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Some perspective on Andre Iguodala making the Hall of Fame:
The HOF is a museum to celebrate basketball history. It is not a pyramid of the top players in NBA history.
That is why Vlade Divac and Dino Radja were inducted as players. They have 1 combined All-Star nod. 1/9
The HOF is a museum to celebrate basketball history. It is not a pyramid of the top players in NBA history.
That is why Vlade Divac and Dino Radja were inducted as players. They have 1 combined All-Star nod. 1/9
KC Jones never made an All-Star team, but he won a bunch of titles with Bill Russell. He was inducted as a player with career averages of 7 points and 4 assists. Iguodala is leagues more accomplished as an individual. 2/9
For a more modern player, Calvin Murphy made 1 All-Star game in 1979 and was inducted because he was a dazzling small player who set free throw records and tallied multiple 20-point per game averages. 3/9
The weakest “most modern” resume for a domestic player without NCAA bona fides belongs to Jamaal Wilkes, who made the last of his 3 All-Star games in 1983. He made 2 All-D teams too. 4/9
The best recent player who isn’t in per BBR’s HOF probability model is Tim Hardaway, who made 5 All-NBA teams in the ‘90s, but also made some off color comments a few years back and never authored a key playoff moment. 5/9
The best recent player to me who is not in - perhaps the best resume too - is Ben Wallace, who seems destined to get in with 4 ASG, 4 DPOYs and a ring. He’s 13th all-time in blocks. 6/9
So there is precedent for trendsetting, influence, record-setting and roles on dynasties. Although Horace Grant doesn’t seem close and was a 1x All-Star & 4x All-D guy with 3 rings. 7/9
On the other hand, the performance threshold is higher for modern players. Iguodala’s resume of 1x All-Star, 2x All-D, FMVP and 3 rings is far better than Cedric Maxwell’s (1981 FMVP, not in Hall). He’s 25th all-time in steals too. But that might not be enough anymore. 8/9
So just know that as a player, he’s far better than many in the Hall already. But his resume is weak for a modern player. That’s why BBR gives him a 6% chance. I think his odds are far greater given the Warriors dynasty, but he’s nowhere near a lock for now. 9/9
