Category Archives: Hall of Fame Snubs

Hall of Fame Snubs: George McGinnis

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Years Active: 1972-1982
Regular Season Stats: 845 games, 33.5 mpg
20.2 ppg, 11.0 rpg, 3.7 apg, 1.88 spg, 0.48 bpg, 45.8% FG, 66.4% FT
Postseason Stats: 104 games, 35.7 mpg
20.7 ppg, 11.8 rpg, 3.9 apg, 1.41 spg, 0.41 bpg, 43.5% FG, 68.2% FT

ABA Accolades: MVP (1975), 2x All-ABA 1st Team (1974-75), All-ABA 2nd Team (1973), 3x All-Star (1973-75), All-ABA Rookie 1st Team (1972), 2x ABA Champion (1972-73
NBA Accolades: All-NBA 1st Team (1976), All-NBA 2nd Team (1977), 3x NBA All-Star (1976-77, ’79)

Indianapolis Star

New York coach Lou Carnesecca was quoted as saying that Indiana’s muscular 6-foot-8, 235 pound rookie George McGinnis looked like a heavy weight contender. Carnesecca amended his evaluation following the third game [of the ABA Finals] Friday night.

“Now, you can say he’s the champion,” said the diminutive Nets’ coach, who barely would reach McGinnis’ elbow.

Carnesecca made his reevaluation after the burly McGinnis wrecked the Nets, scoring 30 points and grabbing a game high 20 rebounds…

- Via The Evening Independent, May 13, 1972

Burly is indeed the most accurate description for the body and physique of George McGinnis. Just an absolute mammoth of a power forward who, aside from Artis Gilmore, was probably the strongest man in the ABA. Unsurprisingly, he was an absolute beast on the boards trampling and demolishing opponents, particularly on the offensive glass. His career average of 3.7 is 10th all-time amongst players who have appeared in at least 240 games (equivalent to about 3 seasons).

This steady stream of offensive boards and subsequent putbacks partially fed his healthy point production. Also of aid were his sweet mid-range jumpers and his cunning-but-not-quite-graceful drives to the hoop. For 7 straight seasons he averaged above 20 points a game culminating in 1975 when he topped off at 29.8 per game.

And as if this wasn’t enough of an offensive threat, he could pass the ball extremely well. 6 straight seasons he held an assist per game average above 3.5., including 3 seasons above 4.5 in that stretch. Big George also had quick, strong hands which led to a career steals per game average of 1.9. That’s an incredibly high total for anyone let alone a power forward. In fact, that 1.9 is 4th all time amongst forwards and 26th overall.

McGinnis, however, surly had pitfalls to his game. For starters, he turned the ball over with a galling frequency: 4 a game over the course of his career. Also his free throw shooting was always poor. It showed signs of improvement until 1975 (74%) and thereafter it plummeted to embarrassing levels by his retirement (45.3%).

The Indiana Pacers, though, weren’t complaining of these deficiencies in 1971 when they acquired the homegrown talent. McGinnis was from Indianapolis and was attending Indiana University when the allure of big time professional dollars led him to leave college after his freshman season. A very unusual move at the time, but given his 30 ppg and 15 rpg averages that one season, he was ready for tougher competition.

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Hall of Fame Snubs: Jo Jo White

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Years Active: 1970 – 1981
Regular Season Stats: 837 games, 35.8 mpg
17.2 ppg, 4.9 apg, 4.0 rpg, 1.3 spg, 44.4% FG, 83.4% FT
Postseason Stats: 80 games, 42.9 mpg
21.5 ppg, 5.7 apg, 4.4 rpg, 1.1 spg, 44.9% FG, 82.8% FT
Accolades: 2x NBA Champion (1974, ’76), Finals MVP (1976), 2x All-NBA 2nd Team (1975, ’77), All-Rookie 1st Team (1970), 7x All-Star (1971-77)

via murphman61 (flickr)

The Celtics lazed through more than three periods until Jo Jo White did a 12-minute hustle Sunday to shoot Boston past Phoenix 98-87 in the opening game of the NBA championship series… White, scoring 12 straight points in a 4:15 span, finished with 22 points – all but two in the final two periods.

- Via St. Petersburg Times, May 24, 1976

The highwater mark of Jo Jo White’s illustrious career came in the 1976 Finals. He played more minutes, scored more points and made more assists than other player in that series thus earning the Finals MVP award. There’s that heroic sequence in Game 1 described above where he knocked down a pair of jumpers, drove for two baskets and hit four straight free throws in just 4 minutes to thwart a Phoenix attempt to steal the series opener.

