Not Miller's time?

The list of finalists for the Basketball Hall of Fame recently was announced. It's not a list that's going to blow anyone away. There are no iconic names, like Jordan, Barkley, Malone or Robinson. And it is that fact that makes Reggie Miller's omission all the more puzzling.

Reggie Miller, who until a week or so ago was the all-time leading 3-point shooter in NBA history, Spike Lee's nemesis, one of the best ice-water-in-his-veins shooters the game has known, is not a Hall of Famer?

Most agree that Miller's time eventually will come, which is one of my many issues with halls of fame (if you're not a Hall of Famer when you're first eligible, why are you a Hall of Famer two or three or 14 years later?). Had guys like Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley, Karl Malone or David Robinson been on the ballot this year, Miller being left out would make a bit of sense.

But these are the guys who were deemed more worthy than Miller (followed by some commentary): Dennis Rodman (did one thing, rebound; couldn't score unless it was a putback; averaged 7 points a game in his career), Chris Mullin (can't argue with it; this has more to do with his collegiate accomplishments at St. John's than his long and respectable NBA career, although he was on the original Dream Team), Ralph Sampson (again, college-based induction as he was a three-time national player of the year), Jamaal Wilkes (four-time NBA champion and former UCLA star with whom I'm not too familiar).

It's true that Miller never won a title, or an MVP award. But this is the Hall of Fame, and Miller is more famous than any of the guys who were named finalists. It's not that they don't deserve to be in, but Miller should be in with them. Not next year or in a few years, but now.