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College star
Re: the best centers in the nba right now
One guy that isn't mentioned enough is Festuz Ezili. Ezili just hasn't backed down. In case u don't know him, he is Bogut's back up.
Ironically, The Warriors definitely know about the center position this year, even though Bogut is still out. In a league where the center spot is lacking, the Warriors actually have 3 Legitimate Centers.
Andrew Bogut, Festus Ezili, and Andris Biedrins.
And despite what your opinion on Biedrins is, he has supplied ample defense and rebounding this year in the limited minutes he has played
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College superstar
Re: the best centers in the nba right now
Al Horford averaging 16 ppg, 9 rpg, and 3apg the underrated undersized machine
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College star
Re: the best centers in the nba right now
There aren't very many true centers anymore. A lot of elite power forwards became centers like duncan or garnett. Now don't get me wrong, they definitely have the size to be a center, but they are also able to do that because the league doesn't have the size and skill that it used to at that spot. There are really only a handful of real quality ''centers.'' Their are big men and 4's and 4's who are tall enough to play the center, but there are only a handful of real centers. When you put Gallanari at the center, Bosh at center at times, Horford at center, then you know that there aren't as many quality centers available. Other centers such as Blaire, Perkins, or Nene have the size for a center, but not the ideal height.
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Brooklyn
Re: the best centers in the nba right now
Robin Lopez - "I'm just feeling like the throne is for the taking, watch me take it."
Last edited by LoneyROY7; 11-25-2012 at 04:57 AM.
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Re: the best centers in the nba right now
Originally Posted by SacJB Shady
There aren't very many true centers anymore. A lot of elite power forwards became centers like duncan or garnett. Now don't get me wrong, they definitely have the size to be a center, but they are also able to do that because the league doesn't have the size and skill that it used to at that spot. There are really only a handful of real quality ''centers.'' Their are big men and 4's and 4's who are tall enough to play the center, but there are only a handful of real centers. When you put Gallanari at the center, Bosh at center at times, Horford at center, then you know that there aren't as many quality centers available. Other centers such as Blaire, Perkins, or Nene have the size for a center, but not the ideal height.
Roy Hibbert
Greg Monroe
Joakim Noah
Demarcus Cousins
Andrew Bynum
Marc Gasol
Al Jefferson
Andrew Bogut
Chris Kaman
Tyson Chandler
Dwight Howard
Brook Lopez
Nikola Pekovic
Omer Asik
Deandre Jordan
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I brick nerf balls
Re: the best centers in the nba right now
Originally Posted by SacJB Shady
There aren't very many true centers anymore. A lot of elite power forwards became centers like duncan or garnett. Now don't get me wrong, they definitely have the size to be a center, but they are also able to do that because the league doesn't have the size and skill that it used to at that spot. There are really only a handful of real quality ''centers.'' Their are big men and 4's and 4's who are tall enough to play the center, but there are only a handful of real centers. When you put Gallanari at the center, Bosh at center at times, Horford at center, then you know that there aren't as many quality centers available. Other centers such as Blaire, Perkins, or Nene have the size for a center, but not the ideal height.
I don't agree. There are LOTS of centers in the League, they are playing at a VERY high level, and these guys are just as big today as they were in the 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s and 00s.
For 50 years the average NBA center has been 6'9" to 6'11" tall and weighed 220-275 lbs.
Those dimensions have never changed from 1960 to the present day.
Guys have been taller and dominated, and guys have been shorter and dominated, but by and large those are the NBA dimensions at center.
Now, if you mean elite centers, there never were very many. What I mean is, when you talk about elite players at Center, that number has not varied. There were about 4 truly elite centers in the 60s, and there are about 4 truly elite centers today. I mean playing at the time, within the era of the League.
It has not mattered one single fraction how many teams there are in the league; at any given point in time you are going to find about that many true very best of the best centers in the world.
There was a Sports Illustrated article here a year or two ago that suggested there were about 90 people in the United States that were 7' tall.
When you have a pool that is so infinitesimally small, you are only going to get one or two people a generation that have a) an interest, b) a skillset, and c) the required athleticism... to even make it to the NBA.
Now then within that group of 25 or 30 all-time greatest centers of their eras of course you can have your opinions about which is best , rankings and all that - but the numbers have not changed in all those years, contrary to these really woollyheaded opinions you see about evolution and so forth.
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NBA Legend
Re: the best centers in the nba right now
Originally Posted by La Frescobaldi
I don't agree. There are LOTS of centers in the League, they are playing at a VERY high level, and these guys are just as big today as they were in the 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s and 00s.
