Reinsdorf makes Hoops Hall
The Hall of Fame train ridden by the championship-era Bulls rolled to a stop in recent years.
The Bulls helped send Phil Jackson to the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame in 2007. Michael Jordan was inducted in 2009, Scottie Pippen in 2010, followed by Dennis Rodman and Tex Winter in 2011.
The dry spell ended when Bulls chairman Jerry Reinsdorf was announced as a member of the 2016 Hall of Fame class as a contributor.
Reinsdorf is joined by another person with local ties, Loyola women's basketball coach Sheryl Swoopes, a legendary player for Texas Tech and the WNBA's Houston Comets.
Others in this year's class are Allen Iverson, Shaquille O'Neal, Yao Ming, Michigan State coach Tom Izzo, former referee Darell Garretson, Zelmo Beatty, NAIA coach John McLendon and early 1900s player Cumberland Posey. McLendon was already in the Hall as a contributor, now he's in as a coach.
"It is a very humbling honor to be selected as a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame," Reinsdorf said in a statement released by the Bulls. "Making the Hall of Fame has long been considered the top individual honor that one can achieve in any sport, but for me, I feel it is a culmination of all the input and effort afforded me from so many other people over the years, that put me in this position today. It's an exciting honor and a day I won't soon forget."
The honor does raise a couple of questions: First of all, does Reinsdorf deserve to be in the basketball Hall? He's been a baseball owner longer than a basketball owner and he's not in baseball's Hall of Fame.
Reinsdorf's Bulls won six NBA championships in the 1990s, but is buying a team with Michael Jordan already on the roster reason to make the Hall of Fame?
The other question is why Reinsdorf and not former Bulls general manager Jerry Krause? When it comes to assigning responsibility for the Bulls' championship run, credit begins with Jordan and Pippen. It would seem like Jackson and Krause are more worthy than Reinsdorf, who lived in Arizona during most of the basketball season.
When looking at Reinsdorf's credentials, it's worth mentioning that the Naismith Hall of Fame has been very inclusive. I'd say they induct too many people.
Several NBA owners are in the Hoops Hall, including the Lakers' Jerry Buss, Pistons' William Davidson, Suns' Jerry Colangelo and Walter A. Brown, founder of the Celtics.
I'd argue the only owner that belongs in the Hall is former Syracuse Nationals boss Danny Biasone, who is credited for introducing the 24-second clock in 1954.
If you're looking for Reinsdorf's basketball achievements, you could point to how the Bulls were front-runners in transforming the NBA game atmosphere. Every NBA game is now wall-to-wall entertainment, which the Bulls helped pioneer in the 1980s.
Is Reinsdorf responsible for developing the modern game atmosphere or did he just hire good people? Hard to say with certainty.
Another achievement was partnering with the Blackhawks to build the United Center with private funds. Anyone who attended Bulls games at Chicago Stadium knows the new arena helped revitalize Chicago's West Side. The Bulls have also been very active in charitable contributions during Reinsdorf's tenure.
As for why not Krause, there aren't many team executives in the Hall of Fame. There are certainly some odd choices in the contributor category, such as Dick Vitale, former deputy commissioner Russ Granik and Nike founder Phil Knight. Meanwhile, player, coach and broadcaster Johnny "Red" Kerr is still left out.
Krause claimed he promised to boycott the Hall of Fame until Winter was inducted. So maybe that has something to do with it.
But the bottom line, and I've written this before, is the Naismith Hall of Fame has its priorities mixed up. It takes too many active college coaches and indirect contributors, which is a big reason so few people pay attention to the induction ceremonies.
How much more effective would it be if this year's class included Iverson, O'Neal, Swoopes, and no one else? We'll never know the answer.
Bulls still hurting:
Badly in need of a win to keep their playoff hopes alive, the Bulls are calling Derrick Rose (hyperextended left elbow) questionable for Tuesday's game at Memphis. Taj Gibson (fractured rib) is doubtful and E'Twaun Moore (hamstring) probable. Rose has missed the last two games.
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Bulls scouting report
Bulls vs. Memphis Grizzlies at FedEx Forum, 7 p.m.
TV: WPWR
Radio: ESPN 1000-AM
Outlook: When it comes to injury bad luck, Memphis probably leads the league. The Grizzlies (41-36) have been on a slide, losing 10 of their last 12 and six in a row. Memphis lost C Marc Gasol to a broken foot on Feb. 8, lost guard Mario Chalmers to a torn Achilles Achilles on March 9. PG Mike Conley has missed 15 games with an Achilles injury. That leaves PF Zach Randolph as the Grizzlies' top scorer with 15.1 ppg, followed by SF Lance Stephenson at 14.2 ppg. Tony Allen and Matt Barnes have been contributors, while Jordan Farmar, who had been playing in Israel, was added to play point guard. The Bulls beat the Grizzlies 98-85 on Dec. 16 at the United Center.
Next: Miami Heat at American Airlines Arena, 7 p.m. Thursday
- Mike McGraw