Nissalke said he couldn't understand why Dantley picked up a bad rap as a player — the most famous feud, of course, being with coach Frank Layden — or someone who was "surly" or selfish.

"He's just a guy who takes himself and the game very, very seriously and he's still that way as a coach," Nissalke said of the current Denver Nuggets assistant coach.

Along with praising Dantley's work ethic, Nissalke lauds the ball-spinning, smooth-shooting, undersized forward for his "impeccable footwork" and his uncanny ability to get to the free-throw line.

All that helped the 6-foot-4 Dantley average 24.3 points on 54-percent shooting over his 15-year NBA career.

"You used to hear players say he shot too much," Nissalke said. "But I can't think of a guy I'd rather have shooting the ball than him."

Just like he can't think of a guy who's more deserving of finally making the Hall of Fame, either.

Adrian Dantley file

6-5, 210 pounds, small forward

Born: Feb. 28, 1956

High school: DeMatha Catholic

College: Notre Dame

NBA teams: Buffalo Braves (1976-77); Indiana Pacers (1977-78); Los Angeles Lakers (1978-79); Utah Jazz (1979-1986); Detroit Pistons (1986-89); Dallas Mavericks (1988-90); Milwaukee Bucks (1990-91)

NBA games: 955

Points: 23,177

Scoring average: 24.3 ppg

FG percentage: 0.540

Rebounds: 5.7 rpg

Career highlights: Inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame on Friday after being a finalist six times ... Six-time NBA All-Star ... Named 1976-77 NBA Rookie of the Year ... 1984 NBA Comeback Player of the Year while leading Jazz to first division title and first playoff spot ... Averaged 29.58 points in 461 games with the Jazz ... Ninth-highest scorer in NBA history at the time of his retirement in 1991 ... Led gold-medal winning U.S. team in scoring during 1976 Olympics ... All-American at DeMatha and Notre Dame ... Finished pro career in Italy with Breeze Milan ... Began coaching career as an assistant at Towson State University in Maryland.

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E-mail: jody@desnews.com