt field goal attempts and 1^st in 3pt field goal makes as well as ranking 22^nd in points and 5th in free throw percentage.

9.      Dwayne Wade- Wade while only 30 has done enough already to be included in this group. D-Wade has been named to 8 (soon to be 9) All-Star games and has won 2 NBA Championships with the Miami Heat. He is a 2-time All-NBA First Team selection and ranks 105^th in points, 58^th in free throws made, and 108^th in assists. As long as Wade stays healthy these numbers will only help his case to get into the Hall.

10.  Steve Nash- Nash is the last member of this group in my mind. Many don’t think of him as a sure-thing Hall of Famer but how can you argue with the following numbers: 5^th all-time in assists, 82^nd in points, 8^th in 3pt field goal percentage, 1^st in free throw percentage, and 10^th in 3pt field goals made. Don’t forget the 8 All-Star game selections, 3 All-NBA First Team selections and 2 NBA MVP awards to his name. The only thing that still escapes Nash in his 17^th season is an NBA Championship. 

Next up are the players that still have work to do to get into the Hall but are trending in the right direction.

1.      Chris Paul- CP3 is definitely on course to be amongst the all-time greats seeing as he already has been named to 5 (soon to be 6) All-Star games and was Rookie of the Year in 2005-06. He is a 2-time All-NBA First Team selection and currently ranks 52^nd all-time in assists, 64^th in steals, 34^th in free throw percentage and 3^rd in assists per game at a whopping 9.8. Paul is only 27 years old and just joined a legitimate contender in the Los Angeles Clippers last season so his titles may come at some point soon. 

2.      Chris Bosh- Bosh is an interesting case here seeing as he is just 28 years old and was the number one option on a decent team in Toronto for years and now is 3^rd fiddle to James and Wade in Miami. His ppg dipped from 24.0 to 18.7 once he moved to South Beach and if he continues to have issues rebounding like last night (1 rebound in 27 minutes) it will be hard to consider him seriously for a spot here. But if he trends upwards and the Heat win another title or two it will be hard to overlook him. Bosh has been named to 7 All-Star games and won the NBA Championship in 2012 with the Heat. Bosh’s stats are not impressive yet since he only has 13,336 points(168^th) and 6120 rebounds (143^rd) in 9 seasons. 

3.      Tony Parker- TP is a great example of a solid player with great teammates but hasn’t received personal accolades like others previously mentioned. Parker has been named to 4 NBA All-Star games and has won 3 NBA Championships with the Spurs in 2003, 2005 and 2007. Parker is already 30 but still ranks 54^th all-time in assists and 142^nd in points. 

4.      Dwight Howard- D12’s only limitation is health. His raw talent and young starting age make him a candidate to reach the upper echelons of stardom as long as his body allows him to get there. Howard is only 27 and already in his 9^th year in the league. He has been to 6 (soon to be 7) NBA All-Star games and won 3 Defensive Player of the Year awards already. Howard also has been named to 5 All-NBA First Teams and 4 All-NBA Defensive First Teams. His current ranks are 54^th in rebounds, 35^th in blocks and 219^th in points. 

5.      Carmelo Anthony- Melo is a 5-time (soon to be 6) NBA All-Star game selection and has consistently been in the top 10 in scoring each of his 10 seasons. Melo is an excellent scorer of the ball but the rest of his game leaves a lot to be desired. The true test will be to see if Melo can lead the New York Knicks to a championship at some point in the near future. He currently ranks 57^th all-time in made free throws, 81^st in points and 14^th in points per game average (24.9). 

6.      Pau Gasol- Gasol is having a terrible year this season for the Lakers but has been consistent over his previous 11 years in the NBA. He, like Bosh starred alone on a decent team then moved to a team where he is the second or third option. The Llama has been named to 4 NBA All-Star games and has won 2 NBA Championships with the Los Angeles Lakers. He’s already 32 but ranks only 71^st all-time in rebounds, 42^nd in blocks, 83^rd in free throws made and 120^th in points. 

7.      Kevin Durant- The last player in this list is the youngest and the one with the most upside. Durant is only 24 and already has 11078 points in only 5 ½ seasons. He already has been named to 3 (soon to be 4) NBA All-Star games and 3 All-NBA First Teams. He currently ranks 7^th all-time in points per game at 26.5. Durant’s ceiling is unbelievably high and has already been to one title game only to lose to James, Wade and Bosh but he will be back sooner than most expect. His scoring will continue and the rest of his game will round into form to make him one of the all-time greats who have ever played the game, that is, as long as he stays healthy. 

The last list is of players who might have a chance to make the Hall of Fame but are past their primes and can’t improve their status much more than winning championships.

1.      Vince Carter- Air Canada, Vinsane or whatever somewhat clever nickname you can think of is the best example of this class. Carter has now played in 15 NBA seasons and has been named to 8 NBA All-Star games. Vince currently ranks 13^th all-time in made 3pt field goals, 54^th in made free throws, 81^st in steals, and 30^th in points but certainly is best known for his gravity-defying dunks like the ones he performed in the dunk contests as well as his posterizing of 7’2’’ Frederic Weiss during the Olympics. 

2.      Tracy McGrady- T-Mac is Carter’s cousin and was extremely talented but was constantly bitten by the injury bug during his 15 year career in the NBA. McGrady was a 7-time NBA All-Star selection and 2-time All-NBA First Teamer. T-Mac ranks 57^th all-time in points, 87^th in assists, 94^th in steals and 56^th in 3pt field goals made. He probably doesn’t deserve to make the Hall but deserves some recognition. 

3.      Grant Hill- Hill has played 20 years in the NBA and played 4 years at Duke University. Hill was named to 7 NBA All-Star games, was a NBA Rookie of the Year in 1994-95 and an All-NBA First Team selection in 1996-97. He’s never won a title but ranks 79^th in assists, 68^th in steals and 78^th in points all-time. He falls into an odd category since he was never really a superstar but was always a solid contributor even through injury woes. 

4.      Gilbert Arenas- Agent Zero really hurt his chances with his outburst over the last few years but during his prime was one of the best scorers of the basketball in the NBA. The Hibachi was named to 3 NBA All-Star games and ranks 57^th in 3pt field goals made and 44^th in points per game at 20.7. Arenas is a long shot but worth a mention.

5.      Chauncey Billups- Billups is now in his 16^th season in the NBA, and has been named to 5 NBA All-Star games. Chauncey won 1 NBA Championship in 2004 with the Detroit Pistons and currently ranks 5^th in 3pt field goals made, 47^th in free throws made, 39^th in assists and 6^th in free throw percentage. Billups has been a great player but left a lot to be desired during his career. 

Thanks for reading part two of my NBA Hall of Fame blog post, I hope you enjoyed it and I will write again soon.

-Matt