Contrary to popular belief, you can make an argument that Reggie Miller isn't a Hall-of-Famer. He only made the All-NBA Team three times, never cracking the First or Second teams. Reggie only finished in the MVP voting twice (16th in 1997-98 and 13th in 1999-00). He was a one-trick pony as a scorer, and provided little else (3.0 rpg, 3.0 apg, 1.1 spg career). For being just a scorer, his career average of 18.2 ppg was respectable, but not on-par with the elites. Miller may rank 2nd all-time in three-pointers made, but he's just 17th in three-pointers made per game (1.8). You can poke holes in that resume.
However, there are other aspects of Reggie Miller's career that goes beyond numbers. He carried the Indiana Pacers' franchise for almost two decades. During his tenure, the Pacers saw an unprecedented run of success that included an Eastern Conference Championship (2000), and six trips to the Conference Finals (1994, 1995, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2004). Reggie had the ability to raise his game when it mattered most - something that separates the greats from the very goods. His 20.6 ppg in the Playoffs is almost 2 1/2 points per game better than his regular season average. Those numbers are even better when you take out his final three postseason appearances (2002-05) when he had become more of a role player and emotional leader than the go-to-guy. When in his prime, Miller was a 23.5 ppg Playoff scorer.
Reggie Miller's Playoff moments have been forever etched into NBA lore. The 25-point fourth quarter in the 1994 Eastern Conference Finals, the eight points in nine seconds in the 1995 East Semis, the game-winner to beat Jordan's Bulls in Game 4 of the 1998 East Finals, the epic finish to the decisive Game 5 against New Jersey in 2002, etc. The list goes on forever. I don't think the lack of a postseason resume should hurt a player, but I do think that it should help. He's one of the great clutch players in league history.
But, forget all of that.
We're not supposed to be arguing whether or not Reggie Miller is a Hall-of-Famer. What makes Friday's news a travesty isn't that Reggie Miller isn't in the Hall-of-Fame. It's that he wasn't even a FINALIST.
When this year's class was announced, most believed the Reggie would be the marquee name. No offense to Chris Mullin or Dennis Rodman, but neither of those players were better than Reggie Miller. And, there's no debate that Maurice Cheeks, Jamaal Wilkes, and Ralph Sampson weren't even on Reggie's level.
Here are a few reasons why:
FEATURED PLAYER
In the case of Wilkes, Cheeks, and Rodman, all were on Championship teams, but none of those players were ever the best players on those teams. Wilkes was part of great Lakers teams that included Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and later on Magic Johnson. Cheeks played with Julius Erving, Moses Malone, Andrew Toney, and later Charles Barkley in Philadelphia. Rodman played with Isiah Thomas, Joe Dumars, David Robinson, Sean Elliott, Michael Jordan, and Scottie Pippen in stints with the Pistons, Spurs, and Bulls. There was never any question as to who the best player on the Pacers was.
STATISTICS
Chris Mullin is the candidate that is the most similar to Miller. He only made five All-Star teams (like Miller), and finished in the MVP voting twice (like Miller). He also has a identical 18.2 ppg career scoring average to Miller's. However, unlike Reggie, Mullin really only had seven seasons as a great player. He ran into injury problems in the prime of his career, and was reduced to a veteran role player in the late 1990s after he was traded from Golden State to Indiana. He's the NBA's 64th all-time leading scorer, compared to Miller being 14th on the list.
Dennis Rodman is known for being a great rebounder and defender. Helping Rodman's case are his eight nominations to the NBA's All-Defensive Team, including being on the First Team seven times. He also won five NBA Championships as part of dynasty Detroit and Chicago teams. But, Rodman was only a two-time All-Star and never was named to an All-NBA Team. Rodman is only 11th all-time in rebounds (11,954), and 21st in rebounds per game (13.1). In 169 Playoff games, Rodman averaged a paltry 6.4 ppg and just 9.9 rpg - over three less than his career average. He was never more than the 3rd best player on any team that he ever played for. Take out the Championships, and his career isn't much better than the one Buck Williams had.
Maurice Cheeks was a good, but hardly a great player. His middling averages of 11.1 ppg and 6.7 apg (the same average as Mookie Blaylock) aren't close to Hall-of-Fame worthy. Ralph Sampson was one of the best collegiate players of all-time who never lived up to the hype as a pro mostly because of injuries. He played just 456 games in nine seasons, and really was only a premiere player for his first three years in the league. Jamaal Wilkes was a good player for about a dozen seasons, earning just three All-Star nods. If any of these three get in, then you might as well go ahead and let Stephon Marbury in, too.
If you dig a little deeper, the numbers shine for Reggie Miller. According to the stat geeks (and I use that term in a loving way) over at Basketball Prospectus, Miller's 172 career WARP (Wins Above Replacement Player) ranks 12th of all NBA players in the last thirty years. It's tops among eligible players not yet inducted into the Hall-of-Fame. He's 14th on the NBA's all-time scoring list, and everyone in the Top 30 that is eligible is already in the Hall. The only two active players ahead of Mille are Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant, who are both easy Hall choices.
For Reggie to not be included on the list of finalists is an embarrassment. Unfortunately, this could mean that Miller might have to wait longer than most Pacers' fans originally thought. I still think he will eventually get in. But, sometimes the question of "when?" as opposed to "if?" is just as hard to answer.
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