When we started this Hall of Fame Watch series, the idea was to look at active NBA stars and see who had the credentials necessary to reach basketball immortality. Naturally, the list of active players with arguable resumes can’t go on forever. Looking at the guys we haven’t covered yet, are any of them — Josh Howard, Antoine Walker, Carlos Boozer, Joe Johnson, Michael Finley, Peja Stojakovic, etc. — really legit candidates? So starting today, we’re going in another direction: looking at the retired players who either haven’t been voted in or aren’t yet eligible for induction. Today’s candidate: Mitch Richmond.
MITCH RICHMOND (14 years, Warriors/Kings/Wizards/Lakers)
21.0 points, 3.9 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.2 steals per game
Why: For a two- or three-year period in the mid-1990s, Mitch Richmond was one of the best on the planet … only no one knew it because he was in Sacramento playing on Lottery teams. This was also in the midst of a stretch where Richmond became one of only seven players in NBA history to average at least 21 points per game for his first 10 seasons, joining Kareem, Jordan, Wilt, Oscar, Shaq and Iverson. One of the game’s preeminent shooters (ranks 9th all-time in three-pointers made) and a slasher who made life hellish for anyone trying to guard him, Richmond was a star right away; ’80s babies will always have a soft spot for “Run TMC,” the Warriors’ trio Richmond formed with Chris Mullin and Tim Hardaway the season after he won Rookie of the Year in ‘89. After he was traded to the Kings, Richmond began a string where he was named to six straight All-Star teams, winning All-Star Game MVP in ‘95 and making five All-NBA teams. He also won an Olympic gold medal in ‘96.
Why not: Before hooking up with the ‘02 championship Lakers at the tail-end of his career, Richmond never enjoyed much playoff success. As entertaining as the Run TMC squads were in Golden State, they never made much noise in the postseason. Mitch’s stints with the Kings and Wizards were similarly quiet when it came to playing on the game’s biggest stage; in 14 years in the League, “Rock” only made four playoff appearances. Even when he won that championship in L.A., he rarely played, averaging 11 minutes per game in the regular season and only getting into two games during the Lakers’ playoff run.
Our call: OUT
The H.O.F. Watch archive
12/7 - Rasheed Wallace
12/6 - Michael Redd
12/5 - “Too Early”
12/3 - Bruce Bowen
11/30 - Dikembe Mutombo
11/29 - Ron Artest
11/28 - Pau Gasol
11/27 - Kevin Garnett
11/26 - Manu Ginobili
11/21 - Amare Stoudemire
11/20 - Rip Hamilton
11/19 - Baron Davis
11/16 - Shaquille O’Neal
11/15 - Steve Francis
11/14 - Ben Wallace
11/13 - Sam Cassell
11/12 - LeBron James
11/9 - Tim Duncan
11/8 - Steve Nash
11/7 - Yao Ming
11/6 - Gilbert Arenas
11/5 - Robert Horry
11/2 - Kobe Bryant
11/1 - Grant Hill
10/31 - Dirk Nowitzki
10/30 - Tony Parker
10/29 - Elton Brand
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
December 10th, 2007 at 11:21 am
MoxInThe West says:
Sorry,doesnt have the #s. Similar to todays RIP or Ray Allen, with out playing a major role on any chip teams. A nice little stretch for 4 or 5 years wont cut it.
A very entertaing group they had in GS back in the day however. A HELL of a Bass guitar player too!
December 10th, 2007 at 11:43 am
Myrie says:
Mitch makes it IN. Run TMC was legit, but who was going to beat the 80s Lakers anyway?
Not much playoff success..granted. But dude kept Sacto afloat for years. Avg big numbers as a jump shooter through double/triple teams. And he still produced. He has a chip (’02 Lakers). Nuff personal credentials and was actual a good model.
If I had a vote, Mitch Rich (the OG ROCK) is in.