In Game 5 of the series, which some describe as the greatest game in NBA history, the Suns and Celtics played a triple overtime thriller that saw John Havlicek hit a supposed game winner in the 2nd OT that was instantly topped by Gar Heard’s turnaround jumper.

Jo Jo White amazingly played almost every moment of the 63-minute contest. Despite the heavy workload, White saved his best for those overtimes scoring 15 of his 33 points in the extra periods and pushed Boston to a 128-126 victory. Exhausted from the marathon affair, White slumped in his seat after the game and simply wondered aloud…

“Would you believe we’ve got another game in Phoenix Sunday?”

White managed just 15 points in the closing Game 6 as Boston collected its 2nd title in 3 years and 13th in 19, but he had more than pulled his weight already in the previous game and indeed, had been an iron horse for the Celtics for years by that point.

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Hall of Fame Snubs: Larry Foust

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Years Active: 1951 – 1962
Regular Season Stats: 817 games, 29.2 mpg
13.7 ppg, 9.8 rpg, 1.7 apg, 40.5% FG, 74.1% FT
Postseason Stats: 73 games, 27.4 mpg
12.4 ppg, 9.7 rpg, 1.3 apg, 39.4% FG, 78.1% FT
Accolades: 8x All-Star (1951-56, 1958-59), All-NBA 1st Team (1955), All-NBA 2nd Team (1952)

Larry-Foust

Larry Foust, rugged Piston center, poured in 37 points as Fort Wayne made it four straight over the Royals. Foust scored six of his team’s seven points in the overtime after the regular game ended, 94-94.

- Via The Milwaukee Journal, Decemeber 2, 1954

Larry Foust is one of the many victims of failed basketball memory. The depths and passage of time naturally erode the ability to recall the greatness of things achieved by those in the past. Compounding this natural tendency is the fact that none of Foust’s clubs exist as he knew them.

The Fort Wayne Pistons have since moved on to Detroit. The Minneapols Lakers headed west to Los Angeles. The St. Louis Hawks went down south to Atlanta. Nevertheless, Foust is a player worth not only recalling, but one worthy of Hall of Fame induction. During the 1950s he was one of the premier NBA centers and yet is unrecognized as such.

During his heydey (1951-58), Foust recorded the 4th most win shares for a center. Of the top 6 players on this list, Foust is the only one not enshrined in the Hall of Fame. George Mikan, Neil Johnston, Ed Macauley, Arnie Risen and Clyde Lovellette are all deservedly in.

Looking at Foust’s production, this is an unfortunately recurring theme. He is routinely in the lofty company of various Hall of Fame players and yet he is the one outside looking in. During the entirety of the 1950s, Foust scored the 3rd most points and grabbed the most rebounds of any center in the NBA. Amongst all players he was 8th in points scored and 2nd in rebounds. Finally, his player efficiency rating (PER) of 21.o was 5th amongst centers and 9th overall.

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The Lowdown: Bobby Jones

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Years Active: 1975 – 1986
Career Stats: 12.1 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 2.7 apg, 1.4 bpg, 1.5 spg, 55.8% FG, 76.6% FT
Accolades: ABA – All-Rookie 1st Team (1975), ABA All-Star (1976), All-ABA 2nd Team (1976), 2x ABA All-Defensive 1st Team (1975-76)
NBA – Sixth Man of the Year (1983), 4x NBA All-Star (1977-78, 1981-82), 8x All-Defensive 1st Team (1977-84), All-Defensive 2nd Team (1985), NBA Champion (1983)

Bobby Jones, 6’9″ second-year man out of North Carolina. Best defensive forward in basketball. Shot 60.5% last year (only man other than Wilt Chamberlain ever over 60). Leading league again this season at 59% despite worst form and shortest range in history of mankind. Just never takes bad shot. Great leaper. Denver MVP, easy. Thrifty, devoted, straight arrow. Brown says that during pregame talks, while other players scratch, read, go to bathroom, Jones “stares at me and actually listens. He’s scary.” Bob Goldsholl, Nets TV announcer, says Jones is so clean that when he went to the movie Story of O, he walked out when he discovered it was not the life of Oscar Robertson.

Via “They Run And They Gun-and They’re A Mile High” by Curry Kirkpatrick

Bobby Jones: an average name for maybe the best defensive small forward of all-time. The only real competition for the honor is Scottie Pippen and Tom “Satch” Sanders. But during Jones’s playing days, he was certainly the best. Possessing a wiry, yet toned 6’9″ frame, Jones had the perfect height, length, speed and, above all, desire to frustrate and dominate his opponents.

