Pippen, Malone Headline List of 2010 Hall of Fame Nominees

A year after longtime coach Jerry Sloan and longtime pick-and-roll partner John Stockton were admitted to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, Karl Malone headlines the list of 2010 nominees. The committee released its list today as All-Star festivities kick off in Dallas.

Scottie Pippen, six-time NBA champion and one of the all-time great defenders, is the other shoe-in for Hall admission. Pippen's own partner-in-crime, Michael Jordan, made the Hall last year. Elsewhere, Warriors icons Don Nelson and Chris Mullin -- both snubbed in 2009's balloting -- will be up for a vote. Nelson's case hasn't exactly gotten better over the past 365, but the absence of a Sloan on the ballot might make consideration more palatable for some voters. (The two other coaches up for a vote -- Tex Winter, architect of the Triangle offense and mentor to Phil Jackson, and legendary high school coach Bob Hurley -- seem like strong prospects for admission.)

It's a crime Cynthia Cooper didn't get into the Hall last year, and it'd be a crime if she missed out this year. Sonics and Celtics hero Dennis Johnson always has a strong case. Bernard King has one too, but he's been a nominee since 2004, and I've never seen much a groundswell of support.

The 1992 "Dream Team" was inducted into the United States Olympic Committee's Hall of Fame last August as a part of the push for Chicago's 2016 Olympic bid; the Dream Team is a finalist for the 2010 Naismith Hall, too, and will surely be inducted.

More questionable is the 1960 gold medal team. The squad is considered the best pre-1992 U.S. team ever assembled -- Jerry West, Oscar Robertson, Walt Bellamy and Jerry Lucas won gold easily, beating Brazil by 27 points in the title game. But the selection process for that team was mired in racial politics. In his autobiography Unguarded, Lenny Wilkens, who graduated from Providence in 1960, alleged that he and other black players were looked over while inferior white players made the squad. Wilkens said the program obviously couldn't get away with leaving Robertson or Bellamy off, but didn't want an overwhelming number of black players on such a prolific stage. (It's worth noting that Wilkens quotes 1960 coach Pete Newell as being frustrated Wilkens was left off the team, and also that Wilkens later coached the 1996 men's national team.)

Here is the full list of 2010 Hall of Fame nominees:

Scottie Pippen
Karl Malone
Chris Mullin
Dennis Johnson
Bernard King
Jamaal Wilkes
Don Nelson (as coach)
Tex Winter (as coach)
Bob Hurley (as coach)
Jerry Buss (as contributor)
Vladimir Kondrashin (international; as coach)
Maciel "Ubiratan" Pereira (internationa)
Cynthia Cooper
Harley Redin
Richie Guerin
Gus Johnson
1960 U.S. men's national team
1992 U.S. men's national team
The All-American Redheads (team)