Can't figure out for the life of me why Dantley isn't in already :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: He should go ahead of Wilkins even.
Sampson is up for his college record which is great. Why not if Bill Walton can make the greatest 50 list then Sampson gets in on his ncca record. Dumars in though?? And Nellie as a coach?
Sampson is up for his college record which is great. Why not if Bill Walton can make the greatest 50 list then Sampson gets in on his ncca record. Dumars in though?? And Nellie as a coach?
From yahoo.nba.com.
HOUSTON (AP) -- Charles Barkley was always among the NBA's most quotable players. And that didn't change when reporters mobbed him after he was named a finalist for the Basketball Hall of Fame.
Barkley urged the Hall's 24 voters to elect fellow finalist Dominique Wilkins, who was snubbed a year ago.
"Dominique should have got in last year," Barkley said Friday after the Hall named the 16 finalists for the Class of 2006.
While Barkley lobbied for Wilkins, Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson wondered why only seven of the 16 finalists had been nominated as players. There were six coaches and three contributors, including ESPN college basketball analyst Dick Vitale.
"How many basketball players are up for the Hall of Fame?" Robertson said. "What's wrong with this scene? It's supposed to be a Basketball Hall of Fame, isn't it?"
Last year, only one player -- Hortenica de Fatima Marcai, of Brazil -- was elected along with three coaches and a contributor.
Barkley and Wilkins are the most notable former players among this year's finalists. Dubbed "The Human Highlight Film" for his breathtaking above-the-rim game, the Paris-born Wilkins was a nine-time NBA All-Star and a two-time NBA slam dunk contest champion. He is one of three Atlanta Hawks to have his jersey retired.
"People who know basketball, in the basketball world, understand what my place is in basketball history," said Wilkins, the Hawks' vice president of basketball. "And I'm confident things will be fine this go-round. Do I think I was a first-ballot (Hall of Famer)? Of course. Hopefully things will work out this time."
Among the other finalists are Connecticut women's basketball coach Geno Auriemma and Detroit Pistons president of basketball operations Joe Dumars.
The 16 finalists emerged from a list of more than 100 nominees; players, coaches, referees and contributors are eligible. To earn enshrinement, a finalist must receive at least 18 votes from the 24-member Honors Committee. There is no limit on the number of electees.
The Class of 2006 will be announced April 3 at the NCAA men's basketball Final Four in Indianapolis. The inductions will take place at the Hall in Springfield, Mass., Sept. 7-9.
Oklahoma State coach Eddie Sutton, who had been a finalist in 2002 and 2003 and was under consideration again this year, did not make the cut. Sutton, 69, is on a medical leave of absence after being injured in a car accident a week ago in Stillwater. He was charged Friday with driving under the influence of alcohol.
Barkley and Wilkins were the only finalists to attend the formal announcement at a hotel across the street from the Toyota Center, site of the NBA All-Star Game on Sunday.
"I know that both of them are ultimately worthy," said NBA Deputy Commissioner Russ Granik, the chairman of the Hall of Fame board.
Barkley, who was selected one of the NBA's 50 greatest players in 1996, averaged 22.1 points and 11.7 rebounds per game across a 16-year career. His election is considered a slam dunk. But some observers said the same thing about Wilkins a year ago.
Like Barkley, Wilkins never played on an NBA champion. But Wilkins said that shouldn't work against him.
"If you look at a lot of guys who have made it in the Hall of Fame, a lot of them haven't won championships," Wilkins said. "I think a lot of times it can be an excuse from giving a guy his due. You look at (Patrick) Ewing, you look at Karl Malone, you look at myself and Barkley, we never won a championship, but that didn't make us any less of a great player."
Other finalists include Adrian Dantley, whose 23,177 career points rank 18th in NBA history; Ralph Sampson, a three-time National College Player of the Year whose pro career was shortened by injuries; Big East founder Dave Gavitt; former Purdue coach Gene Keady; seven-time NBA all-star Chet Walker; Dallas general manager Don Nelson, a former player who is under consideration as a coach; Van Chancellor, who coached the Houston Comets to four straight WNBA championships and led the U.S. women's team to the 2004 Olympic gold medal; legendary former Spanish coach Pedro Ferrandiz; Sandro Gamba, a former Italian star player and coach; John Isaacs, who played for the first all-black National Basketball League team in 1949; and the late Ben Kerner, who owned the St. Louis Hawks.
unlike other superstars who tried their whole life getting the ring and failed...
