Michael Cooper was just elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame

[L.Kizzle]

I am actually shocked he made it.
No All-NBA Teams or All-Star Teams.
Made 8 All-Defensive Teams (Four each 1st and 2nd.)
One DPOY
Five championships
Avg 10 ppg only twice
Only started apparently 94 games.

[dankok8]

This is like KC Jones making it.

Would make more sense to induct guys like Kevin Johnson and Mark Price from that era who were legit stars.

[L.Kizzle]

This is like KC Jones making it.

Would make more sense to induct guys like Kevin Johnson and Mark Price from that era who were legit stars.

Well with KC, everyone better than him on those Celtics teams are in. Norm Nixon and Byron Scott need to be in now.

[1987_Lakers]

This makes me think Iggy will get in as well. Both played similar roles on championship teams, but Iggy was better in his prime.

[rawimpact]

waters down the cohort.

[ImKobe]

Damn. Coop's a legend but this opens the door for so many other role players who won a bunch of chips. Horry's gotta be in there soon as well then.

[Kblaze8855]

I thought maybe as an overall contributor since he has 5 rings and coached 2 wnba champions early in the league but I’m surprised as a player. Pretty much is a kc jones thing only KC has nba coaching rings and ncaa titles(also won with Russell).

[ArbitraryWater]

losing its meaning

[hiphopanonymous]

We DONE with the 80s

[SaltyMeatballs]

The bar to get into the basketball HOF is very low compared to other sports

[1987_Lakers]

The bar to get into the basketball HOF is very low compared to other sports

I think it has to do with less players overall compared to other sports. So lesser talent get in.

In football you have like 55 players on a roster.

[SouBeachTalents]

The basketball HOF is a fvcking joke.

[RRR3]

This is the equivalent of Marcus Smart getting in. Absurd.

[SaltyMeatballs]

I think it has to do with less players overall compared to other sports. So lesser talent get in.

In football you have like 55 players on a roster.

It's one of the reasons for sure but there are several guys in the basketball HOF who shouldn't even be in there. There are so many mid players in the HOF who are only in because they were on the right team surrounded by immense talent and won some accolades as a result

[L.Kizzle]

It's one of the reasons for sure but there are several guys in the basketball HOF who shouldn't even be in there. There are so many mid players in the HOF who are only in because they were on the right team surrounded by immense talent and won some accolades as a result

I wouldn't say so many, but in the past 5 or so years you have Jack Sikma, Tim Hardaway, Bob Dandridge, etc making it.
The committee has definitely changed.

[sdot_thadon]

If it takes you 20 years to get in, you're probably not supposed to be there.

[L.Kizzle]

Bill Laimbeer was also nominated. I'm sure most would say Laimbeer in that same era was better?

[Real Men Wear Green]

He had a great resume...as a WNBA coach. Two time champion and one coach of the year. By itself his WNBA career could put him in the hall. I don't know under what category he made the Hall but he would qualify as a coach if not as an overall contributor.

[L.Kizzle]

He had a great resume...as a WNBA coach. Two time champion and one coach of the year. By itself his WNBA career could put him in the hall. I don't know under what category he made the Hall but he would qualify as a coach if not as an overall contributor.
He's goin in as a player.
Does Cornbread Maxwell get in now? He has a Finals MVP.
Marques Johnson is probably the best player from the 80s not in.

[L.Kizzle]

Dick Barnett has also made the Hall. I can see a case for him. He was a prolific collegiate and high school stand out.

[Nowoco]

I mean the HoF is an absolute joke as we all know but inductions like this are ridiculous. What has Michael Cooper done in the last 33 years since he retired to improve his HoF credentials? If he hasnt been good enough for three decades, why is he now?

From a players perspective, who would even want this honour decades after the fact? It's basically a big neon sign saying "you just about scrape in I guess". Surely they have more pride than that. You're either good enough when you retire or you're not. It shouldn't change later on. If there's a doubt, especially this much doubt, then you're very clearly not a Hall of Fame player.

The Lakers now have to put his jersey in the rafters too.

[Jasper]

I am actually shocked he made it.
No All-NBA Teams or All-Star Teams.
Made 8 All-Defensive Teams (Four each 1st and 2nd.)
One DPOY
Five championships
Avg 10 ppg only twice
Only started apparently 94 games.

I believe he coached multiple WNBA champions

Cooper is one of the most successful coaches in WNBA history, ranking second in career winning percentage (.663) and sixth in career victories (167) entering the 2014 season. He is the last WNBA head coach to have led his team to back-to-back league titles, winning the 2001 and 2002 championships in Los Angeles.

[L.Kizzle]

I believe he coached multiple WNBA champions

Cooper is one of the most successful coaches in WNBA history, ranking second in career winning percentage (.663) and sixth in career victories (167) entering the 2014 season. He is the last WNBA head coach to have led his team to back-to-back league titles, winning the 2001 and 2002 championships in Los Angeles.

He should be in as a coach. He made it as a player.

[fsvr54]

People really don't care about defense.

He was an EIGHT TIME DEFENSIVE ALL-STAR

[L.Kizzle]

People really don't care about defense.

He was an EIGHT TIME DEFENSIVE ALL-STAR
No All-Star games or All-NBA selections tho. Him and Bruce Bowen have 8 and no other individual selections.
Even Rodman and Dray have multiple All-Star and All-NBA Team selections.
That's what's missing with guys like Coop and Bowen and even a Tony Allen or Marcus Camby.

[pandiani17]

As some posters have mentioned, he was a very successful coach in the WNBAs early years. I hope that has to do something with it, because I think only the best should be included in the HOF, not players who weren't even All-Stars.

