Some of Bloguin’s top writer’s recently got together to argue and discuss whether some of the NBA’s former players are Hall of Fame worthy.
The panelist’s were Jeff Fox of The Hoops Manifesto, College Wolf from the TWolves Blog, Don & brumbygg from With Malice and Ezra from the Purple and Gold Blog.
They gave their takes on players like Reggie Miller, Mitch Richmond, Mark Jackson, Ralph Sampson, and former San Antonio Spurs player Robert Horry.
Here is how things shook out for the former Spur.
Hall of Fame Consensus: OUT
“OUT. Hell of a lot of rings, but it was almost just a case of being in the right place at the right time (not quite that extreme, but close).” – Jeff Fox
“The SEVEN titles are almost enough for me. But no, he hasn’t done enough in his career. OUT.” – College Wolf
“”The guy had a nose for being in the right place, at the right time. Both in terms of teams (seven rings – three different teams!), and game-play (just ask Steve Nash!). But this doesn’t translate to being a Hall of Fame guy. OUT.” – Don
“IN. Yeah, he may not have a variety of hardware or mind-boggling career averages, but his record-setting accomplishments in college and in the NBA are some of the things a whole lot of players in history couldn’t do in their entire career, including the great Michael Jordan.” – Ezra
“Seven rings is nice and all, but being in the right place at the right time does not mean you’re good enough for the Hall. OUT!” – brumbygg
As you can see, it’s debatable whether or not Horry is Hall of Fame worthy. In one argument,yes he was in the right place at the right time but if he didn’t hit that clutch shot for Houston would they have won? If he didn’t hit the big shot against the Kings with the Lakers would the Lakers have had their three-peat?
And lastly, if Horry didn’t hit that three pointer in game five against the Detroit Pistons in 2005 then maybe the Spurs would only be holding three championships instead of four.
He was never the “star” of a team, he never made an All-Star team, and his jersey sales were never in the top-10 in the NBA. So it’s hard to give him a solid vote that players like Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, and Magic Johnson get.
But if it wasn’t for Horry, the Spurs, Lakers, and Rockets might be short one or two championships.
If I had a vote I’d say he’s in for the reasons discussed. What if Horry wasn’t there? He’s been an integral part of the seven championships he’s won, he deserves to be in the Hall of Fame.
What do you have to say Spurs fans? Think Horry deserves to be enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame?
