Probably not a popular opinion around here, but I don’t think he’s a HoFer. Borderline at best. The Hall of Fame is a joke, anyway.

They did finally get one thing right, at least. They gave Adrian Dantley the nod about 10 years too late.

It’s a downright shame that 50% of the game is ignored when it comes to the Hall of Fame or MVP votes. If a player’s defensive ability was weighted as it should be, DJ would’ve been first ballot and KG and Tim Duncan would be fighting for the MVP this year.

I’m with you cmoney. Love DJ to death, but he’s not a Hall of Fame player. Ticket, are you implying that Chris Paul and Kobe Bryant aren’t solid defenders in their own right? Paul is leading the league in steals for christ’s sake. And also, KG and TD are MVP candidates, specifically for their defense. Some will give KG some first place MVP votes.

big T,

funny, I agree with you completely on the defense thing. I’ll claim ignorance to DJs MVP prowess. If he was truly a lock down defensive point (I just don’t know, steals/blocks != good defense in and of themselves), I still don’t think he’d be a slam dunk candidate, but I’d be willing to say he’s a bit better than borderline.

I know Kobe and Paul are good defender’s… but it’s tough to control a game defensively as a guard. Defense works from the inside out in my opinion. The goal of offense is to get easy shots, shots are easier inside, having some on D to deter those shots and make them difficult is key. (I also think Kobe’s D is somewhat overrated. I watch a lot of Laker games because they I lived in Central or Southern California my whole like until 8 months ago, and Laker games were the ‘local’ broadcast. I just never really have seen Kobe shut a guy down defensively.)

The reason I think D should get DJ in is because it came along with very respectable offense. There are surely guys in the Hall that were great offensive players and average defensively, so why should a great defensive player that was average (or above) offensively not make it? Just counterintuitive to me.

Ugh. Really? I do think at some point it’s a numbers game. D.J. won’t win that argument. But it the HoF was for key members of championship teams, he’d be in.

Dick Vitale? I don’t follow college ball all that closely and he’s one of the reasons why. I’d prefer some real insight over Dick’s exhorations from his bunker in Florida.

Unfortunately DJ was a HOF borderliner at best. There shouldn’t be any big surprise that he is mentioned but hasn’t gotten it at this point. He was a really good guard and an important part of C’s history, but I don’t think that had he been on another team we would have felt that way. We would have given him a maybe. With the logic of a crucial teammate on a champiosnship team, Michael Cooper would be in there. Before you go crazy, I know DJ was a lot more complete and better player than MC was, but the definition above was too liberal. Should Bruce Bowen be a HOF candidate because he has rings with Duncan? He was a lock down defender as well. He was an important part of those teams. Just not a HOF player.

The current squad should at least wear a black ban or a no.3 number as a sign of protest. At least if we win no.17 we can dedicate it to dj and red (and some extent reggie).

dj was certainly one of the great ones and deserves to be in. mvp of the championship round, and winning nba titles with 2 teams, he also was one of the innovators of the game inventing the power guard.we all get caught up in stats and you can’t put a number ( except w ) on the defense and team play of dennis and the moxy. if there is room for a howler, and cliche machine, and overuser of superlatives such as vitale there needs to be a dj spot. when he was scoring at his best in phoenix, they called him a cancer. he could have put up the numbers, instead he put up his lunchpail.

The thing that gets me is … Dick Vitale.

He’s the perfect example of someone who made an entire career by convincing TV execs that Americans love to watch annoying people. The original Stephen A. Smith. I’ve never understood the appeal and never will. If I watch college ball and he comes on, I hit mute. When I watch the draft and he comes on, I hit mute.

I understand that the HOF likes to have announcers and whatnot, but it really is ridiculous that this blowhard gets into the hall ahead of DJ.

I loved DJ being on our team but I don’t think he was a HOFer. No dishonor in being a very very good NBA player with rings and good long career.

boy I can’t believe there is a debate, especially on this board about whether Dennis Johnson should be in the hall of fame. Forget for a second that Dick Vitale( ARE YOU KIDDING ME???) is getting into the HOF before DJ and let’s talk about a few facts. DJ won 3 NBA titles, one with Seattle and two with the Celtics. He was the MVP in the Seattle series and should have been in the 1984 series. He turned that series around with his defense on Magic and although Max had a fabulous game 7 they never get there without DJ. He was the best free throw shooter under pressure on the best celtic team that ever played ( and no offense to this current group but Bird and Company would clean their cages) and he was probably the best clutch shooter they had and that includes Bird. Everyone remembers Bird stealing the inbounds pass against the Pistons but who had the presence of mind to cut to the basket and lay in a twisting off balance layup against pressure? that was DJ. I’ll always think of DJ as a man because that’s what he was. McHale and Danny they were boys next to DJ. When you needed someone to make the play that was DJ. It is beyond ridiculous that he is not in the Hall of Fame. Maybe there is some truth to the thought that his “stats” are keeping him out but I don’t think it’s that. I think it’s the domestic violence charge his wife brought and the incident with the knife. who knows maybe there were others. Patrick Ewing won no titles and guess what? He wasn’t a clutch player and he’s going into the HOF and he never won anything. Dennis JOhnson was as clutch a player as you will ever find in the NBA. It’s tragic, ridiculous and pathetic that he’s not in the Hall of Fame.

I don’t think that anyone is saying that he isn’t at least CLOSE to being there. Some, including myself, feel that it isn’t a slam dunk. Having rings doesn’t make you a HOF candidate or Robert Horry is in there. Being on a good team doesn’t put you there because then Bruce Bowen should be in there. Being a defensive specialist doesn’t get you there either or there’s another reason for Bowen. DJ was a really good and tough PG that should be in the discussion for the HOF. He has been a finalist again. I don’t think that is disrespecting him. I just think that you have to be an all around complete player including putting up numbers in order to be a lock. He is missing that part. I would be fine having him get in there, but think it is a stretch. I think if this was a non-Celtic you wouldn’t be that adamant about him being a lock. Just a thought.

I’d like to see Robert Horry get into the HoF