Delving into a serious question – does OKC Thunder big man Nick Collison belong in the Basketball Hall of Fame?
Whoa wait, I know what you are thinking, but bear with me. This is not click-bait. Granted, it is a debate best suited for August and most definitely worthy of our consideration. Does beloved Mr. Thunder belong in the NBA hall of fame? The immediate reactionary response is – well, no. But, it is important to remember when reading this: The NBA does not have a Hall of Fame. Rather, Spring Field, Massachusetts houses the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
The glorious basketball sanctuary plays host to all kinds of players and coaches. No matter if your hay-day comes in the college ranks, or at the NBA level. The Hall is littered with players who might catch the eye funny. The Mitch Richmond’s of the world, Calvin Murphy’s, and Ralph Sampson’s of the world
Ralph Sampson is a nice place to use as a comparison. Like Collison, Sampson dominated the college basketball hardwood before winning rookie of the year. Outside of that, Sampson posted 7,000 career points, with 4,000 total rebounds in his injury riddled career. Many believed Sampson could turn into an all-timer, but we have to just use the information in front of us.
Collison totaled 5,359-career points. He hauled in 4,701 career rebounds. His dominance came with the dirty work, which hurts his Hall of Fame effort. The big man set some of the nastiest screens in NBA History, building a brick wall for his star-studded teammates like Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant.
So does Nick Collison deserve a spot in the Basketball Hall of Fame? Let’s take a journey through his career, and decide together.
The Jayhawk years:
After playing in a small Iowa town, and dominating high school basketball, Collison finally caught a break. Then Jayhawks head coach Roy Williams offered Nick Collison a scholarship to come play basketball for the best program in college basketball. When the Jayhawks call rarely do players hang up. Collison enrolled at KU in 1999, his freshman season was a great one.
His 10-points and 6.9-rebounds per game as a freshmen proved Collison was a leader, with great talent. Along side NBA talents like Drew Gooden and Kirk Hinrich, the Jayhawks finished 24-10 in his freshman campaign.
His sophomore year, Collison saw a bump in offensive production. Dominating down low, Nick posted 14-points per game, with again 6.7-rebounds. He kept that pace for his junior season where he turned in a 15-points per game effort with 8-rebounds.
Collison the KU Senior makes his mark:
Finally, his Senior year at Kansas rolled around. For one final time, Collison will don the blue and red in Lawrence. This is where he truly took off. The forward born in Iowa scored 18-points per contest! He added 10-rebounds a game.
His Senior Year the Jayhawks won 14-games only dropping two contests all year in conference play. Led by Kirk Hinrich and of course Nick Collison the Jayhawks found themselves in the NCAA title game. They lost that contest to Carmelo Anthony and the Syracuse Orange. Nick Collison led the 2002-03 Jayhawks in both points and rebounds.
Alas Collison’s college career ends without a title, but he brought home a few other awards. Nick won the Big 12 player of the year award in his senior campaign. He was a consensus All American, a two-time all region player, and was listed on the NCAA All-Tourney team.
Texas point guard T.J. Ford won the John Wooden player of the year award in 2002-03, and you could make the argument (maybe wrongfully so), that award should’ve been given to Nick Collison.
But, Collison again was overshadowed by a flashier player, at a more appreciated position. We would soon learn that will be the trend of his career.
Draft Night 2003:
With the 12th pick in the 2003 NBA Draft, the Seattle SuperSonics used their selection on Nick Collison. He called Seattle home from the 2004-05 campaign up until the team relocated to Oklahoma City.
Collison speaks fondly of the city, and fans in Seattle even after the teams departure. Like the fans in Iowa Falls, Iowa, and Lawrence, Kansas the fans in Seattle also loved their newly found big man.
Notably, Collison’s true rookie season began in 2004 due a shoulder injury which caused him to red shirt his drafted season. When Collison returned healthy in 2004-05 to begin his rookie journey, Nick played in all 82-games. He averaged 5-points per contest, to pair with his 5-rebound average.
That 2004-05 Sonics team won 52-games and won the Northwest division under head coach Nate McMillan. Lead by Ray Allen that Sonics team had a ton of unsung heroes that included a pair of players with now OKC Thunder ties.
Of course Mr. Thunder, Nick Collison made an impact. But so did Antonio Daniels who now hosts the Thunder pre=and-post game shows on Fox Sports Oklahoma. That team made it to the second round before being bounced by the San Antonio Spurs.
Sadly for Sonics fans, the most amount of success Collison saw in Seattle came in their last season. In the 2007-08 campaign, Nick posted 9.8-points per game. His rebound numbers sky-rocketed to 9.4-per game.
Despite that team being headlined by Nick Collison, Jeff Green, and Kevin Durant, the Sonics won just 20-games under P.J. Carlesimo which led to the Sonics drafting Russell Westbrook before they bolted for Oklahoma City.
