Rank: top5 centers in the NBA not named Bynum/Dwight

[BlueandGold]

So it's no secret that there are by far a shortage of decent centers in the league today. Blame the rule changes, league getting softer, players becoming more selfish etc. With the centers that are in the league however, rank the top5 in the league that you believe are the best at that position. Also don't include Dwight/Bynum as 1/2 because that's pretty much a given.

Mine is:

1. Marc Gasol
2. Al Jefferson
3. Tyson Chandler
4. Roy Hibbert
5. Okafur/Lopez/others (?)

After bynum and dwight it's almost a wash for the top3 centers after those 2. Gasol, Jefferson, Chandler or Hibbert is almost a coin flip, depending on who is healthy. It's even more uncertain after that.

[Levity]

dmc
marc
tyson
hibbert
al jeff/horford? though, he is a pf, hes been playiing c for the past few seasons.

a couple other that may make that rise in the rankings
mcgee is looking to improve this season. Nene, who if healthy, its interesting to see how he'll play next season. monroe is ever improving. pekovic played great last sesaon, but hurt his ankle and missed some time. he should improve this season as well.

[Yung D-Will]

Contrary to popular belief, Demarcus Cousins isn't ever going to be anything better than an average center.

Pekovich or whatever his name is, is really underrated.

[DTreats]

Bynum/Howard
Howard/Bynum

Then it's

Marc Gasol
Tyson Chandler
Joakim Noah
DeAndre Jordan

[guy]

1. KG
2. Gasol
3. Horford
4. Hibbert
5. Chandler

I'm going by what position we expect them to play this coming year so that would include KG and Horford.

[BlueandGold]

Bynum/Howard
Howard/Bynum

Then it's

Marc Gasol
Tyson Chandler
Joakim Noah
DeAndre Jordan
What has noah done recently? Jordan is like a 9/6 type of energy center who just relies mostly on dunks.. Gasol/Jefferson/Chandler somewhat and Hibbert all have the ability to contain the entire package. I'm talking overall the best centers in the league.

[TheCorporation]

Marc Gasol
Tyson Chandler
Roy Hibbert
Martin Gortat
Joel Anthony

[CavaliersFTW]

Marc Gasol
Tyson Chandler
Roy Hibbert
Martin Gortat
Joel Anthony
please tell me your trolling...

[Pushxx]

First of all, people have a hard time understanding that KG and TD are now centers.

Second of all, there is better depth at center than small forward. The SF position is disgustingly weak right now.

[RRR3]

First of all, people have a hard time understanding that KG and TD are now centers.

Second of all, there is better depth at center than small forward. The SF position is disgustingly weak right now.
This. Shooting guard is even worse though.


Top 5 after D12 and drew

Kg
Big al
Marc
TD
Horford



Chandler and Noah are overrated as hell.

[TheAesirsFinest]

What has noah done recently? Jordan is like a 9/6 type of energy center who just relies mostly on dunks.. Gasol/Jefferson/Chandler somewhat and Hibbert all have the ability to contain the entire package. I'm talking overall the best centers in the league.

His passing out of the high-post is essential for the Bulls.

[Legends66NBA7]

The Atlantic Division has the deepest depth of starting centers vs opposing divisions:

Sixers - Andrew Bynum
Celtics - Kevin Garnett
Knicks - Tyson Chandler
Nets - Brook Lopez
Raptors - Jonas Valancinuas

Hopefully, Lopez will bounce back to form and Jonas should be a Rookie of the Year candidate all year long.

[RRR3]

The Atlantic Division has the deepest depth of starting centers vs opposing divisions:

Sixers - Andrew Bynum
Celtics - Kevin Garnett
Knicks - Tyson Chandler
Nets - Brook Lopez
Raptors - Jonas Valancinuas

Hopefully, Lopez will bounce back to form and Jonas should be a Rookie of the Year candidate all year long.
Jonas=poor mans nesterovic













;p
Jk

[Legends66NBA7]

Jonas=poor mans nesterovic

http://www.insidehoops.com/forum/image.php?u=119&dateline=1325186804

[DuMa]

Im shocked at the disrespect Bogut is getting.

