Maurice Cheeks is NOT a Hall of Famer

The Basketball Hall of Fame has always been the easiest of the professional Hall of Fames to get into. That is not to say that an enshrinement in Springfield is meaningless, but the barrier to entry is indisputably lower than it is in Canton or Cooperstown.

On Thursday, it was announced that Jason Kidd, Grant Hill, Steve Nash, and Maurice Cheeks would be a part of the Basketball Hall of Fame's 2018 class. Kidd and Nash were no brainers. Grant was uncertain in my mind due to injuries, but he squeaked in. Maurice Cheeks on the other hand was an unfathomable inclusion. I am not one to throw shade at another individual for their accomplishments, but the inclusion of Maurice Cheeks just opened a Pandora’s box that I am not sure the NBA community has fully realized.

Here are the facts: Maurice Cheeks played 15 seasons in the NBA. He was a four time All-Star, five-time all-defensive performer, and averaged 11.1 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 6.7 assists per game over the course of his career. Those are not Hall of Fame numbers, I’m sorry. Those might not even be Hall of Very Good numbers.

With the addition of Cheeks, you must say that Rajon Rondo is a Hall of Famer. Rondo is also a four time All-Star, four-time all-defensive performer, and has averaged 10.5 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 8.5 assists per games throughout his career thus far. The enshrinement of Cheeks no longer makes Chris Bosh a fringe candidate. CB is a lock. Same goes for Deron Williams and Jamal Crawford and Joe Johnson and likely a handful of ther good, but not great NBA players.

The standards for inclusion to NBA immortality have been lowered with Maurice Cheeks being put into the Hall of Fame. Sure, it’s great that an honorable NBA lifer receives such a distinct honor, but there comes a point in time that including anybody worth a damn as a player diminishes the meaning of basketball’s sacred space.