Photo. Joe TannisEvery day for the next few weeks we’re gonna take one active NBA star with at least arguable Hall of Fame credentials and break down his chances of getting into the Springfield, Mass., hoops mecca. We’re looking at not just past accomplishments, but also how a player’s career realistically projects for the future. For a full explanation of the process, click here. Today’s candidate: Elton Brand.
ELTON BRAND (9th year, Clippers/Bulls)
20.3 points, 10.2 rebounds, 2.1 blocks, 2.7 assists per game
Why: Consistently one of the most effective players in the NBA, Brand has been a lock for 20 points, 10 boards and 2 blocks every night for the last eight years. Over his career, his lowest single-season averages have been 18.2, 9.3 and 1.6 in those categories. He’s one of the best offensive rebounders of his generation. Brand didn’t really get mainstream recognition until ‘05-06, when he turned in an MVP-type season (career-high 24.7 ppg and 2.5 bpg, 10 rpg) and led the Clippers to the second round of the playoffs. During that postseason, EB averaged 25-10-2.5 while making it to Game 7 of the conference semis. His accolades include two All-Star nods, a Rookie of the Year and an All-NBA second team selection. At Duke, Brand was a consensus National Player of the Year as a sophomore.
Why not: That one MVP-level playoff season has been the only postseason appearance of EB’s career and could possibly be the only one he ever has. He’s put up crazy numbers at a death-and-taxes success rate, but he’s done it for some terrible Chicago teams and some awful-to-average Clippers teams. And who knows how much his recent Achilles injury could slow Brand down for the rest of his career.
Our call: OUT
The H.O.F. Watch archive
10/26 - Carmelo Anthony
10/25 - Vince Carter
10/24 - Penny Hardaway
10/23 - Alonzo Mourning
10/22 - Allen Iverson
10/19 - Dwyane Wade
10/18 - Chauncey Billups
10/17 - Stephon Marbury
10/16 - Jason Kidd
10/15 - Shawn Marion
10/12 - Ray Allen
10/11 - Chris Bosh
10/10 - Chris Webber
10/9 - Paul Pierce
10/5 - Jermaine O’Neal
10/4 - Gary Payton
10/3 - Tracy McGrady
October 29th, 2007 at 2:47 pm
Bron42 says:
I say out. I mean hes one of few duke players to actually hold his own in the nba but hes pretty luke warm overall. He was solid with the bulls but never a star, same with the clippers. it also hurts the fact that hes not really exciting to watch so most people don’t see him play plus and possibly most important he got dunked on hard by nachbar last season.
October 29th, 2007 at 2:59 pm
Duke says:
He’s decent, but decent doesnt get into the HOF
October 29th, 2007 at 3:32 pm
Gee says:
Naw nothing special but really good. He has to get off of mediocre.
October 29th, 2007 at 3:36 pm
Myrie in NY says:
Brand is a beast and can ball for my squad any day. But your still not getting into the Hall.
Next…..
October 29th, 2007 at 3:44 pm
Sacto J says:
The first thing I ask when evaluating a guy for this kind of thing is always “would you build a team around this player?” And in Brand’s case, while the answer may be an easy yes, there’s too much mediocrity in Brand’s history, coupled with injury ( a parallel, perhaps,) that leaves him on the outs for the HOF. If, in the next 4-6 yrs, he can produce in the playoffs, or be THE guy to get a team to the playoffs, perhaps he will merit consideration. But as of right now, he needs to put in more work. Good luck getting back to work Brand. Basketball needs more quality players such as yourself…..
October 29th, 2007 at 3:50 pm
CHI-C says:
out
October 29th, 2007 at 3:52 pm
smity says:
since when is averaging 20 and 10 for damn near 9 years “mediocore” and “nothing special”? if you respect the game then respect the man doing something consitently that others in the game dont (excluding td, kg and shaq, right? is that all from the current players?) if elton doesnt make it to the hall it will be for not winning enough but his game deserves to be mentioned in talks regarding great players (if not “of all time” (cause that might be a stretch) at least in his generation. probably no HOF for brand but respect and appreciate the man still.
October 29th, 2007 at 4:12 pm
Gregg says:
Finally they put a person that I want to see debated about. Next time Let’s aim higher for G.Hill and Horry.