[Levity]

Im shocked at the disrespect Bogut is getting.

He barely played last season, and missed time the 2 seasons prior. but i agree, healthy bogut is a top 5 center.... well, he at least better than a lot of the names being dropped in this thread.

[ScalabrineStan]

It seems that the lack of depth at center is kind of a fallacy. Think about it..

Starting Center's who deserve respect include:

Dwight
Bynum
Bogut
Horford
Jefferson
Gasol
Chandler
Gortat
Pekovic
Kaman
Hibbert
Noah
DMC
Lopez
Garnet
Duncan
Verajao
Nene
McGee
Perkins (sorta)

That's pretty deep if you ask me. I'd doubt SF and SG are as deep

[MrWarrior]

It seems that the lack of depth at center is kind of a fallacy. Think about it..

Starting Center's who deserve respect include:

Dwight
Bynum
Bogut
Horford
Jefferson
Gasol
Chandler
Gortat
Pekovic
Kaman
Hibbert
Noah
DMC
Lopez
Garnet
Duncan
Verajao
Nene
McGee
Perkins (sorta)

That's pretty deep if you ask me. I'd doubt SF and SG are as deep

When people talk about lack of depth at the center position in this era, they probably mean dominance, such as star players. Ala Dwight Howard.

[Smoke117]

Im shocked at the disrespect Bogut is getting.

No shit. A healthy Bogut is easily the 3rd best center in the league behind Howard and Bynum. He's a great defensive center...easily the 2nd best TRUE defensive center (as Garnett is playing out of position), a very good rebounder, and decent offensive player (was averaging 15.9ppg on .520% before the arm injury in 2010). In 2011 his scoring dropped because he basically was afraid to use his right arm that he mangled and was barely using it in the post. That happens to a lot of players coming back after horrific injuries like he had. He should have broken through the mental barrier of that by now. His ankle is supposed to be 100% by the start of the season and this is the first time since Nate Thurmond and the 70s that the Warriors have actually had a defensive minded big man to anchor their defense and can actually start playing some defensive minded ball. I wouldn't go as far to say Bogut is just "injury prone". The way he fell and crushed his arm was just a freak accident. Never saw what happened with his ankle, but I think he can recover and would like to see him recover as he's one of the top Centers in the league when he's actually on the court healthy and confident in his abilities.

[ralph_i_el]

Marc Gasol
TD
Chandler
Bogut
DMC

[Yung D-Will]

When people talk about lack of depth at the center position in this era, they probably mean dominance, such as star players. Ala Dwight Howard.
Well hopefully Andrew Bynum makes the leap to a top 10 player next season in Philly, then it won't be such a weak era for centers.

[wally_world]

Marc Gasol
Al Horford
DeMarcus Cousins
Tyson Chandler
Greg Monroe

Roy Hibbert will be on most lists, but he is overrated imo

[BlackVVaves]

Did someone really put Deandre Jordan on his list? :roll:

[RRR3]

Al Jefferson continues to be the most underrated player on ISH. ROFLMAO @ Scrubakim Noah or Tyson Scrubler being better than him

[Snoop_Cat]

First of all, people have a hard time understanding that KG and TD are now centers.

Second of all, there is better depth at center than small forward. The SF position is disgustingly weak right now.

The small forward spot isn't that bad. The best players in the league play the 3 along with a top 10 player in Carmelo Anthony. Then you have solid players in guys like Granger, Gay, Iguodala, Pierce. Depth is a bit lacking but the best of the crop is VERY good.

The position with even less depth right now is shooting guard. We have Kobe and Wade that's slowly leaving their prime. Next best thing is guys old ass Ginobili, Joe Johnson, Eric Gordon. Lolz.

[dyna]

Gasol
KG
Chandler
Duncan
Bogut
Jefferson

[BlueandGold]

He barely played last season, and missed time the 2 seasons prior. but i agree, healthy bogut is a top 5 center.... well, he at least better than a lot of the names being dropped in this thread.
I was gonna put him in there as well.. too many injuries though so I left him out

and FYI: gasol, KG, B. Griffin are NOT centers. Gasol is probably the closest at 7'0 but his lack of upper body strength (he has some, but lacking compared to legit NBA center standards) has him naturally playing the 4 instead of the 5. KG and Griffin aren't even close. I don't even remember the last time (if any) KG played the 5.