He was near-perfect at every conceivable defensive measure: ball denial, man-to-man defense, weakside help, steals, blocks, interceptions, miraculous saves. Jones did all of this dirty grunt work with an air of nobility: “If I have to play defense by holding on, that’s when I quit. If I have to use an elbow to get position, then I’m going to have to settle for another position.”

Although he shined brightest on defense, Jones was a complete basketball player. A smart passer, he could quickly ignite a fastbreak with an outlet pass after one of his rebounds, blocks or steals. His jumper was taken straight out of the set shot 50s, but it worked. Most excitingly, he could jump out of the gym. It’s what made him such a skilled shot blocker, but it also allowed Bobby to finish on offense what he started on defense via a thunderous slam.

Drafted by the NBA’s Houston Rockets and the ABA’s Denver Nuggets, Jones opted for the ABA after graduating from the University of North Carolina. A man who was almost always at peace with himself, Jones rarely attempted a shot out of haste or to satisfy a selfish trigger finger. He took prudent, needed shots. Leading the ABA in FG% in his first two seasons (at 60% and 57%) testifies to that. His stat lines from those early days are the stuff of fantasy basketball dreams. Over his 1st four seasons (all with Denver split between the ABA and NBA), Jones averaged 15 points, 8.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks and 58% shooting from the field.

Nuggets coach Larry Brown, yes that Larry Brown, deemed Jones “the best defensive player in the world” by his 2nd season. Teamed with Dan Issel and David Thompson in a high-octane frontcourt, the Nuggets reached the ABA Finals in 1976 where Jones was tasked with stopping Julius Erving, who was playing for the opposing Nets. Jones would be absolutely torched by the Doctor who averaged 37 points and 14 rebounds as the Nets won in 6 games. Sometimes great offense trumps great defense.

Jones and Erving would go from legendary ABA opponents to successful NBA teammates two years later as the Philadelphia 76ers traded superfluous scoring and turnover machine George McGinnis to Denver for Bobby. It was a much needed injection of positivity for Philly in the wake of the failed McGinnis-Erving pairing. Charles Barkley in 1986 noted the good vibes exuded by Jones: “If everyone in the world was like Bobby Jones, the world wouldn’t have any problems.”

The trade didn’t just change Bobby’s playing venue, it changed his role. Gone were his days of 30+ minutes and starting, he was now slotted as the 6th man behind Dr. J, Doug Collins, and, later, Andrew Toney. Jones’ demeanor and skills made him the perfect man for the job. Instead of griping about lost minutes, Jones decided to give a more intense performance in his slashed minutes. Unsurprisingly, he continued his stellar play as one of the NBA’s most clutch players. Hitting game-winners wasn’t his brand of clutch, though. Disrupting and denying the opposition a chance at doing that to Philly was his crunch time hallmark. And there were certainly many clutch, crunch and otherwise Maalox moments for Philadelphia during this era playing in 3 NBA Finals and 2 more Eastern Conference Finals.

The lone championship for the Sixers came in 1983 when Moses Malone arrived to lead Jones, Toney, Erving, and Maurice Cheeks to the Promised Land. For Jones though, 1983 wasn’t just the pinnacle of team success, he was recognized for his stellar bench play by winning the inaugural Sixth Man of the Year Award. Fitting for a Sixer. However, for the first time in his career he averaged less than 10 points and 25 minutes a game as Moses, rightfully, demanded a larger portion of the offense and Jones himself hit 31 years of age. Father Time would beckon Jones into retirement three years later in 1986.

Bobby’s streak of All-Defensive 1st Teams is unparalleled with 10 straight selections starting in his rookie season. He managed another All-Defensive 2nd Team appearance in 1985, before finally missing out in his last season. Despite his lofty total, Jones is the only one of 11 players with at least 6 All-Defensive 1st Team appearances who is either not in the Hall of Fame or soon-to-be (Duncan, Garnett, Kobe, and Gary Payton). On top of this, Jones averaged 1.4 steals and 1.4 blocks for his career. Only teammate Julius Erving along with Hakeem Olajuwon and David Robinson have done that.

To consistently be in the company of Hall of Famers and yet not be one must be a frustrating feeling for anyone except, probably, Bobby Jones. The man’s devout Christianity has given him peace for decades so it’s unimaginable he would let this slight bother him much: “When I’m in there, I just play as hard as I can. In the Bible, it says we’re supposed to give 100 percent in whatever it is we do and that’s what I do.” Yep, sounds like a man who’s probably off somewhere focusing on some new endeavor instead of seething at slights.

