The Basketball Hall of Fame's Class of 2008 boasts several deserving members, including Patrick Ewing, Hakeem Olajuwon and Pat Riley. But somehow, someway, Dick Vitale will be entering the Hall right alongside them. While Vitale went 34-60 in his one-plus years coaching the Detroit Pistons in the late '70s early '80s, his varied one-liners and ability to use the word "baby" over 20 times in one minute apparently swayed the voters.
With Vitale getting his own bust in Springfield, the Daily gives you 10 others who should soon be sharing a spot alongside MJ, Magic and Larry.
10. Brian Scalabrine: The greatest red head since Bill Walton surely deserves a spot in the Hall. For some reason, Celtics fans think Scal is the fourth piece to the "Big Three" and he gets more cheers than anyone else at the TD Banknorth Garden. In reality, he earns his Hall spot as the biggest waste of $15 million ever.
9. Stephen A. Smith: Stephen A. is most well-known for yelling a lot. Apparently, some of it concerns basketball. If Dickie V can make it, however, then why not Stephen A.?
8. Isiah Thomas: Sure he is a Hall of Fame player, but what about as a coach? Or as an executive? Surely, if he can't get to Springfield for ruining the Knicks at the very least he can make it for his work with the CBA - you know, the entire league he ran into the ground.
7. Chris Andersen: There have been some pretty memorable moments in NBA Dunk Contest history. While Dee Brown pumped up his Reeboks and Vince Carter hung from the rim by his elbow, Anderson topped them all in the 2005 contest. The "Birdman" missed his first eight tries on one dunk, then five on the second in a display that is impossible to duplicate. Hall worthy indeed.
6. Mark Madsen: The Stanford grad might rival Scalabrine for the king of benchwarming, but he is a Hall of Famer for another reason: his dance skills. His legendary moves were on display when the Lakers won back-to-back titles in 2001 and 2002, and he remains the benchmark for all other NBA players who hope to wind up on Dancing with the Stars.
5. Shawn Kemp: The Reign Man set the standard for every other NBA player by fathering 13 out-of-wedlock children with nine different women.
4. The 2000 draft class: The first draft of the new millennium featured such names as No. 1 pick Kenyon Martin, Stromile Swift, Darius Miles, Marcus Fizer, DerMarr Johnson, Chris Mihm, Joel Pryzbilla - and that's just in the top 10. When the saving grace of the draft is Mike Miller, you know it's bad.
3. Chris Wallace: The current general manager of Grizzlies helped build up the Los Angeles Lakers into a new dynasty by giving away Pau Gasol for a bag of peanuts. He also helped destroy the Celtics by trading for an alcoholic with a max contract in Vin Baker. When you have that much impact on the two most storied franchises in the game, you deserve recognition.
2. Gheorghe Muresan: The Romanian sensation was the tallest NBA player ever at 7-foot-7. More notably however, and the reason for his Hall of Fame inclusion, is his powerful, uplifting performance in the Billy Crystal classic "My Giant."
1. Darko Milicic and Nikoloz Tskitishvili: These two single handedly ended the hopes of every other tall, white European who dreamed of playing in the NBA.