Al Jefferson continues to be the most underrated player on ISH. ROFLMAO @ Scrubakim Noah or Tyson Scrubler being better than him

One of the most. Also check my OP.. I have Jefferson as the #2 best center after M.Gasol. (after bynum/dwight obviously)


Did someone really put Deandre Jordan on his list?

Yea I know :facepalm



Whats crazy, is I've seen games where he has 9/6 in the first quarter. Picks up some cheap fouls and ends the game with 2 more buckets and some rebounds.


Ive seen games where the clippers are playing the spurs (?) and the best player on the floor in the first 6 minutes is DJ and hes outshining the 2 allstar bigs. Doesnt make sense. This dude has flashes of a good big, but he has TOO MANY moments, TOO MUCH TIME, where he just looks nothing more than a decent back up center.

Yes I've seen flashes too but it's hard to determine whether their just flashes in the pan or the potential to be something much more consistent. Either way he's still playing 30+ minutes per game right? If he's not engaged it's either the head coach's fault or his.. and even if it was the head coach's fault a player with that much talent should still be able to do something on the court if he's out there for 30+ minutes a game.

[MJ(Mean John)]

What has noah done recently? Jordan is like a 9/6 type of energy center who just relies mostly on dunks.. Gasol/Jefferson/Chandler somewhat and Hibbert all have the ability to contain the entire package. I'm talking overall the best centers in the league.



Whats crazy, is I've seen games where he has 9/6 in the first quarter. Picks up some cheap fouls and ends the game with 2 more buckets and some rebounds.


Ive seen games where the clippers are playing the spurs (?) and the best player on the floor in the first 6 minutes is DJ and hes outshining the 2 allstar bigs. Doesnt make sense. This dude has flashes of a good big, but he has TOO MANY moments, TOO MUCH TIME, where he just looks nothing more than a decent back up center.

[magictricked]

D Jordan gets knocked off his game to easily. One minute he's a god among men next minute he looks lost. With time he'll be able to keep it up but right now his game is so one dimensional he has nothing to adjust to when things are not going his way. Not an uncommon problem for a young big man who's more a defensive minded player

[chips93]

Al Jefferson continues to be the most underrated player on ISH. ROFLMAO @ Scrubakim Noah or Tyson Scrubler being better than him

defense matters

[Pointguard]

Contrary to popular belief, Demarcus Cousins isn't ever going to be anything better than an average center.

Pekovich or whatever his name is, is really underrated.

DMC is already 18 and 11 in his second year. It took Bynum six years to get to his current status of 19 and 12. DMC doesn't even have his confidence up yet. Offensively, if he gets his confidence up he's easily going to score more than DH and Bynum. He's not average now and will average 12 or more boards for awhile. He does seem problematic but his ball handling and natural moves are vastly superior to DH's.

[Suckafree]

Horford really isn't that good.

[jalbert009]

and FYI: gasol, KG, B. Griffin are NOT centers. Gasol is probably the closest at 7'0 but his lack of upper body strength (he has some, but lacking compared to legit NBA center standards) has him naturally playing the 4 instead of the 5. KG and Griffin aren't even close. I don't even remember the last time (if any) KG played the 5.


Did you miss the ECF last year? :facepalm Because Im sure KG was playing Center a lot. When Jermaine and Wilcox went down KG pretty much became the starting 5 for Boston. Bostons starting 5 was

KG
Bass
Pierce
Bradley
Rondo

btw, KG was averaging 20/10 in the playoffs as a Center last post season.

[DaSeba5]

3. Bogut when healthy
4. Marc Gasol
5. Roy Hibbert
6. Kevin Garnett
7. This is where it gets hard. Al Jeff, Okafur, Cousins...

