The 2013 Basketball Hall of Fame class will be a particularly interesting one for Bay Area hoops fans.
Here are a couple of the intriguing names that will spark some debate, courtesy of Scott Howard-Cooper's column on NBA.com.
At the bottom of this page, leave your thoughts on these players (and others) and whether you think they deserve to get into Springfield.
Mark Jackson: The greatest of the debates. Jackson won Rookie of the Year and was on the All-Rookie team, then never made any of the three All-NBA teams in the next 16 seasons and was an All-Star just once. But he was a point guard who retired with the second-most assists in league history, before Jason Kidd later took over No. 2 behind John Stockton. An all-time standing in the telling category for a distributor has to count for something at some stage.
Tim Hardaway: He was a better all-around talent than Jackson at the same position, made an All-NBA team five times, the All-Star team another five, and won gold in the Olympics and World Championships. Hardaway could be a big-time scorer, even on teams in Golden State and Miami with other stars, as well as a talented playmaker.
Mitch Richmond: Rchmond averaged at least 21 points his first 10 seasons, with good teams (Golden State) and bad (Sacramento). In the ultimate sign of his standing as a feared opponent, he was selected to six All-Star games while playing for the Kings, or despite playing for the Kings. Richmond was Second or Third Team All-NBA five times in a time of Jordan, John Stockton, Payton and Hardaway.
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