Chicago Bulls Well Represented in 2012 Hall of Fame Class

The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2012 will gain three men who were involved with the Chicago Bulls in one way or another over their careers. 

They are basketball player Chet Walker, former general manager Pat Williams and beat writer Sam Smith. 

They are in, while former coach Dick Motta is a finalist. 

Former general manager Jerry Krause and assistant coach Johnny Bach did not make the final ballot. 

Here's more information on the Bulls' Hall of Fame inductees. 

Swingman Chet Walker

Chet Walker was one heck of a baller, so the veteran's committee voted him through already before the April 2 vote. 

The 6'6" swingman played at Bradley University for three years in college, averaging 24.4 points and 12.3 rebounds on 55.3 percent shooting. The Syracuse Nationals then drafted Walker with the 12th pick in the 1962 NBA draft. 

The Jet balled one year at Syracause and then played six years with the Philadelphia 76ers, being a member of the legendary 1966-67 championship team with Wilt Chamberlain. Walker was a two-time All-Star with the 76ers. 

Walker then played his final six seasons with the Bulls from 1969-75 along with Chicago greats Jerry Sloan, Norm Van Lier and Bob Love. He scored 9,788 points (5th all-time), 2,898 rebounds and 1,107 assists as a Bull. 

Walker made the All-Star Game four times with Chicago. 

Overall, Walker averaged 18.1 points, 7.1 rebounds and 2.3 assists a game while shooting 47 percent from the field during his 13-year career. He made the All-Star Game six times in his career.  

Former General Manager Pat Williams

Pat Williams will receive the John W. Bunn Lifetime Achievement Award.

He was the Chicago Bulls general manager from 1969-73 when the franchise was just getting it's start. 

Williams' first move was trading Bob Kauffman and Jim Washington to the Philadelphia 76ers for Shaler Halimon and Chet Walker. Walker was a highly effective player who made a huge difference in the Bulls' frontcourt. 

In 1971, Williams traded for another Chicago great in Norm Van Lier, a tenacious point guard who played stellar defense. Van Lier played seven effective seasons with the Bulls, going to three All-Star Games and making seven NBA All-Defensive Teams (four second team and three first team). 

Williams then got Hall of Famers Julius Erving,  Moses Malone and Charles Barkley during his 76ers tenure (1974-86), which helped win the 1982-83 NBA title. 

He was also the Orlando Magic's first general manager (1989-96) who drafted future Hall of Famer Shaquille O'Neal and traded for Anfernee "Penny" Hardaway, who played six strong seasons for the Magic.

Orlando made the 1995 NBA Finals. 

Former Chicago Tribune Writer Sam Smith

Former Chicago Tribune writer Sam Smith will receive the Curt Gowdy Media Award and be enshrined in the media wing. 

Smith worked 28 years at the newspaper, including covering the Chicago Bulls during their six titles in the 1990s. 

Smith, who David Stern said was an "invaluable chronicler" of the last Golden Age of basketball, penned a New York Times best seller called The Jordan Rules (about the 1990-91 championship run) and Second Coming: The Strange Odyssey of Michael Jordan from Courtside to Home Plate and Back Again (about Jordan's first retirement and successsful comeback). 

In 2002, Smith proposed that the Bulls trade Ron Artest and Brad Miller to the Indiana Pacers for Jalen Rose. That trade eventually happened. 

He also is an NBA writer for the Sporting News. 

After receiving a buyout from the Chicago Tribune in 2008, Smith has since written for Bulls.com. 

Former Coach and HOF Finalist Dick Motta

Dick Motta is a finalist on the Hall of Fame ballot and has a good chance of being voted in. 

Motta was the Chicago Bulls coach from 1968-77, coaching Hall of Famers in Chet Walker and Artis Gilmore. He led the Bulls to the playoffs six times and made the conference finals twice. He was voted NBA Coach of the Year in 1970-71. 

Motta went on to coach the Washington Bullets (1976-80), the then-expansion Dallas Mavericks (1980-87, 94-96), the Sacramento Kings (1987-92) and the Denver Nuggets (1996-97). He has the 10th most wins by an NBA coach with 935 victories while bringing the underdog 1977-78 Bullets an NBA championship. 

Another Hall of Famer Motta coached was Washington Bullet great Wes Unseld.

Bob Bajek is a featured columnist for the Chicago Bulls. He is also a freelance reporter and can be followed on Patch.com and Twitter.