[Clippersfan86]

D Jordan gets knocked off his game to easily. One minute he's a god among men next minute he looks lost. With time he'll be able to keep it up but right now his game is so one dimensional he has nothing to adjust to when things are not going his way. Not an uncommon problem for a young big man who's more a defensive minded player

You and MJ are 100 percent spot on this. It's not rare for the guy to have nearly a double double by halftime. Then due to stupid fouls, being mentally off from teams adjusting or just losing focus he won't produce for the rest of the game and DOES indeed look very lost. I think people forget just how huge his impact is when his head is in the game though.

[UtahJazzFan88]

DMC is already 18 and 11 in his second year. It took Bynum six years to get to his current status of 19 and 12. DMC doesn't even have his confidence up yet. Offensively, if he gets his confidence up he's easily going to score more than DH and Bynum. He's not average now and will average 12 or more boards for awhile. He does seem problematic but his ball handling and natural moves are vastly superior to DH's.

He's averaging good numbers, but he's not getting his points really that efficiently, and it's on an awful team. I'd like to see the dude make winning plays on both sides of the ball, etc. A lot of players put up great numbers on terrible teams, like Al Jefferson did in Minnesota.

[Pointguard]

He's averaging good numbers, but he's not getting his points really that efficiently, and it's on an awful team. I'd like to see the dude make winning plays on both sides of the ball, etc. A lot of players put up great numbers on terrible teams, like Al Jefferson did in Minnesota.

Not centers. I can't remember the last center to average 18 ppg in their second year. You really have to go back for that - that's good trivia. And good centers are likely to start off on bad teams anyway. And like I said - he done it without much confidence or good team structure.

[blacknapalm]

He's averaging good numbers, but he's not getting his points really that efficiently, and it's on an awful team. I'd like to see the dude make winning plays on both sides of the ball, etc. A lot of players put up great numbers on terrible teams, like Al Jefferson did in Minnesota.

agreed. and he shoots less than 45% that is absolutely horrible for a center. he settles too much and shoots it 15+ times a game in an iso oriented offense. even rasheed wallace shot better than that most years and he was shooting 3's

anyway, my list:

3) bogut
4) gasol
5) hibbert
6) gortat
7) pekovic

note: not counting KG/duncan since they played PF most of their careers. if i had to though, KG would be at the top and duncan would probably slide ahead of pek

[SacJB Shady]

No shit. A healthy Bogut is easily the 3rd best center in the league behind Howard and Bynum. He's a great defensive center...easily the 2nd best TRUE defensive center (as Garnett is playing out of position), a very good rebounder, and decent offensive player (was averaging 15.9ppg on .520% before the arm injury in 2010). In 2011 his scoring dropped because he basically was afraid to use his right arm that he mangled and was barely using it in the post. That happens to a lot of players coming back after horrific injuries like he had. He should have broken through the mental barrier of that by now. His ankle is supposed to be 100% by the start of the season and this is the first time since Nate Thurmond and the 70s that the Warriors have actually had a defensive minded big man to anchor their defense and can actually start playing some defensive minded ball. I wouldn't go as far to say Bogut is just "injury prone". The way he fell and crushed his arm was just a freak accident. Never saw what happened with his ankle, but I think he can recover and would like to see him recover as he's one of the top Centers in the league when he's actually on the court healthy and confident in his abilities.



Absolutely.... And at one time bynum was not healthy. Bogut could arguably be the 2nd best when playing his A game. Bogut was 2nd best defensive player when healthy and maybe the best passing center.

When healthy Bogut can take on anybody not named Dwight Howard. The key word is when healthy. When healthy, nobody other than d12 has anything on bogut as far as toughness.

[Pointguard]

agreed. and he shoots less than 45% that is absolutely horrible for a center. he settles too much and shoots it 15+ times a game in an iso oriented offense. even rasheed wallace shot better than that most years and he was shooting 3's
anyway, my list:

3) bogut
4) gasol
5) hibbert
6) gortat
7) pekovic



Rasheed has never carried the burden of the offense nor could he. Demarcus doesn't get a lot of slams because he is the focus of the defense and in his youth doesn't know how to navigate the opposition yet. DH is the only other center really mentioned that carried the scoring burden of his team and he slams like crazy. Bogut, your boy, is in his prime and like seven years in, and he shot less than 45% last year with the defense being focused on perimeter players and in a structured system. Small sample but DMC will get better and is way futher along than all the guy you have listed at the same stage. Heck, nobody on your list (maybe Hibbert) is going to get 18 and 11 in their careers and most are in their prime now.

