Fellow Bloguin brother Jeff Fox of Hoops Manifesto sent out his weekly questions this past weekend and there was one question I could not pass on answering.
Jeff asked if former San Antonio Spurs player Dennis Rodman should get into the Hall of Fame.
My answer:
“When Dennis wasn’t busy being a malcontent and drawing all the wrong kinds of attention to him and his team, he was one of the best power forwards in the game. I didn’t like him much because he decided to trash David Robinson and the Spurs team when he left, but let’s be honest, the man was a beast. His rebounding numbers are off the charts and he led the NBA in rebounding for seven consecutive seasons. However, he was a bit one-dimensional, and someone like Artis Gilmore, who has been passed over again and again, was more of a complete player and put up better overall numbers. So I think Rodman should make it in, but if I had my way, Gilmore would have made it in before him.”
This isn’t the first time I make my case for Gilmore. Last year I also wrote about the travesty of an NBA and ABA great like Gilmore not making it into the hall.
After a career like that, you almost have to question the committee. How can a player that accomplished so much on the collegiate level, in the ABA and the NBA, not get a single vote?
You could say he never won a title, but neither did several other Hall-of-Famers, including recent inductee Karl Malone. Maybe it was his low-key, no hype personality, like current Spur Tim Duncan, but regardless of his personality, his numbers and accolades can speak for him more than he will.
To read the rest of my answers, and the panel’s answers, to the other big questions, make sure to visit Hoops Manifesto.
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