For Nick Collison, his biggest point per game season in Oklahoma City, came during the worst season in Thunder history. It was also the first season in Bricktown. That year, the team practiced in a converted skating rink, shuffled coaches, and lost 59-games. What was the highest points per game for Collison in OKC you might ask? Oh, 8.2-points per game.
Nick Collison never complained about the move. He never got down after practicing in the aforementioned skating rink, and he adjusted to every role the Thunder threw at him.
Most importantly, Nick Collison represented all of Oklahoma. He was not the most talented. He was not the flashiest. He did not get the respect and attention of the national media, or even the local media. He was quiet, he was calm, and he worked hard. Constantly being overlooked, his worth not being valued, and his kindness being mistaken for weakness.
That is all of the traits Oklahoma, a fly over state as described by many, and their citizens share with Collison. Collison, like most Thunder players always took his lunch pail to work. He never made waves, he never big leagued anyone, and you always knew what you would get from him each night. There is something to be said for that.
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- Aleksej Pokusevski sidelined approximately 6 weeks with ankle injury
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There was that glorious 2011-12 campaign. The year the Thunder made the NBA Finals. In that season, Nick Collison averaged 7-points and 7-rebounds per 36-minutes. Collison posted a 3.5 in the Win Shares column. He had just a 10-percent usage rate, and he won 12-percent of the rebounds available to him. During that playoff run, Nick Collison had a 125-ORtg per 100 possessions, the highest of his career.
Nick Collison played a big role in the team’s success, and any player throughout OKC Thunder history will preach that.
Years from now. Five, ten, or even twenty. When you take your child, or even grandchild to Chesapeake Energy Arena, or whatever the arena is called at that time. The little child with you, bright-eyed, and bushy-tailed looks up to the rafters of the what feels like massive place where massive men play basketball. He or she turns to you after seeing the number 4 cling to the ceiling asks you why?
Well, Why is Nick Collison (going to be) in the rafters?
Is it a tribute to rim rattling dunks? No.
Three point splashes? Try again.
Behind the back Passes? Not even close.
Third Row Rejections? Probably not, considering the big man never even averaged one block per game.
Nick Collison will be in the rafters due to his insane fundamentals, selflessness, and effort.
Nick Collison will be in the rafters due to the bloody forehead game. Diving for loose balls, setting hard screens, dishing out hard fouls, and being in the right place at the right time.
Nick Collison will be in the rafters for accepting his role. For loving the people of Oklahoma City as they did him. Nick Collison will be in the rafters for being a leader, a mentor, and the first gray head in Thunder Basketball History.
The Basketball Hall of Fame has a few eye brow raising players. Of course, this includes players recognized for their college and some cases high school careers. For Nick Collison he will have to claw his way into the Hall if he ever hopes to reach that goal.
However, he is pretty content with his career, as he should be. Collison is one of the most underrated and under-appreciated players in NBA History. He will go down as one of the best players in a franchise history. That alone is a strong case to get someone into the Hall of Fame. You can not tell the story of the Oklahoma City Thunder without Nick Collison.
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- Stealing one player from every Southwest Division team for the OKC Thunder
- Should the OKC Thunder chase after a disgruntled hometown hero?
- 3 OKC Thunder players who can step up in Aleksej Pokusevski’s absence
- Aleksej Pokusevski sidelined approximately 6 weeks with ankle injury
- Damian Lillard does not fit with the OKC Thunder
Even with the rich history of Kansas Basketball, Nick Collison is one of the all time Jayhawks. Some have Collison as high as top-5, the lowest any reasonable person could slot Collison in for is top-ten all time for Kansas. Again, you can not even tell the full story of Kansas University Basketball without Collison.
Maurice “Mo” Cheeks, Thunder assistant coach got inducted to the Hall of Fame in this years cycle. He averaged 11-points in his NBA career, to go with his 6 dimes per game. Those numbers do not scream Hall of Famer. The Basketball Hall of Fame is much deeper than the numbers. Like Collison, Cheeks has a deeper story than his stat-line indicates.
His impact came where the stat sheet does not venture, or at least venture very well. Cheeks was an incredible defender and helped his team win on that side of the floor.
If took Mo Cheeks a few attempts to reach the Hall of Fame, and it will be the same way for Collison if he ever gets in. But does he deserve it? I’d say so.
Sure Nick Collison does not have the hardware. He was a key part to the Thunder getting to their first ever, and lone finals appearance to date, but the team did not win it. They also do not hand out awards for hardest screens set, most time hitting the deck for a loose ball, or hardest fouls. They do not give awards for mentoring young players, and they do not give awards for being scrappy.
However, Nick Collison is on the all-NBA glue team. He kept teams together, kept players within themselves, and did the dirty work. In College he shined, and led his team on and off the court. He did not lead the University of Iowa, or the University of Arkansas State. Nick Collison led the University of Kansas, which is an extremely tough task.
Do you think Mr. Thunder deserves a spot in the Basketball Hall of Fame? Leave a comment on this article or send me a tweet about it!