[Norcaliblunt]

Honestly there shouldn’t even be a Hall of Fame.

All the great players already have awards and accolades.

Are MVP’s, all star selections, all NBA teams, DPOY’s, championship trophies not enough ass kissing and recognition? The hall of fame is overkill.

Now what would be more interesting is a museum dedicated to recognizing the lesser known but great roles players and key figures like a Michael Cooper.

[John8204]

Bill Laimbeer was also nominated. I'm sure most would say Laimbeer in that same era was better?

I mean you've got a case that Bill was better than all three guys that got in this year. Is the next generation of fans going to remember or talk about Vince Carter? Wasn't Bill more successful than Billups. He also has a hell of a lot more accomplishments than Cooper.

[L.Kizzle]

Walter Davis makes it this year.
Interesting note.
Walter was nominated for the first time shortly after passing away late last year.

This new committee is wild.

[guy]

Hall of fame is really just going the way of if you were a dynasty there’s automatically going to be at least 4-5 players and 6-7 people overall from that dynasty make the HOF even though a lot of is results based. It’s a circular argument. The main players that lead these dynasties are a little diminished because they had so many HOF teammates in their dynasty but those teammates clearly wouldn’t be HOfers if they weren’t part of the dynasty the main players were the biggest contributors of. Then some other great players who weren’t as successful are excused and “needed more help”. I won’t be surprised if eventually guys like Horace Grant, Ron Harper, Steve Kerr, Robert Horry, Derek Fisher, Andre Iguodala get in.

[John8204]

Hall of fame is really just going the way of if you were a dynasty there’s automatically going to be at least 4-5 players and 6-7 people overall from that dynasty make the HOF even though a lot of is results based. It’s a circular argument. The main players that lead these dynasties are a little diminished because they had so many HOF teammates in their dynasty but those teammates clearly wouldn’t be HOfers if they weren’t part of the dynasty the main players were the biggest contributors of. Then some other great players who weren’t as successful are excused and “needed more help”. I won’t be surprised if eventually guys like Horace Grant, Ron Harper, Steve Kerr, Robert Horry, Derek Fisher, Andre Iguodala get in.

It's pretty sad that an Olympic medalist and Final's MVP is just an also ran for the Hall. It's not his fault that his prime years were stuck on a tanking/sabotaging dumpster fire in Philly

[L.Kizzle]

Hall of fame is really just going the way of if you were a dynasty there’s automatically going to be at least 4-5 players and 6-7 people overall from that dynasty make the HOF even though a lot of is results based. It’s a circular argument. The main players that lead these dynasties are a little diminished because they had so many HOF teammates in their dynasty but those teammates clearly wouldn’t be HOfers if they weren’t part of the dynasty the main players were the biggest contributors of. Then some other great players who weren’t as successful are excused and “needed more help”. I won’t be surprised if eventually guys like Horace Grant, Ron Harper, Steve Kerr, Robert Horry, Derek Fisher, Andre Iguodala get in.

80s Celtics have:
Bird
McHale
Parish
DJ
Walton
Tiny
Cedric Maxwell has to make it now, huh?

Bad Boy Pistons:
Thomas
Dumars
Rodman
AD (yeah, I'd count him lol)

Showtime Lakers already have Kareem. Magic. Worthy. McAdoo. Wilkes.
It's crazy that the most known images of Cooper is the Dr J dunk and him on the ground crying after the Ralph Sampson shot in 86. Did Cooper used to get cooked by 80s west wings? Bout to investigate.

[L.Kizzle]

With a quick search, Alex English, Mark Aguirre and Rolando Blackmon (he guarded one of them), Clyde Drexler and new Hall inductee Walter Davis all avg 50% FG in a playoff series. I'm assuming. Cooper was assigned to these guys. Maybe not.
Sleepy Floyd also dropped 51 in a playoff game. Not sure if he was assigned to him as well.

[Lakers Legend#32]

Now let's get Coop's number up in the rafters with the other Lakers HOFers.

[John8204]

80s Celtics have:
Bird
McHale
Parish
DJ
Walton
Tiny
Cedric Maxwell has to make it now, huh?

Bad Boy Pistons:
Thomas
Dumars
Rodman
AD (yeah, I'd count him lol)

Showtime Lakers already have Kareem. Magic. Worthy. McAdoo. Wilkes.
It's crazy that the most known images of Cooper is the Dr J dunk and him on the ground crying after the Ralph Sampson shot in 86. Did Cooper used to get cooked by 80s west wings? Bout to investigate.

The funny thing is if you asked top five players not in the hall...two of them would be Pistons (Laimbeer and Aguire)

[guy]

It's pretty sad that an Olympic medalist and Final's MVP is just an also ran for the Hall. It's not his fault that his prime years were stuck on a tanking/sabotaging dumpster fire in Philly

First off, he didn't deserve finals MVP. Second, him being the 10th best player on an Olympic is less impressive then being the 4th best player on a dynasty anyway.

All I'm saying is its a circular argument. For example, everyone says Bill Russel had 10 HOFers or whatever it is on his team so no wonder he won so much and why Wilt didn't win as many. Well if you ask anyone from that era, they all say those guys became HOFers because of Russell and they probably wouldn't be HOFers if they didn't win all those championships which were mainly because of Russell.

No one on the Warriors dynasty even comes close to Curry except for Durant who was only there for half the championships and half the finals appearances. I highly doubt any of those players make it to the HOF if they were playing for a borderline playoff team all these years as the main guy. But years from now its going to be "Steph wasn't that great, look at all the HOFers on his team, no wonder they won so much. James Harden, Chris Paul, Dame Lillard, Russell Westbrook were just as good" .

[rawimpact]

Miamis retiring his number