December 10th, 2007 at 11:49 am
Marcel says:
The list of former ballers that have passed through the Bay area is crazy. Between Mitch, Webber, Spree, Arenas, Jamison and others, combine two or three of those together and they may have a ‘Chip. Its bad that Mitch had to go to the Wizards/Bullets for Sac-Town to get Webber.
He’s not a hall of famer but had an excellent career. He had a good run at Kansas State and had represented the USA in two Olympic games, which helps his cause. However, he just doesn’t make the cut.
December 10th, 2007 at 11:52 am
dagwaller says:
Wow. I had no idea he was so good, honestly. Legit numbers, but I’d have to keep him out, just cause he was quiet for a few years (which you really can’t do if you’ve never done anything in the playoffs). Would love to see a bit on him on tv or something - maybe getting some actual pub would help his chances. Was he a good guy? What did he do in college?
December 10th, 2007 at 11:53 am
Bust Jlaze says:
here’s where we get stuck between playoff success and numbers. Dude is probably the most underrated player of all time, and that was generally accepted even back in the early ’90s. Dude was sick, and the article is right, it went unnoticed because he was stuck on lottery teams for a long time so no one got to see it.
December 10th, 2007 at 11:54 am
Bust Jlaze says:
IN. (forgot to type that)
December 10th, 2007 at 11:55 am
Flojo says:
Definetly in!!! This dude can shoot the lights out!!!
December 10th, 2007 at 12:06 pm
JA says:
IN. Adding to his list of credentials: he was the best player in the original NBA Jam game.
December 10th, 2007 at 12:15 pm
Gregg says:
I remember when Jordan retired, there were only a handful of top flight SG’s in the league with scoring punch (E.Jones, R.Miller, N.Anderson, and M.Richmond). Jordan said that Richmond was the next best SG. Too bad he played for small market teams. His stats are great.
December 10th, 2007 at 12:18 pm
Gee says:
If Nique got in (aint’ Nique in???) and Round Mound then I will say yes. He served his time extremely well and makes it in. Still to me he aint just a lock, I would say at least barely.
December 10th, 2007 at 12:50 pm
Doc says:
I would put the Rock in.
December 10th, 2007 at 1:12 pm
ian says:
gee what are u talking about if barkley is in then richmond is in?
so bron lets do this one together if i go by your standards then richmond is better than drexler and jordan because he didnt have the stacked teams the others had and still managed to put up great numbers??????????
fuck no
really good player but out (like tmac for me)
December 10th, 2007 at 1:20 pm
Russ says:
-one of only 7 ALL TIME to score 21 plus their first DECADE in the league. look at the rest of the list of players who did that and tell me which ISN’T in/or going to be in the HOF?
- top 10 in 3’s made.
-rookie of the year, gold medal, chip, and 6 all stars/5 all nba nods.
IN
December 10th, 2007 at 1:36 pm
JA says:
He also snagged himself the 94-95 AllStar game MVP (against great competition that year).
December 10th, 2007 at 2:32 pm
Myrie says:
Russ–
Good job. You broke it down for all the naysayers. IN.
December 10th, 2007 at 3:43 pm
Gee says:
Are you gay?
A gay NBA player? Find out!
The-Gay-Quiz.com
LMAO why is this at the bottom of the page lol
Anyway i thought Barkley was in the H.O.F. ….ain’t he. If he isn’t then just igg my arse all day long. If he is then I was just saying if they put Barkley in then Mitch def. gets in.
December 10th, 2007 at 3:58 pm
jay says:
as much as i want to find a way to add the rock to the HOF..i find it difficult to do so. as we have come up with..having 2-3 out of sight years is great but than you can look at hardaway and ghill and i would take both of them over the rock in the mid-nineties! not trying to hate just the truth…if that is how you want to do a comparision it is only fair!
December 10th, 2007 at 4:06 pm
T.M.P.B.W.O.T.P. says:
Barkley is in the HOF.
December 10th, 2007 at 4:11 pm
K-Dizzle says:
What Russ said
How do you even overlook 10 straight seasons of 21+ ppg,
rookie of the year, gold medal, chip, and 6 all stars/5 all nba nods
Never played with a second option; was the only option. I remember watchin Rock on NBA Action just killin dudes who had only him to stop, outside, mid range, posted up….and he locked down good 2’s daily.
It’s funny dudes on here here almost throwin down cuz Rasheed was kinda seen as controversial.
Ain’t no controversy here. If Michael Jordan says you are the toughest matchup he’s ever had, you get IN by default
It’s not Mitch’s fault that the Kings management sucked. He was the KG of his day where management took his prime years, but he still balled hard.
INININININ
December 10th, 2007 at 4:17 pm
AY says:
I can already see who the dime is putting on this Friday: Michael Jordan.
Rock is in, he’ll be in this year.
December 10th, 2007 at 7:21 pm
Sacto J says:
First off ~ Finally a great debate, and it’s good to see some of the responses, and no offense to Moxie in the west, but if you’re going to go out on a limb, you betta know yo stuff. That would be Wayman Tisdale who was on the Kings, later to find professional success as a bass guitar soloist. Mitch just shot the rock. and shot the rock. and shot the rock. I think his numbers are H.O.F worthy, and he got a chip. Argue all you want how he got it, would you give Malone the same crap? or the Glove? You still have to pay your dues even if you don’t get as much tick, and for an older player in the L, that’s sometimes harder than when you are getting burn. Mitch’s jersey is retired here at Arco, and I think that he earned a spot in the hall, for sufferage, if not for his ridiculous stats……(of course I’m biased here,)
IN!!
December 10th, 2007 at 9:30 pm
Dave says:
I’d vote IN, but barely. His numbers are certainly HOF-worthy and he was one of the best at his position for a long time. He really fell off at the end of his career, but that shouldn’t prevent him from making it.
December 11th, 2007 at 3:59 am
the_don_mega says:
Rock is in… he even made the cover of NBA Live ‘97!!! The dude is in!!! He got mad skillz and his shooting touch is down right ridiculous!!! He’s legit!!!
December 11th, 2007 at 7:29 am
kowtz says:
HE played and just played… never cried to be traded because he’s teammates suck…
IN…
December 11th, 2007 at 9:34 am
djKianoosh says:
i think the dreaded east coast bias might work against him a lil’. i dont know if people here in the northeast hold him to such high regard. shoot, he was practically forgotten for while back there. I dont remember him doing anything for the lakers. numbers seem nice, but not sure the impact is there. only 4 playoff appearance is pretty weak, and that includes the one with the lakers where he didn’t do anything.
personally I put more importance on playoff impact for the HoF and relative greatness of a player. That’s why you can always say AI is 100x better than Vince Carter even though Vince has a more impressive athletic ability. I know playoff success is a factor of the team, but in the NBA, that’s how it works. Really good players become great with team playoff success. Since mitch richmond didn’t have any playoff success, I dont think the HoF voters will think he’s deserving. he’s probably OUT.
December 11th, 2007 at 1:32 pm
dp says:
I don’t know. I think all HOF’s are too liberal about who gets in. I mean come on, twenty years from now HOF’s in all sports are going to be riddled with soooo many names. I think that voting shouldn’t take place until 20 years after you retire or something like that. Becuase the people who make the HOF should be only those who transcend time.
December 18th, 2007 at 11:45 am
Coach Smith says:
B.S. I’m am ashamed of the so-called basketball fans for even debating this–
1ST 10 SEASONS OF HIS CAREER 21+PPG
ASG MVP
OLYMPIC GOLD MEDAL
5 ALL NBA TEAMS
#9 NBA ALL TIME 3PT SHOOTER–
whats the problem.. i can give a **darn** about what market he played in.. that’s why american sports make me sick– it’s a got darnit popularity contest- if Alex Pimpernickel averages 40ppg in Idaho, he wont get the recognition of a 15ppg guy on the East Coast! it’s sickening… stop THESE media market BIASED OPINIONS AND REWARD A DAMMMMMMMM GOOD PLAYER