The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is a little different than other Hall of Fames, as it covers all of basketball and not just the pros. Even so, there are players who should be in the Hall of Fame, but were left out. There are also players who are in, who likely shouldn’t be. Here are five players who should not be in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
Dave Bing
Bing played in the fast-paced era of the 1960s and the 1970s and benefitted from it. He played for 12 seasons with the Pistons, Bullets and Celtics. While he had a good career, it may not be Hall of Fame-worthy based on other players who have been left out.
He was a seven-time All-Star and was Rookie of the Year in 1966-1967. Bing averaged 20.3 points and 6.0 assists per game, but not all players with similar stat lines have been elected to the Hall of Fame. His teams also had trouble finding postseason success, which is a knock on his case.
Lou Hudson had similar stats at 20.2 points per game. Hudson had fewer assists, but more rebounds than Bing. While they have similar stats, Hudson’s teams had more success in the postseason. Hudson should likely be in the Hall of Fame, while Bing should likely be out.
Frank Ramsey
Ramsey was a member of some legendary Celtics’ teams in the 1950s and 1960s. He played nine seasons with the Celtics as their sixth man, missing one season to serve in the military. While he was a part of a lot of great teams, it does not mean he should be in the Hall of Fame.
In his career, Ramsey averaged just 13.4 points and 5.5 rebounds per game. Ramsey was more comfortable coming off the bench for the Celtics, which likely hurt how much he could’ve produced. His seven championships are impressive, but those alone shouldn’t be a reason to get in the Hall of Fame.
Most of the time Hall of Famers get in because they have a good, long career or they have a few years where they are exceptional. Ramsey had only nine seasons, but he wasn’t an elite player in the league at the time.
Bill Bradley
The Knicks had Bradley for 10 seasons and they won two championships in that span. He didn’t play for anyone else in his career and deserves credit for helping the Knick win some championships, but him being in the Hall of Fame is a little head-scratching.
Bradley averaged 12.4 points, 3.2 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game in his career. His best season was in 1972-1973, when he averaged 16.1 points per game, made his only All-Star team and helped the Knicks win the NBA Championship. While he had a solid career, there are better players who were left out of the Hall of Fame.
Winning championships does mean something to a Hall of Fame case, but scoring just 12.4 points per game for a career should be a qualifier to keep players out (unless they lead in some other big statistical category).
Arvydas Sabonis
Sabonis is the father of current Indiana Pacer Domantas Sabonis and had a nice career himself in the 1990s and early 2000s. He played seven seasons in the NBA for the Portland Trail Blazers and didn’t start his career in the NBA until he was 31.
He scored 12.0 points and brought down 7.3 rebounds per game. Sabonis was a key member of some competitive teams in the Western Conference, but they were never able to win the NBA Finals with him as a member of the roster. He also was never able to make an All-Star team.
It is a decent career and Sabonis also played internationally before his time in the NBA, but his resume doesn’t add up to make him a Hall of Famer. He should still be remembered for his unique style of play, there are just more deserving players who were left out of the Hall of Fame.
Drazen Petrovic
In one of the more tragic events in NBA history, Petrovic was killed in a car accident when he was just 28 years old. His career in the NBA only lasted four seasons, as he spent time with the Portland Trail Blazers and New Jersey Nets.
His time in Portland saw him come off the bench, but he blossomed with the New Jersey Nets. For his career, he averaged 15.4 points per game. He is remembered as being a great three-point shooter. There are a lot of questions of what could’ve been, but Petrovic was reportedly thinking about playing in Greece before his passing.
Petrovic is credited with being one of the trailblazers (no pun intended) who helped pave the way for more European players to enter the NBA. He should be remembered for his great seasons for the Nets, but unfortunately, fans couldn’t see what Petrovic had left to show.
You can like The Game Haus on Facebook and follow us on Twitter for more sports and esports articles from great TGH writers!