Boone: Dantley belongs in Hall

OAKLAND — Retired numbers honoring former Jazz players John Stockton, Karl Malone, Jeff Hornacek, Mark Eaton, Darrell Griffith and Pete Maravich — plus another for retired coach and general manager Frank Layden — hang at EnergySolutions Arena.

One has been noticeably absent for quite some time.

But on Wednesday night the No. 4 belonging to Adrian Dantley will join the rest, and one of Dantley's former teammates is particularly ready to see it go up.

"If you look at all the (players') numbers that are retired up there," former guard and current franchise television broadcast analyst Ron Boone said before Utah's late-starting visit with Golden State on Monday night, "I don't think anyone other than John and Karl did any more for this franchise than Adrian Dantley."

Dantley played seven seasons with the Jazz, and Boone was there for the first two, starting in 1979. The two also were teammates before then with the Los Angeles Lakers, which is when Boone got to know Dantley well.

"He was quiet, and, to a certain degree, I think, he was shy and really didn't trust a lot of people," Boone said. "He and I became good friends. We talked basketball all the time, life, NBA, all of those things.

"But Adrian was not a vocal leader. ... I don't think he was the greatest practice player, (either), but when you put him on the floor he performed and got the job done."

Boone suggested he also counts himself among the many who wonder why Dantley, now an assistant coach with the Nuggets, has not yet been elected to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.

"Maybe," Boone said, "it's because when he became of age, it was with a team (the Jazz) that didn't win — that didn't have a lot of success early. (But) I think eventually he will get in."

ALUMNI UPDATE: Former Jazz and Warriors forward Donyell Marshall, now with the Cleveland Cavaliers, is going back to college.

"The plan is to get my degree by the time my contract ends," Marshall, who has two years left remaining on his current deal, told the Cleveland Plain Dealer. "If a team still wants me, I can re-sign. If not, I can go into pro or college coaching."

Marshall left the University of Connecticut after his junior year, and reportedly is about 50 hours shy of a degree. He intends to do coursework both on campus and on the Internet, and hopes to serve as an inspiration for his children.