There are 265 individuals and five teams that can call the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame home. Located in Springfield, Mass., the birthplace of basketball, the Hall of Fame's mission is to honor players who have shown exceptional skill at the game, all-time great coaches, referees and other major contributors to basketball.
Earlier this month, the Hall of Fame Class of 2008 was announced, headlined by two of the NBA's all-time best big men in Hakeem Olajuwon and Patrick Ewing. A total of seven individuals were inducted after they received the minimum 18 of 24 votes from the Honors Committee.
One person who did not meet the requirements, however, was Chicago's own Johnny "Red" Kerr. On the Hall of Fame ballot of finalists for the fourth time (2004, 2005, 2006), Kerr was once again denied admission despite dedicating more than 60 years of his life to basketball.
But does our beloved redhead really deserve to be remembered as a Hall of Famer, or does he keep getting the short end of the stick?
In his 60 years in association with basketball, Kerr has served as a player, coach, executive and broadcaster. He's a three-time NBA All Star (1956, 1959, 1963) and a member of the 1955 NBA champion Syracuse Nationals. In his 12-year playing career that included one of the longest consecutive-game streaks in NBA history (844), Kerr averaged 13.8 points and 11.2 rebounds per game.
After his playing days were over, Kerr went on to become the coach of the Chicago Bulls during their 1966-67 inaugural season where he earned the NBA Coach of the Year that same season. As of today, he is the only coach in NBA history to lead an expansion team to the playoffs in their first season with a 33-48 record.
Despite his early basketball achievements, Kerr has also served as the color commentator for the Bulls organization since 1975, providing viewers classic quotes such as "He had three guys double-teaming him."
With that kind of basketball knowledge, it's no surprise he has been denied four of the last five years.
In Kerr's defense, however, I just can't help but notice the inconsistency of the Honors Committee since the Hall of Fame was established in 1959. Along with Olajuwon and Ewing, broadcaster Dick Vitale was also a member of the Class of 2008 in spite of not achieving anything in the game of basketball.
A former college and NBA head coach, the only thing Vitale is known for is his annoying enthusiasm for Duke University and coach Mike Krzyzewski.
Like many college basketball coaches, the transition to the NBA was not an easy one for Vitale. After a coaching stint with Detroit University, he became the coach of the Detroit Pistons for the 1978-79 season, leading them to 30-52 record. He was fired the next year after just 12 games.
Vitale was inducted into the Hall of Fame as a contributor to the sport, but the only things he has contributed are the catchphrases "diaper dandy," "super scintillating sensational," and "It's awesome, baby! With a capital A!"
It's hard for me to see how Vitale's contributions merit a spot in the Hall of Fame and not Kerr's.
To make matters worse, 13 referees are currently sitting in the Hall of Fame as well. I'm 100 percent positive that there is no argument that can persuade me to believe that a referee deserves to take up space in Springfield, Mass. Marvin Rudolph, the latest NBA referee to be inducted, was the first ref to officiate more than 2,000 NBA games. Great. Let's give him a round of applause. But to reward the guy by giving him the sport's most prestigious honor for simply doing his job is ridiculous.
What makes one ref better than the other? Yes, some have more experience, but they all get taught in referee school what a charge, travel and block are. It takes common sense to referee a game, not talent.
If I was in charge of the Honors Committee, more than half of the individuals in the Hall of Fame would get the boot. Calvin Murphy - sorry. Cheryl Miller - good-bye. Harry Gallatin - adios. That's not to say, however, that these players aren't talented. I understand that they've put in a lot of time, effort, commitment and all that other good stuff, but the Hall of Fame should be reserved for only the greats - the Michael Jordans, the Magic Johnsons, the Larry Birds - that don't come around too often.
Many have been the Naismith Player of the Year, the All-American at their respective colleges or an All-Star in the NBA, but only a few have won six World Championships, won an NBA Finals MVP as a rookie and rejuvenated the NBA when it needed it the most.
With players nowadays scoring 81 points and becoming legitimate triple-double threats, the Honors Committee needs to buckle down and raise its standards for the basketball Hall of Fame.
So sorry, Kerr, you wouldn't get into my Hall of Fame, but if it makes you feel any better, you'd definitely get more votes than Mr. Dicky V.
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