As for Brand, he’s been on mediocre teams, teams with potential (See: Bulls with Artest and B.Miller, Clippers with Kandi, Maggette, Odom, and A.Miller). He really needs a solid pg and a good system for his teams to be successful. Other than that, he’s consistently a top 10 fantasy draft talent with 20/10/2 with center eligibility. Maybe by next year when Kobe leaves LA and the Golden State flops the Paper Clips will be finally recognized as the best team in California. For everything that’s good with Brand he’s the anti-Zach Randolph; similar stats, bad teams, but you wouldn’t mind him to be on your team because he plays hard.
October 29th, 2007 at 4:51 pm
Chaos says:
in his case one man definitely can’t do it all. he is always leaving his heart and soul on the court but he can only do but so much man. he has one aging pg, another one that cant make it past the preseason because of injuries, lukewarm front court members and some other players that are always out for themselves. not many play as hard as him and produce consistently for 9 years straight. if you call a career 20-10-2 guy mediocre then there are many mediocre guys out there. time is winding down for EB
October 29th, 2007 at 4:53 pm
Chaos says:
as of right now, i regret to say, he’s out….lets get Grant hill and boom dizzle in on this convo
October 29th, 2007 at 5:10 pm
Myrie in NY says:
Chaos–
Grant Hill? When was the last time he played a game? I used to be a fan of Hill’s, but dude should be arrested for stealing $90 million from the Orlando Magic.
Isn’t there a minimum amount of games played ncessary to make the Hall?…if not, there should be. And it should be one more game than Hill plays for his entire career.
All the potential in the world and didn’t play for 6yrs because of…ahem….an ankle? Are you kidding me? Not his knees or a bad back or something serious, but an ankle?….6yrs off for an ankle? and you want to put this pretty boy in HOF convos?
October 29th, 2007 at 5:38 pm
Gee says:
Averaging 20 and 10 for near 9 years is awesome! Yet he has done nothing that stands out in most people’s minds that has changed the game or that has even brought him out as far as a prominent figure in the league. He has to get off of mediocre in terms of doing some things that are memorable and that make him stand out as a player.
Don’t get me wrong consistency is a wonderful and beautiful thing. What, in my view, Brand has to add to that is that next level of making the finals and carrying his team through consistent playoff runs.
I mean if you rocking 20 to 10 for near 9 years, and you don’t have “nothing” memorable out of that. Man please! That is right he has done “nothing special” and he needs to get off “mediocre”.
He is a nice dude as it seems, and has a clean record, and seems to really be a baller and all that I do indeed respect. I would love to even have him on my favorite team.
We talking about The Hall though son, and as much as I think he is really good …he aint really great! Hopefully as time goes he can do something to push him to that next level.
So Smity if you that excited abot a guy doing that for 9 years and having nothing to show for it, then by all means enjoy yourself. As for me he gone have to come with something more.
October 29th, 2007 at 6:35 pm
Duke says:
I wanna see Manu
October 29th, 2007 at 6:43 pm
Triple Threat says:
Brand doesn’t have a chance to make the HOF. He’s solid player, but Cassell has a better chance making into the HOF.
October 29th, 2007 at 7:42 pm
wat_helmet says:
grant hill in his second season, was already better than pippen at his peak.
he represents somebody who was genuinely a nice guy, was one of the faces of the nba for a while (grant hill drinks sprite?) and had so much talent…
but all that went away because of continuous injuries.
bringing grant hill up is like saying, what would happen if lebron james/dwayne wade went down with a career ending injury now. would they deserve to be in the hof?
lebron james, one of the most hyped high school players ever, and actually exceeded expectations.
dwayne wade, huge talent, jordan-esque type moves… already has a ring, and a finals mvp.
October 29th, 2007 at 7:43 pm
wat_helmet says:
oh and grant hill was also on that duke team with christian laettner… is he in the hof? that’s one of the most famous moments in basketball history isn’t it?
October 29th, 2007 at 10:03 pm
DOC says:
hell no
October 30th, 2007 at 12:36 am
t-ton says:
wat_helmet since when is a college game/play considered for the NBA HOF?
October 30th, 2007 at 1:29 am
Austin Burton says:
It’s not the NBA Hall of Fame, it’s the Basketball Hall of Fame. High school, college, international, pro … it all counts.
October 30th, 2007 at 4:06 am
wat_helmet says:
need to get ur facts straight t-ton
October 30th, 2007 at 8:49 am
bigdre says:
nice stats, but how many times did he get to the playoffs? no deep playoff run, no HOF love
October 30th, 2007 at 10:32 am
MB says:
And how many times did Horry latch on with a contender and hit a few big shots. You can’t debate one guy for winning titles and shoot down another for zero titles. O, and on Grant Hill. Look at Bill Walton. Dude had 5 good years. Auto HOF. G Hill is the same thing.
October 30th, 2007 at 11:53 am
Myrie in NY says:
Wat_helmet–
When was Grant Hill better than Pippen? I have been a Knicks fan my whole life (diehard too—NYK is my bloodtype) and I have never been a Pippen lover. But dude used to get it in. Pippen was one of the best all around players of the ’90s. Hill was never that. Just another pretty boy with a smile. Hills game was decent, but never better than Pippen.
October 30th, 2007 at 12:27 pm
Duke says:
Grant hill was better than Pippen? My god, I feel like washing my hands for typing that.
October 30th, 2007 at 2:02 pm
David says:
Just out of curiousity… why don’t we wait until the END of his career to decide? These “let’s figure this out NOW” polls on guys who have years left to play is just so much smoke in the wind. I know it most likely won’t happen, but what if Brand comes back and the Clippers win the NBA title the next two years with him leading the way? Would that change anyone’s mind? (and yeah, I KNOW that won’t happen, but it’s the idea) Shouldn’t we be talking about people like Ewing? Someone whose body of work can be realistically judged? Hmmm… ‘course Pat IS into coaching now, does that count towards inclusion? See? Hard to quantify a work in progress.
October 30th, 2007 at 2:50 pm
Lou Spliff says:
Here’s another guy that has the nice numbers but what has he done for the game? I’ve said it before and will say it again, this is not the Hall of Good, it’s the Hall of Fame. I don’t care if a guy averages 20-10 his entire career if he didn’t make noise in the playoffs or doesn’t bring something more than numbers to the game he is not a Hall of Famer. Period.
J-Kidd and A.I. are the only H.O.F’s in my opinion from your list. The Glove and Zo are on the edge. The rest need playoff credentials and statistic longevity.
October 30th, 2007 at 3:11 pm
Ian says:
whats the difference between brand and garnett???
lets do grant manu and horry
btw who said grant is better than pip?
October 30th, 2007 at 3:12 pm
Ian says:
lou spliff i agree with you those are the only two that are in
October 30th, 2007 at 6:46 pm
Austin Burton says:
I think GP is a lock, T-Mac will get in, and Ray is a near-lock.
November 8th, 2007 at 12:15 pm
nikko says:
Trading Brand for Chandler was a good move by Chicago. Chandler had unlimited potential back then. Brand was a 20 10 guy that was good, but not someone who you would build a dominant team around. Saying that though The bulls could use him right now. He out
November 8th, 2007 at 7:21 pm
Joser says:
Brand may not be HOF. But…
Lukewarm? See Stromile Swift.
Mediocre? See Joe Smith.
Decent? See Kenyon Martin.
Nothing special? See Kwame Brown.
Brand is special player. When averaging 20 and 9 is considered an off-year, that’s a sick player. try to imagine any of the above-mentioned averaging those numbers for a season, let alone a career.
The biggest knock against him is he’s had one winning season. HOF players turn medicore teams into contenders, and although he desrves MUCH more recognition for his numbers, he’s not HOF status.
Anyone who won’t recognize Brand as less than stellar doesn’t know basketball or is just a certified hater.
November 8th, 2007 at 7:24 pm
Joser says:
that should say more than stellar
November 21st, 2007 at 4:54 pm
Big10 says:
The Western Conference is going to kill the HOF chances of a few guys who might have better chances in the East, and I hope Brand isn’t one of them. It’s just so tough for one guy to take his team deep in the playoffs in the West.
Averaging 20/10/2 for almost a decade in the NBA — are you kidding me? Brand definitely has “Fame game” and the only real knock on him is playoff impact. Reminds me of T-Mac and how people say T-Mac “can’t” get out of the first round. Well, it’s tough to get out of the first round when teams like Dallas, San Antonio, and Phoenix have home court advantage over you! (And even last year, Utah was a tough matchup for everybody.)
However, like Dime pointed out, Brand averaged 25/10/2.5 in the one postseason when the Clippers needed him. I’d like to see Brand with 3 or 4 more healthy seasons, and a couple more trips to the Western Conference playoffs. If that happens, then I would put him IN.