Hall of Fame Snubs: Bernard King

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Bernard King (1978 – 1993)

Regular Season: 874 games, 22.5 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 3.3 APG, 0.3 BPG, 1.0 SPG, 51.8% FG, 73.0% FT
Playoffs: 28 games, 24.5 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 2.3 APG, 0.2 BPG, 0.9 SPG, 55.9% FG, 72.9% FT
Accolades: 2x All-NBA 1st Team (1984-85), All-NBA 2nd Team (1982), All-NBA 3rd Team (1991), All-Rookie 1st Team (1978), 4x All-Star (1982, 1984-85, 1991)

Bernard King is one of the greatest scorers in NBA history. He didn’t do much else extremely well, but when you excel at a singular talent so well, it deserves recognition. And his determination to continue his career in the face of troubling personal failings (a bout with alcoholism and a sexual assault conviction) and hellish injury (destroying his right ACL) add more to his legacy.

The key to King’s scoring acumen was his tremendously quick release on his jump shot that prevented defenders from bothering it. There was also the quirky fact that he shot the ball as he was going up, leaving defenders further bewildered. He also was the master of positioning his body to seal off defenders and to quickly rise up before the opponent could recover. Having a tremendously big butt to maneuver the opposition didn’t hurt either.

King’s basketball journey began on the courts of Brooklyn, New York where he became one of the greatest playground legends the city ever saw.  Moving south to the University of Tennessee for college ball, King instantly made an impact averaging 26 points and 12 rebounds his freshman year (1974-75). Over the next three seasons, the small forward would team with Ernie Grunfeld in the “Bernie and Ernie Show”. King’s time would be marked by on-court showmanship, but also off court issues. During his time in Knoxville, King was arrested for marijuana possession, drunk driving and reckless driving.

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Hall of Fame Snubs: Sidney Moncrief

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Sidney Moncrief (1980 – 1991)
Regular Season: 767 games, 15.6 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 3.6 APG, 1.2 SPG, 0.3 BPG, 50.2% FG, 83.1% FT
Playoffs: 93 games, 16 PPG, 5 RPG, 3.4 APG, 1.1 SPG, 0.4 BPG, 47.5% FG, 81.1% FT
Accolades: 2x Defensive Player of the Year (1983 – 84), All-NBA 1st Team (1983), 4x All-NBA 2nd Team (1982, 1984 – 86), 4x All-Defensive 1st Team (1983 – 86), All-Defensive 2nd Team (1982), 5x All-Star (1982 – 86), AP All-America 1st Team (1979)

Looking just at the total career numbers, Sidney Moncrief appeared to be nothing more than an above average shooting guard in the NBA. But when you zoom in on a 5-year period (1982-1986), you’ll see a player who made the All-Star, All-NBA and All-Defensive teams every year and garnered two Defensive Player of the Year awards.  During this peak, Moncrief averaged 21 points, 5.8 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 1.5 steals a game as his team, the Milwaukee Bucks, averaged 54 wins, clinched the Central Division title each season and made the Eastern Conference Finals three times. His coach at the time, Don Nelson described Sid the Squid best: “Nothing stands out with Sidney, and everything does. It’s not one minute, it’s 48. It’s not one play, it’s every play.”

Moncrief was born in Little Rock, Arkansas and may very well be the most popular athlete in the state’s history. Speaking with Sports Illustrated in the mid-1980s, Arkansas Democrat editor John Robert called Sidney “the most beloved athlete in the history of Arkansas,” and declared that he “has done more for race relations in this state than anyone in the last 20 years.” Then-Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton even quipped, “the only comfort I can take in having the smallest governor’s salary in the nation is that it might stop Sidney Moncrief from running against me.” Moncrief brought a state together through his stellar play at the University of Arkansas. During his senior year, 1979, Moncrief brought the Razorbacks all the way to the Final Four meeting with Indiana State University and its star, Larry Bird.

Larry Legend burned the Razorbacks for 25 points in the game’s first 27 minutes when Arkansas head coach Eddie Sutton decided to unleash the Squid on Bird, despite Moncrief giving up several inches in height. What Sidney lacked in physical stature, he made up with tenacity and speed holding Bird to just 6 points for the rest of the contest. Nevertheless, Arkansas lost the game by 2 points as Bird’s team moved on to face Magic Johnson’s Michigan State Spartans. This wouldn’t be the last time Moncrief would be denied a championship appearance by the Hick from French Lick.

