![]() Van Gundy brings up another point so many have broached: the ambiguity of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. The Naismith Hall of Fame has no accountability It’s impossible to speak of the guards of his era, like Gary Payton, John Stockton and later, Jason Kidd, and not include Hardaway in that class. People still trying to do the UTEP Two-Step or killer crossover." Take something you had and add it to their repertoire. “A lot of us took it from Isiah and we passed it onto these guys. “I took my game from Isiah ,” Hardaway said. Hardaway sees Kyrie Irving and Kemba Walker as players similar in terms of skill - especially Walker because they’re both the same size. And his step-back jumper was just as dangerous. ![]() At barely 6 feet tall, his “killer crossover” got defenders off him as he got into the lane, where he was among the best finishers for his size. Hardaway’s game was smooth during the clutch-and-hold ’90s, when hand-checking was legal. The former UTEP star’s best season was perhaps 1991-92, when he averaged 23.4 points, 10 assists and two steals with 46.1/33.8/76.7 splits. Hardaway’s career averages of 17.7 points and 8.2 assists factor in his final three stops in Dallas, Denver and Indiana, when his knees finally gave out. It’s a common sense question without a common sense answer. How does Tim Hardaway not get in the Hall of Fame? If those guys are the standard, then how is Tim Hardaway not a Hall of Famer?” But who you put in the Hall of Fame sets the standard for who a Hall of Famer is. I mean, I’m not trying to disparage anyone else who’s in there. “So many of them, Tim’s either clearly better than or right there with,” Van Gundy said. While Miami Heat center Alonzo Mourning (L) was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2014, Tim Hardaway (R) is still waiting for the call. Van Gundy easily rattles off names of guards who’ve gotten in since 2000: Guy Rodgers, Mo Cheeks, Jo Jo White, Joe Dumars, Paul Westphal, Sidney Moncrief and even Reggie Miller. I’m not saying those other guys don’t belong there, they do. A lot of people would tell you in Golden State, Richmond and Mullin got in, and numerous basketball people tell me Tim was their best player. "Alonzo got in the Hall and that’s great, but Tim was our best player. Van Gundy was an assistant under Pat Riley in Miami when Hardaway was there, and when Van Gundy took the Detroit Pistons job in 2014, he brought Hardaway on as an assistant coach. That’s being the best of the best for long periods of time and that’s generally what they look at. Five times, All-NBA? Top 15 in the NBA and for Tim, top 10? That’s really high-level stuff. “There’s a few guys who haven’t gotten in yet but will get in … but the only guys who haven’t gotten in are Tim, Ben Wallace and Kevin Johnson. “It doesn’t make a lot of sense,” Stan Van Gundy told Yahoo Sports. He was a five-time All-Star, making the All-NBA Second Team three times, and the first and third teams once each. Then later as the Miami Heat point guard, he transitioned his game following an ACL injury and still was just as feared and lethal during a time when point guard competition was abundant. There were few peers who could mess with Hardaway on the floor, first with Golden State as a member of the iconic “Run-TMC” crew, featuring himself, Mitch Richmond and Chris Mullin. (Harry How/Allsport) Stan Van Gundy: ‘Tim was our best player’ Tim Hardaway averaged 17.7 points and 8.2 assists during his NBA career. If you're confident in yourself, nobody can mess with you.” I told them, you gotta be confident in yourself. “I tell these kids, don't worry about these bullies. At the time, I didn't know that,” Hardaway said. “People say bad things, throw rocks at them. As open as times are now, they weren’t that way as recently as 15 years ago. If there’s a positive that’s come from this, it’s his own education. If you need me, you can talk to me anytime.” What I said is what I said, but it was some stupid stuff. “But I had to come to them and tell them I know what you're going through and you can trust in me. “I go to centers, talk to kids all the time that want to commit suicide,” Hardaway said, remarking he had two transgender family members who were initially reluctant to approach him about it. But just as he dove headfirst into his love of the game and even in his coaching career, he took the same approach following his hurtful words. And then playing in the masculine environment of the NBA didn’t leave much time for enlightenment. Having grown up in the early 1980s on the South Side of Chicago, conversations about different sexualities were taboo. Hardaway’s education on the LGBTQ community
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |