Rodman, Mullin lead newest Hall of Fame class

The Pro Basketball Hall of Fame has several new members, among them former ABA star Artis Gilmore, eight-time Celtics champion Tom Sanders, Olympic medalist Teresa Edwards, international superstar Arvydas Sabonis (who briefly played in the NBA), Phil Jackson’s longtime assistant Tex Winters, Reece Tatum of the Harlem Globetrotters and Herb Magee of Philadelphia University.

Because it’s the “Pro Basketball” Hall of Fame, and not specifically the NBA hall, the list of inductees is usually pretty extensive. The number of players to get in specifically because of their NBA careers, however, has been somewhat sparse in the past. But now that Jerry Colangelo is running the Hall of Fame, with the promise of a more lenient stance on inclusion, two fringe players got in this year who probably couldn’t have before: Dennis Rodman and Chris Mullin. And although a decent case can be made for both, the induction of both signals that the bar has been lowered, however slightly, to allow the likes of Chris Webber, Tim Hardaway, Mark Jackson, Dikembe Mutombo and Alonzo Mourning to get in some day.

It’s easier to defend Rodman’s placement among the pantheon of NBA greats than it is for Mullin. Rodman will long be remembered for what he did with the Detroit Pistons and Chicago Bulls, winning five championships, pulling down the greatest rebounding numbers since Moses, Wilt and Russell, and leaving an indelible imprint on the game with his unmistakable appearance and charisma. That being said, he was a role player -- a phenomenal one, but he was never someone you’d build your team around, and certainly wasn’t someone you could depend on. He was the best one-category superstar the game has ever seen, but present contemporaries in his field, Reggie Evans and Ben Wallace, are players you’d never consider putting in the Hall.

Mullin is an even more dubious selection. He had a 16-year career, averaging 18.2 points and 4.2 rebounds for the Warriors and Pacers. He was a terrific scorer, averaging over 25 a game for five straight years with the Warriors and making five All-Star appearances. However, he was a terrible defender and his scoring prowess, though impressive, never led to much success. The farthest he ever went was the finals in 2000, when he had been passed in the rotation by Jalen Rose and couldn’t get off the bench. His NBA resume wasn’t that much different than that of Vince Carter or Tracy McGrady or even Glenn Robinson. If anything. he got in because of his spot on the ‘92 Dream Team, which meant a lot to the internationally-based voting committee. But that hardly makes him a Hall of Famer.