Seems like team wreckers who will never smell a championship like Iverson, according to most, are a lock while players like Dennis Johnson, Robert Horry, Rodman, Salley, and to a fringe degree, Wallace, who always seem to be around championship teams, are left off....Speaks to what a collossal joke the hall of fame is...The NBA hall of fame is like the nobel peace prize of sports.
Isn't this about championships?
The problem is, you need to be more than just a guy who happen to get a bunch of rings.
Now, don't get me wrong, I think Dennis Johnson should be there, because he was a tremendous basketball player, one of the best defensive guards of his time, as well as a MAJOR piece of several championships. And Rodman was also arguably the best rebounder of his generation, as well as one of the best defenders, who again was a major part of the championships.
John Salley and Robert Horry on the other hand were both role players who happened to be in the right place in the right time. You could have replaced them with dozens of other average players, and it wouldn't have changed the outcome of those championship teams.
With Wallace, it is a tougher call though. He was a much better player than Horry and Sally, and he was arguably the best player on a championship team. He has been an All Star multiple times. I would even argue that when he was on Portland, before it went downhill, he was one of the top 5-10 players in the game.
I think if Wallace does win a couple more championships, he will have to get a lot of consideration for the Hall. Unfortunately, his reputation as a trouble-maker may make it tough for him to get the votes, but in my mind, he is deserving.