[Lefty Noob]

The Basketball Hall of Fame has announced this year's class of 16 finalists. They are: Charles Barkley, Dominique Wilkins, Dick Vitale, Geno Auriemma, Joe Dumars, Adrian Dantley, Ralph Sampson, Gene Keady, Chet Walker, Don Nelson [as a coach], Big East founder Dave Gavitt, former Houston Comets coach Van Chancellor, former Spanish coach Pedro Ferrandiz, Italian player/coach Sandro Gamba, former NBL player John Isaacs and one-time St. Louis Hawks owner Ben Kerner. So who gets in?

[ThePundit]

Barkley: No brainer

Wilkins: Yes

I've never been into women's hoops but I guess if you are, Auriemma gets in.

I'm not into broadcasters getting in, especially gimicky guys so Vitale is a no. Was Gene Keady a "great" coach? I think not. With his size and agility, Ralph Sampson should have been a hall of famer, but he's not even close. And honestly I don't know anything about the last 5 on the list.

So My votes are for Barkley and Wilkins (maybe Auriemma) & that's it.

[GigEmAgs]

Sir Charles is, of course, a shoo-in. Naturally I have a soft spot for Don Nelson, as a Dallasite (Dallasonian? Dallasian? Dallasi?), but I don't recall the Nelson years for the Mavs as being great ones. The rest of the field I'm not so sanguine about. I actually kind of liked Dick Vitale, but as The Pundit pointed out, he was always kind of gimmicky. Bet he'll get in, though.

[Lefty Noob]

How about Adrian Dantley? The guy was a great outside shooter and a six-time All-Star. He was Rookie of the Year in 1977 and Comeback Player of the Year in 1984. A.D.'s 23,177 career points was 9th all-time when he retired. He hit on 54-percent of his attempts, making him one of the all-time leaders among non-centers, and he once posted at least a 30 points per game average in four consecutive seasons. Good enough for the Hall?

[ThePundit]

He might have the numbers but I personally never viewed Adrienne Dantley as a "great player". A very, very good one? Absolutely.
Very similar argument I have against Jerome Bettis. Dantley's been retired a long time. Why hasn't he been voted in already?

[GigEmAgs]

If he's got the ninth highest total of career points, shouldn't he be in the Hall? The guy was mostly before my time (I didn't pay attention to basketball much till after college), so I can't speak authoritatively, but surely those kinds of stats should count. The question is, is there a place in the Hall for good players who weren't always spectacular? What about all those guys like Dantley who showed up for game after game and posted good stats consistently -- should they be left out in the rain while folks who had a couple of super seasons get inducted? That's a hard question to answer, isn't it?

[Lefty Noob]

He was 9th when he retired. Others have passed him since them. But there's no doubt we was a solid player with a fantastic outside shot, and I for one believe he deserves definite consideration for the Hall.