On the NBA: Dantley deserves to be in Hall of Fame

Let's play a little game called "Name That Hall of Famer."

The idea is to pick which players were voted into the Hall of Fame based solely on deeds and accomplishments - without any name association involved in the process.

The nominees are:

PLAYER A - A two-time Olympic gold medal-winner . . . Played for three NBA teams in 16 years . . . Scored 23,757 points . . . Shot 54 percent from the field . . . A former MVP . . . Averaged 23 points in 123 playoff games . . . Never won a championship . . . Played in one NBA Finals series . . . An 11-time All-Star.

PLAYER B - A two-time All-American . . . An Olympic gold medal-winner . . . Played on seven NBA teams in 15 years . . . Scored 23,177 points . . . Shot 54 percent from the field . . . Averaged 21.3 points in 73 playoff games . . . Never won an NBA championship . . . Played in one NBA Finals . . . A six-time All-Star.

PLAYER C - A second-team All-American . . . Played 15 years with the same NBA team . . . Scored 16,401 points . . . Shot 46 percent from the field . . . Averaged 15.6 points in 112 playoff games . . . Won two NBA championships . . . A six-time All-Star . . . Now a successful NBA executive.

PLAYER D - A two-time second-team All-American . . . Played for five teams in 15 years . . . Scored 26,668 points . . . Shot 46.1 percent from the field . . . Averaged 25.4 points on 42 percent shooting in 56 playoff games . . . Never played in a conference final or NBA Final . . . A nine-time All-Star .

That's it.

Now, name the three players who were voted into the Hall of Fame this week and the one who was not.

Tough, isn't it?

All four players have roughly the same credentials. All four belong in the Hall of Fame.

But - again - Adrian Dantley did not get in.

Hall of Fame voters bypassed Dantley for the fourth time. Instead, they elected Charles Barkley (Player A), Joe Dumars (Player C) and Dominique Wilkins (Player D).

Hey, it' not always about qualifications.

Just ask former Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura, the pro wrestler who body-slammed his way into office.

Obviously, elections are often about personalities, perceptions and the stage on which someone performs.

Don't get me wrong.

Barkley, Dumars and Wilkins undeniably belong in the Hall of Fame. But Dantley belongs, too.

Perhaps A.D.'s rocky relationship with former Jazz coach, GM and well-liked funny man Frank Layden still haunts him - even though it shouldn't.

"A long time ago," Layden said, "I made it clear that bygones are bygones. Let's give this guy his due."

The spark to the ancient feud was Dantley's holdout prior to the 1984-85 season.

"If I had it to do over again, he never would have held out," Layden said. "I would give him the money. But for some reason - at the time - I thought I was doing the right thing."

Perhaps it wasn't as much a Layden-Dantley feud as a clash between Layden and powerful agent David Falk.

"I allowed my relationship with Falk to affect my relationship with Adrian," Layden said. "I fought Falk to the point where we both got stubborn [and] Dantley was the pawn. That's when our relationship became strained."

Pondering today's NBA, where nobody scores as efficiently as Dantley, Layden shakes his head.

He saw a recent Jazz game when Memo Okur and Carlos Boozer each scored 30 points.

"We had a guy who averaged 30," Layden said. "Now a guy scores 30 and it's headlines and everybody's ecstatic. . . . One thing I always said when we had Adrian: 'It was like starting the game ahead 30-0.' "

Sounds like another Hall of Fame recommendation.