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

1. Andre Iguodala

We all have our NBA related opinions that we feel strongly about. Sometimes we’re badly wrong (I still hold out hope that MarShon Brooks can make it in the league, or that Jeff Teague can be an All-Star). Sometimes we’re right (I thought George Hill for Kawhi Leonard at the moment was a steal for the Spurs, but even I’m surprised by how well that worked out).

Andre Iguodala going into the Hall of Fame is one of those things I am particularly passionate about. At this point his achievements are too overwhelming for him not to go in. A three-time champion with the Golden State Warriors. Those who say the Warriors would have won the titles without him, although potentially right, have clearly forgotten how good defensively he was in most of the big games he featured in. He came through when it mattered.

A Finals MVP. Should it belong to Stephen Curry? Probably. Did we get caught up in the narrative of the moment? Definitely. But the trophy belongs to Iguodala, and you can’t say he didn’t deserve it either. He was never a passenger on any of those Warriors teams. Instead, he was the veteran leader that all great dynasties need (the polar opposite to somebody like Draymond Green).

What adds to Iguodala’s case, however, is that eight-year stint with the 76ers that just seems to have been magically forgotten about. “Iggy” only made one All-Star team, but that happened while he was in Philadelphia. He was the best player on some fun and funky teams there, that included the likes of Elton Brand, Jrue Holiday and Lou Williams.

The injury to Rose we spoke about earlier on altered his career, but Iguodala was a beneficiary. The injury happened while his eighth-seed 76ers were taking on the top-seeded Bulls, and once Rose went down the 76ers went on to win the series 4-2. Not exactly a classic upset but a rare instance of bottom seed beating top seed to advance.

Even more forgotten is the following series, where the Celtics squeaked by 4-3, before being eliminated by a Heat led LeBron and “The Stare“. The 76ers would not have beaten the Heat. But they gave the Celtics a good scare and would have perhaps snuck a game over the Heat if they’d advanced.

Iguodala is the perfect blend of talented player who had impressive numbers for a minute and had a lower level playoff team built around him, only to move on into a supporting role he was overqualified for in order to win big. He’s done so much and isn’t done playing yet, which is why he’s going into the Hall of Fame one day.