The only player that Orlando did not have DH guard was Demarcus in his rookie season. They believed he couldn't handle him when he won DPOY. DH is locking everybody else down.

[Sammyp]

Prime Bogut is without a doubt a top 3 center, and until the injuries was the ONLY centre who gave dwight trouble

[Cali Syndicate]

Pau deserves a mention. With Dwight out a month or so, I could see Pau getting his rep back up a bit.

I think Pekovic will have a good season.

[blacknapalm]

Rasheed has never carried the burden of the offense nor could he. Demarcus doesn't get a lot of slams because he is the focus of the defense and in his youth doesn't know how to navigate the opposition yet. DH is the only other center really mentioned that carried the scoring burden of his team and he slams like crazy. Bogut, your boy, is in his prime and like seven years in, and he shot less than 45% last year with the defense being focused on perimeter players and in a structured system. Small sample but DMC will get better and is way futher along than all the guy you have listed at the same stage. Heck, nobody on your list (maybe Hibbert) is going to get 18 and 11 in their careers and most are in their prime now.

The only player that Orlando did not have DH guard was Demarcus in his rookie season. They believed he couldn't handle him when he won DPOY. DH is locking everybody else down.

bogut couldn't even straighten his arm completely without pain last season so of course his FG% took a dip. for his career, he's at 52%. jennings is going to shoot a lot - he's a scoring guard. i wouldn't necessarily say the defense focuses on him. in fact, bogut is the one who gets doubled. he's also a far better passer and defender than cousins. bogut has finished top 10 in DPOY twice, something i can never see cousins doing. rebounding is about equal. cousins will impress me when he gets his FG% up and become more consistent, point blank. scoring isn't a huge premium at the center position.

guys like gasol are more versatile and efficient. if cousins played with z-bo and gay, he'd be forced to take a back seat as well. this isn't even really taking into account noah, jefferson and chandler either who are all in the discussion.

[DirtySanchez]

Bogut is top 5 if healthy
DMC is good but needs to mature...kind of like Bynum

[IGotACoolStory]

:wtf:

Noah isn't even on some people's list?

[TaLvsCuaL]

Marc Gasol
Hibbert
Gortat
Chandler
Pekovic

[BlueandGold]

Marc Gasol
Hibbert
Gortat
Chandler
Pekovic
How do you justify having pekovic in the top7? :facepalm wow there really are no good centers left in the league

[TaLvsCuaL]

How do you justify having pekovic in the top7? :facepalm wow there really are no good centers left in the league
Pekovic is capable of 18/10, and in my opinion he has great post moves. To me one on the best center in the league, better than Noah, Varejao, Jordan or Kaman. I have not included players like Bogut or Nene who are always injured, and players like Duncan, Garnett, Jefferson or Horford because in my opinion are not centers. McGee and Cousins are two douchebags who do not deserve any ranking.

[blacknapalm]

How do you justify having pekovic in the top7? :facepalm wow there really are no good centers left in the league

not that outlandish. did you see pek last season? bullied his way into the low post and aside from TOs, was quite the force. he even has a nice soft mini mid-range jumper. he also followed up and crashed the offensive glass hard. between he and love, they got a lot of second chance opportunities. he can do a short hook with either hand or throw in a drop step to get off a layup. that said, guys like chandler, noah, horford, jefferson are all in the discussion and depending on fit, can go either way.

[Pointguard]

Garnett
Noah
Chandler
Gasol
Hibbert

Bogut is in if Healthy. DMC will be likely be number one in two years if he naturally progresses and matures. I was excited about Pekovic but I see he's practically in his prime and for some reason European big men peak early anyway.



bogut couldn't even straighten his arm completely without pain last season so of course his FG% took a dip. for his career, he's at 52%. jennings is going to shoot a lot - he's a scoring guard. i wouldn't necessarily say the defense focuses on him. in fact, bogut is the one who gets doubled. he's also a far better passer and defender than cousins. bogut has finished top 10 in DPOY twice, something i can never see cousins doing. rebounding is about equal. cousins will impress me when he gets his FG% up and become more consistent, point blank. scoring isn't a huge premium at the center position.

guys like gasol are more versatile and efficient. if cousins played with z-bo and gay, he'd be forced to take a back seat as well. this isn't even really taking into account noah, jefferson and chandler either who are all in the discussion.