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Hall of Fame Snubs: Bobby Dandridge

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Editor’s Note: this article originally appeared April 5, 2011 at Nepean Funk

Bob Dandridge (1970 – 1982)
Regular Season: 18.5 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 3.4 APG, 1.3 SPG, 0.6 BPG, 48.4% FG, 78% FT
Playoffs: 20.1 PPG, 7.7 RPG, 3.7 APG, 1.2 SPG, 0.7 BPG, 48% FG, 76.1% FT
Accolades: 2nd Team All-NBA (1979), 1st Team All-Defensive (1979), 1st Team All-Rookie (1970), 4 ASGs (1973, 1975-76, 1979), 2 NBA Championships (1971, 1978)

Some of Hall of Fame snubs are well-known travesties or controversies, but others are merely swept under the rug and forgotten. Bob Dandridge is a player who definitely falls into the second category as he was one of the best small forwards of the 1970s. It’s understandable that people years removed from Dandridge’s heyday don’t appreciate his game, but even during his prime he wasn’t quite recognized making only one All-NBA and one All-Defensive team, both in 1979 at the tail end of his career. Perhaps they were recognition that Bob “the Greyhound” had been unjustly overlooked his entire career despite his efficient offense and stifling defense.

Born in Richmond, Virginia, Dandridge would attend Norfolk State University for his collegiate basketball career. During his 3 varsity seasons, Dandridge would dramatically increase his scoring average from 17.4 to 25.5 to 32.3 all while shooting a remarkable 57.8% from the field. He also gobbled up 13 rpg for his college career. Despite such breathtaking numbers, Dandridge fell to the 4th Round of the 1969 NBA Draft where the Milwaukee Bucks selected him with the 45th overall pick. The Bucks also commanded the #1 overall pick in that same draft thanks to their league-worst 27 wins in 1969, which was also their inaugural season. They naturally selected Lew Alcindor (a.k.a. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar).

Loaded with two outstanding rookies, the Bucks surged to a 56-26 record during the regular season and in the Eastern Conference Finals lost in 5 games to the eventual champs, the New York Knicks. In the 1970 offseason, Milwaukee pulled off a dramatic trade sending starting PG Flynn Robinson to the Cincinnati Royals for the disgruntled Oscar Robertson. Now with a triumvirate for the ages, Milwaukee promptly responded by winning 66 games in 1971 and demolishing the Warriors, Lakers and Bullets on their way to a 12-2 postseason record and the championship.

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Hall of Fame Snubs: Spencer Haywood

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Spencer Haywood (1970 – 1983)

Regular Season: 20.3 PPG, 10.3 RPG, 1.8 APG, 0.6 SPG, 1.1 BPG, 46.9% FG, 79.6% FT
Playoffs: 19.6 PPG, 9.4 RPG, 1.8 APG, 0.4 SPG, 1.1 BPG, 47.9% FG, 80.6% FT
Accolades (ABA): MVP (1970), Rookie of the Year (1970), All-ABA 1st Team (1970), All-Star (1970)
Accolades (NBA): 2x All-NBA 1st Team (1972-73), 2x All-NBA 2nd Team (1974-75), 4x All-Star (1972-75)

Spencer Haywood was an offensive terror on the court as an agile, explosive power forward who could also fill in at center for a spell. In his lone season at the University of Detroit, Haywood delivered an astonishing 32 points and 22 rebounds per game on 56.7% shooting from the field on his way to the AP All-America 1st Team. The next year in his lone ABA season he nearly replicated his collegiate performance with 30 points and 19.5 rebounds per game. His phenomenal one-and-done stints in college and the ABA were a result of his on-court talent and courtroom legal battles.

Haywood challenged the NBA’s rule that draft entrants needed to be four years removed from their high school graduating class. The ABA provided a nice stopgap for Haywood where his stellar performance for the Denver Rockets garnered him both, the MVP and Rookie of the Year, awards. However, Haywood’s ABA contract turned out to be a byzantine affair and is best summed up by David Friedman.

In the meantime, the NBA acquiesced to Haywood’s suit (which eventually went to the Supreme Court) and allowed “underclassmen with financial hardship” to enter the league. Haywood was off to the Pacific Northwest and the Seattle SuperSonics. In his abbreviated first season (33 games), Haywood managed 20 PPG and 12 RPG. The following four seasons, Haywood would hit his stride and produce the best seasons of his NBA career peaking in 1973 with 29 PPG and 13 RPG. During this run, he made the all-star team each season (starting three times) and would be selected to the All-NBA 1st and 2nd teams (twice a piece).

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