Why Not Jamison?

Last month, the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame released its list of eligible candidates for the 2019 enshrinement class. The list features men and women players and coaches in addition to early African-American pioneers and other contributors such as writers, broadcasters and referees. 

By all accounts, this year's list of NBA players eligible for election into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame is thin. Like really thin. Like someone who maybe wouldn't make it into the Hall in a normal year might make it in just because there's nobody else to elect. Maybe so thin that two or even three of those types of players might make it in.

Last year's class was pretty darned good. Steve Nash and Jason Kidd headlined the NBA players version of the 2018 class with Ray Allen, Grant Hill and Maurice Cheeks joining the two headliners as maybe less automatic choices (although Allen was in his first year of eligibility just like Nash and Kidd). Next year's class is strong: Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett. If you are a fringe candidate, this is the year to get in. 

So who is among the players who might squeak in this year? How about Marcus Camby? Or Richard Hamilton? Or even Dale Ellis? Maybe Ben Wallace? What about Chauncey Billups or Mark Aguirre? Yep, all those folks are on the Hall's list this year. 

One name not on the list is Antawn Jamison. I'm asking why not? Did all those guys really have better careers than Jamison? I say no. I say AJ got snubbed here.

Now, before we go getting upset about Marcus Camby giving an enshrinement speech this September, there are other former finalists on the list (this list is not a list of finalists; that reduced list gets announced on All-Star weekend) who are more likely to make the Hall than any of the name written a couple of paragraphs ago. I could argue that Jamison is maybe more likely to make it in than some of those guys and I will. Read on.

When looking for serious contenders for the Hall this year, I think we have to look at four former finalists: Chris Webber, Sidney Moncrief, Tim Hardaway and Kevin Johnson. For me, Webber is in. Maybe I'm biased because he and I attended the same University but he was a five time All-Star, a five time All-NBA player, the Rookie of the Year and the best player on a Sacramento Kings team that should have made the Finals but didn't in a place where no team really before or after C-Webb in recent memory was any damn good. I say this is Webber's year.

I'm also not sure why Sidney Moncrief isn't already in the Hall of Fame. Like Webber, Moncrief was a five time All-Star and a five time All-NBA player during his time in Milwaukee. He also made the NBA All-Defense team five times (including the first time four times) and was voted the Defensive Player of the Year twice. How is that not a Hall of Fame resume?

As far as All-Star appearances and All-NBA appearances go, Webber and Moncrief kill Jamison, who had zero All-NBA nods and just two All-Star appearances. They also boast similar college accomplishments with Webber taking Michigan to two NCAA Final Four appearances like Jamison and Moncrief taking Arkansas there once in 1978. Who cares about college? Remember it's the Basketball Hall of Fame, not the Pro Basketball Hall of Fame. Jamison won the Naismith and Wooden Awards as the most outstanding player in his final year at North Carolina, something Webber and Moncrief did not do, for what that's worth.

Hardaway and Johnson do not have the colleges resumes of Webber, Moncrief or Jamison. They do probably have more accomplished NBA careers. Both earned five All-NBA team appearances and made more All-Star games than AJ. Johnson also made an NBA Finals appearance with the Phoenix Suns in 1993. Neither, though, has a Sixth Man Award (Jamison does) and both have baggage, Johnson having been accused of sexual misconduct in his capacity of mayor of Sacramento and Hardaway having declared on radio "I hate gay people" in 2007. What do these have to do with their impact on the game of basketball? Absolutely nothing. But they may keep both out of the Hall.

So...about those other guys listed above.

Marcus Camby: NBA Defensive Player of the Year; zero All-Star appearances; got the University of Massachusetts to the Final Four.

Richard Hamilton: NBA Champion; 3x All-Star; NCAA Champion.

Dale Ellis: 1x All-Star, 1x All-NBA Third Team; Most Improved Player.

Ben Wallace: NBA Champion; 4x All-Star; 5x All-NBA; 4x Defensive Player of the Year.

Chauncey Billups: NBA Champion; 4x All-Star; 3x All-NBA.

Mark Aguirre: 2x NBA Champion; 3x All-Star; Naismith College Player of the Year.

How is Jamison, with his college resume and his two All-Star appearances and his Sixth Man of the Year not a better candidate than all of these guys. Sure, everyone except Camby and Ellis (I mean how is AJ not on the list before those two?) has more All-Star appearances but I say all of these guys and Kevin Johnson and Tim Hardaway don't deserve greater consideration than Antawn Jamison for two reasons.

First, All-Star appearances are deceiving as an honor because they are often bestowed upon players who play on successful teams. Think Chauncey Billups or Ben Wallace would have made the All-Star team multiple times if they had played for the early 2000s Atlanta Hawks? Or Johnson's three appearances weren't helped by the Suns making the playoffs for 12 straight years? Go down the list and with the exception of Camby and Ellis you'll find team success. Team success leads to All-Star appearances. Jamison made the playoffs seven years but only once on three of those teams. In his four playoff years with the Wizards, he was an All-Star twice.

Second, nobody that I've argued for or against in this post (including Webber and Moncrief) has scored as many points as Antawn Jamison. Everyone eligible for the Hall of Fame who has scored as many points (20,042) as AJ is in the Hall of Fame except for Tom Chambers and Chambers only scored seven more total points than Jamison. I realize points are not the only responsibility of an NBA player but they count for something in a big way. They likely made the difference a guy like Mitch Richmond and he only scored about 450 more than Antawn.

I get that Antawn is not a sure fire Hall of Famer. But does he deserve to be on the list this year given some of the guys on the ballot? I think so. And if the court of public opinion went against Johnson and Hardaway...who knows? But at the very least, he deserves some consideration. There's one thing for sure and that's he's not making it next year. No way. Even if he makes the ballot.