Hoops Habit
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NBA: 6 players on the bubble of Hall of Fame entry

By Luke Duffy

BOSTON - MAY 02: Rajon Rondo #9 of the Boston Celtics tries to keep Derrick Rose #1 of the Chicago Bulls from passing the ball in bounds in Game Seven of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals during the 2009 NBA Playoffs at TD Banknorth Garden on May 2, 2009 in Boston, Massachusetts. The Celtics defeated the Bulls 109-99. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
BOSTON - MAY 02: Rajon Rondo #9 of the Boston Celtics tries to keep Derrick Rose #1 of the Chicago Bulls from passing the ball in bounds in Game Seven of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals during the 2009 NBA Playoffs at TD Banknorth Garden on May 2, 2009 in Boston, Massachusetts. The Celtics defeated the Bulls 109-99. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /
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Naismith Hall of Fame
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2. Amar’e Stoudemire

How quickly they forget. The phrases “cheat code” and “x was just different” are used far too casually these days, but in the case of Amar’e Stoudemire, it is 100 percent true. If not for injuries he was going to help with Knicks, alongside Carmelo Anthony, make it to at least a conference finals, and that alone would have put him in the conversation.

Of course that never came close to happening, but Stoudemire with the Phoenix Suns (alongside Steve Nash and Shawn Marion) was an outfit that could and perhaps should have won a title. That “seven seconds or less” style under head coach Mike D’Antoni set the stage for the kind of free-flowing offensive basketball we celebrate today, and perhaps if the Suns had pushed it even further they could have won it all.

Stoudemire was crucial to that. A six-time All-Star, he was ironically durability personified for much of his stint in Phoenix, missing three games or less in five of his eight years there (and hitting the 82 mark twice). With the Suns, he was good for basically 21 points and nine rebounds during the regular season, and in the playoffs, he pushed that scoring total up closer to 25 per game.

Related Story. The 5 best NBA All-Star jerseys in history ranked. light

As a 22-year-old, Stoudemire averaged 29.9 points in 2004-05 playoffs as they made it to the conference finals. Listed as a center during that campaign, and most others in Phoenix before being more of a power forward with the Knicks, that was the beauty of Stoudemire, and how he was ahead of his time.

Too big to be a small ball five in today’s game, he instead would have the kind of game further away from the basket that would have been more encouraged. Stoudemire had freak athleticism before injuries took that away from him, but the potential was there for him to be something just as special outside of the paint.

That Stoudemire only took 16 shots total from 3-point range throughout his career in the playoffs is shocking, and a summer spent extending his range could have gotten the Suns over the hump, and extended his career as well. His work playing basketball in Israel after leaving the NBA and winning Rookie of the Year helps his case too.