During his pregame meeting with the media tonight, Arizona legend Steve Kerrheaved some gaudy praise on another Wildcat legend.
A reporter asked Kerr about Andre Iguodala’sreputation for delivering clutch performances in the playoffs.
“He’s probably a future Hall of Famer,” Kerr said.
Arizona coaching legend Lute Olsonhas been inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame at Springfield, Mass., but no former player has achieved the honor.
Kerr, who someday will likely make it to the Hall of Fame as a coach, believes the idea is not far-fetched of Iguodala making it that far despite being mostly a reserve role player presently.
“He’s a Finals MVP, All-Star, Olympian,” Kerr said. “There’s really not anything else you can do in this sport. So, Andre is a great player.”
The argument against Iduodala: He’s never made an All-NBA team and has been an All-Star only once. His career averages: 12.6 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.4 assists.
The argument for Iguodala: When Iguodala joined Golden State almost five years ago, he was one of just 12 players to average at least 15 points, 5.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.5 steals over the course of his first nine NBA seasons. Nine players on that list are now Hall of Famers and another is a probable future Hall of Famer — Russell Westbrook— and the other is an accomplished player — Steve Francis.
Steve Kerr praising fellow former Arizona standout Andre Iguodala after the Warriors' win today. https://t.co/yo7vxJS1Wy
— Javier Morales (@JavierJMorales) May 6, 2018
Most impressive: Iguodala, who signed a three-year, $48 million deal with the Warriors last summer, is on course to join Kobe Bryant, Paul Pierceand LeBron Jamesas the only players in NBA history to notch 12,000 points, 5,000 rebounds, 4,500 assists, 1,500 steals, 500 blocks and 1,000 three-pointers.
If James had a vote, he’d likely put Iguodala in the Hall of Fame. Iguodala’s defense on James was an important reason why he earned NBA Finals MVP in 2015 when the Warriors beat the Cavaliers for the title. Iguodala was also an integral member of the Warriors’ championship team last year over James and the Cavaliers.
“(Iguodala) is kind of like a Swiss Army knife for us, playing four different positions, actually,” Kerr said. “He plays a lot of power forward for us. It’s great to coach Andre because he is not only a gifted player but just a great team guy.
“He just wants to win, doesn’t care about numbers, and he’s been brilliant in this postseason.”
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