Why . . . Mitch Richmond is a Hall of Famer

Being the obvious and only choice for the completely imaginary "Best Shooting Guard of the 1990's" award, Michael Jordan and his exploits have, for obvious reasons, dwarfed the accomplishments of some of the other greats who played the position during that decade. Indeed, despite Clyde Drexler's all-around brillance, Reggie Miller's playoff heroics, and Joe Dumars' cerebral play, Jordan's singular dominance has almost rendered the debate over who was the second-best two-guard of that era immaterial; what, after all, would be the point of arguing who was the next best after Leviathan?

At least, however, Drexler, Dumars, and Miller have received proper recognition for their otherwise oustanding careers. The former two have already been honored by the Hall of Fame, and the latter will undoubtedly be enshrined on the first ballot. The same cannot be said for Mitch Richmond, whose career has essentially been forgotten by fans and journalists alike. We all remember Drexler's spectacular dunks and layups, and Miller's game-winning shots, and Dumars' lockdown defense, but few recall the Rock's steadfast play during the entirety of the 1990's on a series of execrable, pre-Chris Webber Kings' squads.

Indeed, the biggest knock on Richmond's career is that he played for bad-to-mediocre teams for the majority of his time in the league. And this is inarguable; he appeared in the postseason only four times and played in a grand total of twenty-three playoff games (though he did win a ring as a bench-warmer for the Lakers in '02). At the same time, Richmond continuously earned the respect of his peers during his playing days, and was regarded by one guy in particular to be one of the most underrated players in the league (fast-forward to the 43-second mark):



The praise Richmond received was mirrored by the accolades he garnered: he was selected to five All-NBA teams (3x Second Team, 2x Third Team), six All-Star Games, won the All-Star Game MVP in 1995, and was Rookie of the Year in 1989. His resume compares favorably to that of Hall-of-Famer Dave Bing (3x All-NBA, 7x All-Star, '76 ASG MVP, '67 ROY, 31 total playoff games) and Miller (3x All-NBA, 5x All-Star, 144 playoff games with better teams), and his career point total (20,497) is good for 34th all-time (25th all-time at the time of his retirement in 2002). Indeed, so prolific was he that he finished the 1990's as the fifth-leading scorer of the decade (ahead of Hakeem Olajuwon, Miller, Charles Barkley, and Scottie Pippen), and the second-leading scorer among guards (behind only Jordan).

If he had never been traded by the Warriors, or if he had been dealt to the Knicks, Jazz, or another contender seeking a shooting-guard to counter MJ in the late 90's, we'd undoubtedly remember Mitch Richmond as one of the better players of his generation. Though he never enjoyed the postseason success that Drexler, Miller, or Dumars did, his numbers and acclaim are proof that his lack of team success was not the result of substandard play or poor leadership, but rather of misfortune and poor managerial decisions.

Seriously, you know a guy's been screwed over when he's forced to spend his prime years relying upon Brian Grant and Lionel Simmons for support.

Why . . . Grant Hill is a Future Hall of Famer

In a preview piece written before the start of the 2001 season, Sports Illustrated's Ian Thomsen wrote of the Orlando Magic: "Though the Magic (are) by no means a title contender this year, (they) will be among the elite teams in the Eastern Conference. With nine first-round picks over the next five years, and with the city of Orlando an ever-attractive destination for free agents, the Magic (are) in excellent shape to gradually add the muscle needed to go all the way." While the rest of SI's staff begged to differ (they picked Orlando to finish first in the East and ultimately lose to the Blazers in the Finals), there was no debate that the Magic's addition of the newly-formed super-duo of Grant Hill (coming off a season in which he'd averaged 25-6-5 and dragged a sub-standard team to a playoff appearance) and a very-young Tracy McGrady would elevate the franchise to new heights in the succeeding years.

Beyond the misfortunes which ultimately undermined those dreams, and beyond the obvious and, quite frankly, spooky parallels between the Magic's situation in the summer of 2000 and the Heat's in 2010 (right down to the addition of Mike Miller and the vociferous criticisms launched against a superstar small-forward for leaving an economically-depressed Midwestern city for the Sunshine State), perhaps the most under-appreciated aspect of the failures of the Magic to capitalize on their luck and guile was the damage inflicted upon the public and media perceptions of Grant Hill's career. Leading into the 2001 season, Hill was widely-considered to be one of the best all-around players in the game, whose stellar play had (unfortunately, and seemingly inevitably) inspired writers and fans to draw comparisons to that of Michael Jordan; following the conclusion of the 2004 season, Hill had, due to an assortment of injuries, been able to participate in only 47 out of a possible 328 games since joining Orlando. Coupled with the meteoric rise of Tracy McGrady, Hill was all-but forgotten and his legacy seemed to be forever tarnished by unfulfilled expectations.

And unjustly so, I might add. While there are undoubtedly many who would balk at the suggestion that his career is Hall-of-Fame worthy, I have to remind my imaginary skeptics that Hill's career before joining the Magic ten years ago was in-and-of itself enough to garner that distinction. In his first six years, Hill averaged 21.5 ppg, 7.9 rpg, and 6.3 apg on 47% shooting, numbers which compare favorably to those posted by LeBron James (27.8 ppg (though he averaged four more shots a game than Hill), 7 rpg,  and 7 apg on 47% shooting) and Scottie Pippen (16.9 ppg, 6.8 rpg, and 5.2 apg on 49% shooting) in the first six seasons of their respective careers. He was also selected  to five All-NBA teams (1x First Team, 4x Second Team) and five All-Star games, and finished third in MVP voting in 1997 after averaging 21 ppg, 9 rpg, and 7 apg on 49% shooting and leading the Pistons to fifty-four victories (their best win total since 1990).

Of course, one cannot simply dismiss the impact Hill's injuries had on his career; they undoubtedly robbed him of his prime years, and submarined any chance the Magic had at contending for a title in the first half of the 2000's. However, the true extent of the damage to his abilities has been somewhat overstated over the last few years; after all, despite being beleaguered by health issues in five out of six seasons in the 2001-2006 stretch, Hill was able to return briefly to form in 2005 (averaging 19 ppg on 50% shooting and making the All-Star team), and has from 2007-2010 (a period in which he has only missed twenty-seven games) reinvented himself into an extremely effective role player on playoff teams in both Orlando and Phoenix. Indeed, this past post-season saw Hill assume the duties of a defensive ace for the Suns in their unexpected run to the Conference Finals, and come up with plays like this (at the age of thirty-seven, no less):



While he is obviously no longer the player he was, his ability to remain effective despite his history of injuries and his age is a testament to his overall talents. Tempting as it is to wonder what could or should have been, Grant Hill's legacy as it stands now is one which is both inspiring and worthy of the highest recognition; one hopes that writers, fans, and media personalities will remember this when he becomes eligible for the Hall of Fame.