Monta Ellis is on the team now as well so Bogut won't be the focus of defenses this year and he's in his prime.

You really need to see Demarcus play more. His passing will definitely be among the best of all centers. He was at 2.5 assist his rookie year which blows every active center out the water and this is with confusing teammates that really tried to create their own shots and him being younger than them all except DH, Bynum and Chandler. Even in blocking shots he is way ahead of Bogut, Gasol, Pekovic, and Gortat at his age or seniority, much less points, assist, rebounds, steals, post play and responsibility: He will more than likely outdo them all this season in every category as well, except blocks, while they are in their prime and he's five years away. You bank a lot on FG% which improves for most young players who are the focal point of their team.

The guy has more moves than all the centers put together (ok, before DH went to Hakeem) and his handle is only behind young KG's. I mean the attitude didn't hide all of this.

[RaininTwos]

Bargs is considered a PF now?

[TaLvsCuaL]

Garnett
Noah
Chandler
Gasol
Hibbert

Bogut is in if Healthy. DMC will be likely be number one in two years if he naturally progresses and matures. I was excited about Pekovic but I see he's practically in his prime and for some reason European big men peak early anyway.




Monta Ellis is on the team now as well so Bogut won't be the focus of defenses this year and he's in his prime.

You really need to see Demarcus play more. His passing will definitely be among the best of all centers. He was at 2.5 assist his rookie year which blows every active center out the water and this is with confusing teammates that really tried to create their own shots and him being younger than them all except DH, Bynum and Chandler. Even in blocking shots he is way ahead of Bogut, Gasol, Pekovic, and Gortat at his age or seniority, much less points, assist, rebounds, steals, post play and responsibility: He will more than likely outdo them all this season in every category as well, except blocks, while they are in their prime and he's five years away. You bank a lot on FG% which improves for most young players who are the focal point of their team.

The guy has more moves than all the centers put together (ok, before DH went to Hakeem) and his handle is only behind young KG's. I mean the attitude didn't hide all of this.

Cousins ​​is an incredible talent, but his personality is not in his favor, so everything relating to its performance in the future is unpredictable. In 2 years He can be top 3 or even better in the best case, or can become the new Eddy Curry in the worst case.

I am very interested in Valanciunas, hopefully He is not a bust.

[Whoah10115]

Cousins will make the jump this year. Gasol is easily the 3rd best center in the league right now tho. Roy Hibbert is not as good as Marc Gasol.





Contrary to popular belief, Demarcus Cousins isn't ever going to be anything better than an average center.

Pekovich or whatever his name is, is really underrated.



He's already well above average.

[ncrizzle]

Cousins will make the jump this year. Gasol is easily the 3rd best center in the league right now tho. Roy Hibbert is not as good as Marc Gasol.







He's already well above average.

Marc does everything good. Easily the most well rounded center. His passing and mid range game is ridiculous for someone 7'1. He went to highschool in memphis, and he was seriously like a whale. Fat, uncordinated, looked real bad. Incredible that he turned out to be the player he is

[Boogey]

Gasol
Hibbert
LOPEZ
Horford
Noah

[Clifton]

Just because a guy is filling in at Center doesn't mean he's a Center. KG isn't a Center. As far as play style goes, he's barely even a PF. But he's definitely not a Center.


Bynum/Howard
Howard/Bynum
Are you seriously claiming these two are interchangeable? Dwight is much much better than Bynum... although, it is kind of a sad state of affairs that these are the 2 best centers in basketball. Dwight is lucky to be top 3 in any other era. Was Ewing even clearly a top 3 center when he was playing?

[Clifton]

Also, I think it's a mistake not to have Bogut in the top 7. I'd definitely take him over Tyson Chandler, for example.