He Was An UNGUARDABLE Shooter... Until His Mind BETRAYED HIM

[superjohn]

A healthy Ben would have pushed for that. You may need to watch some video. He was an incredible offensive talent. He just didn’t do it long enough. He was unstoppable for a decent spell.

Ben was in the tier of guards with Jamal Crawford, Cuttino Mobley, Michael Redd, Jason Richardson, Monta Ellis...

They could all put up a lot of points but didn't give you all that much when it came to other things. Good scoring guards but nowhere near Hall of fame players.

With zero all-star appearances and zero all-nba teams he would've had to all of a sudden become a perennial all-star getting like 6 all-stars under his belt, and a couple all NBA selections.

Now Brandon Roy was a guard who was on the early path to being a Hall of Famer when injury ended things for him far too soon.

 

[champs99and04]

Yeah I love Ben but he was nowhere near a HOF. I have him behind Rip, Caron, and Kemba as NBA players. Kemba might've had an outside chance at the Hall if the knee issues hadn't derailed his career.

I'm sure there are a couple outliers, but generally I think of making several all-star games as a baseline for HOF consideration. Maybe if the Pistons win that second title in '05 Rip gets some consideration, but otherwise I've never felt like any of our alums sans Ray come close. It's just a really high bar. Ben was a really good scorer, but he would have needed to be elite to compensate for his other deficiencies.

 

[DRBackup]

That is some thread title.........

I mean, it is the title of the video...

 

[Hoophound]

Ben was in the tier of guards with Jamal Crawford, Cuttino Mobley, Michael Redd, Jason Richardson, Monta Ellis...

They could all put up a lot of points but didn't give you all that much when it came to other things. Good scoring guards but nowhere near Hall of fame players.

With zero all-star appearances and zero all-nba teams he would've had to all of a sudden become a perennial all-star getting like 6 all-stars under his belt, and a couple all NBA selections.

Now Brandon Roy was a guard who was on the early path to being a Hall of Famer when injury ended things for him far too soon.

Yeah I love Ben but he was nowhere near a HOF. I have him behind Rip, Caron, and Kemba as NBA players. Kemba might've had an outside chance at the Hall if the knee issues hadn't derailed his career.

I'm sure there are a couple outliers, but generally I think of making several all-star games as a baseline for HOF consideration. Maybe if the Pistons win that second title in '05 Rip gets some consideration, but otherwise I've never felt like any of our alums sans Ray come close. It's just a really high bar. Ben was a really good scorer, but he would have needed to be elite to compensate for his other deficiencies.

The big thing is it is hard to get into HOF in basketball. If Ben had played at the level he did in Chicago, especially in the playoffs, for 5 more years, he would have been a bit of a phenom offensively. That is why I said he might have been pushing for it. I guess the Hall of Fame was out of reach even if he sustained that, but 5 more years playing like that would have been something special. Fans love players like that, especially when they are smaller, as it makes them relatable. He’d be a much bigger name historically if he’d done that for 8-9 years.

 

[FatElvis]

That's not at all what I said. He needed to have at least 5 more years at the same level as the height of the Chicago years and bring a team deep at least once or twice. But honestly I don't care so much that I'd be willing to get into any disagreement so I'll bow out 😉.

AIs take:

Verdict​

If Gordon had 5 extra prime years, he’d likely finish with 20k points, top-20 in threes, and a 15+ year run of scoring excellence.
That résumé would almost certainly get him into the Hall of Fame, even if he never made an All-Star team — the raw numbers would be too strong to ignore.
But — his narrative would still be “elite scorer, weak elsewhere.” He’d be a Mitch Richmond–lite Hall of Famer: not a transcendent player, but the numbers plus longevity would push him over the line.

I love what Ben brought to the program as much as any Yarder but no player in NBA history has ever make the Hall of Fame without being an all-star. Even at his peak he was a mediocre defender who was never among the NBA's best players, so to suggest five more years of prime Gordon would make him Hall-worthy is borderline silly.

It's also a far cry from being "...the basketball version of Timmy Linecum" who was a four-time all-star and winner of two Cy Young awards before injuries caught up with him – an important part of the statement that you conveniently left out.

 

[RuffRuff]

I love what Ben brought to the program as much as any Yarder but no player in NBA history has ever make the Hall of Fame without being an all-star. Even at his peak he was a mediocre defender who was never among the NBA's best players, so to suggest five more years of prime Gordon would make him Hall-worthy is borderline silly.

It's also a far cry from being "...the basketball version of Timmy Linecum" who was a four-time all-star and winner of two Cy Young awards before injuries caught up with him – an important part of the statement that you conveniently left out.

TC also won 2 CY's, and was part of 3 WS teams.

Not even sure how this is a convo - BG is not even with a sniff of the HOF. He's a great part of Uconn lore, but a JAG at the NBA level.

 

[Dibbie]

I may be too much of a fan boy but 10 years in the league is hardly a “waste of talent.”

 

[djct1999]

You don’t get the nickname Madison Square Gordan without reason.