For 50 years the average NBA center has been 6'9" to 6'11" tall and weighed 220-275 lbs.
Those dimensions have never changed from 1960 to the present day.
Guys have been taller and dominated, and guys have been shorter and dominated, but by and large those are the NBA dimensions at center.
Now, if you mean elite centers, there never were very many. What I mean is, when you talk about elite players at Center, that number has not varied. There were about 4 truly elite centers in the 60s, and there are about 4 truly elite centers today. I mean playing at the time, within the era of the League.
It has not mattered one single fraction how many teams there are in the league; at any given point in time you are going to find about that many true very best of the best centers in the world.
There was a Sports Illustrated article here a year or two ago that suggested there were about 90 people in the United States that were 7' tall.
When you have a pool that is so infinitesimally small, you are only going to get one or two people a generation that have a) an interest, b) a skillset, and c) the required athleticism... to even make it to the NBA.
Now then within that group of 25 or 30 all-time greatest centers of their eras of course you can have your opinions about which is best , rankings and all that - but the numbers have not changed in all those years, contrary to these really woollyheaded opinions you see about evolution and so forth.
I agree. I don't think people realize just how much the rule changes have affected big men. It's far more difficult to be a post player today then it was ever before. It's so easy for defenses to collapse on you due to zone spacing and the back to the basket rule doesn't help either.
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Great Basketball Mind
Re: the best centers in the nba right now
Originally Posted by La Frescobaldi
Now, if you mean elite centers, there never were very many. What I mean is, when you talk about elite players at Center, that number has not varied. There were about 4 truly elite centers in the 60s, and there are about 4 truly elite centers today. I mean playing at the time, within the era of the League.
but the elite now is on a much lower level.
for example, anderson varejao is named as one of the better centers in the league. last game he was isolated on shane battier about 9 feet from the basket but instead of instantly trying to score he passed it out...
i mean, even if chris bosh would be the defender, a decent to good nba center should take advantage of that.
dont you think guys like rik smits, brad daugherty, rony seikaly etc. would even hesitate with shane battier guarding them?
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I brick nerf balls
Re: the best centers in the nba right now
Originally Posted by Teanett
but the elite now is on a much lower level.
for example, anderson varejao is named as one of the better centers in the league. last game he was isolated on shane battier about 9 feet from the basket but instead of instantly trying to score he passed it out...
i mean, even if chris bosh would be the defender, a decent to good nba center should take advantage of that.
dont you think guys like rik smits, brad daugherty, rony seikaly etc. would even hesitate with shane battier guarding them?
Let's look at it again at the end of this season, where flopping is FINALLY being addressed by the league. Because that fact has done a lot of damage to pro basketball, the more pure style of playing before Divac and Chris Paul ruined the sport.
I mean look at Griffin or Wade and it's been quite a while that has been going on. It will take a while, but I predict the real men are gonna step up their game.
Without knowing the play you are talking about.... I get where you are comin from on that.... yes I do think Battier would have got run over by Shaq era Centers. Or Artis Gilmore or Moses crashing the lane and leaving a trail of broken doll bodies behind em.
But I also wonder about Kareem & Mr. ShakenBake Hakeem O, and some of the other, earlier guys. They might have gone a different way than smashing over the defender.
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Great Basketball Mind
Re: the best centers in the nba right now
Originally Posted by La Frescobaldi
But I also wonder about Kareem & Mr. ShakenBake Hakeem O, and some of the other, earlier guys. They might have gone a different way than smashing over the defender.
any fundamentally sound basketball player will exploit a height advantage without smashing over the defender.
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College star
Re: the best centers in the nba right now
Originally Posted by BuffaloBill
Roy Hibbert
Greg Monroe
Joakim Noah
Demarcus Cousins
Andrew Bynum
Marc Gasol
Al Jefferson
Andrew Bogut
Chris Kaman
Tyson Chandler
Dwight Howard
Brook Lopez
Nikola Pekovic
Omer Asik
Deandre Jordan
Greg Monroe
Joakim Noah
Demarcus Cousins- great player but not quite a 7 footer
Andrew Bynum
Marc Gasol
Al Jefferson- Good player, but again more like a 4 at only 6 foot 10
Andrew Bogut
Chris Kaman
Tyson Chandler
Dwight Howard
Brook Lopez
Nikola Pekovic- Good size but only about 6 ft 10 in height
Omer Asik- Yes a true center but been a sub most his career
Deandre Jordan- Has the length for shot blocking but not tough on the glass
This list is still only 14 players in a league with 30 teams. Only about 9 or 10 of these are true quality centers. I remember the 90's with Shaq, Hakeem, Ewing, and Robinson. Plus guys like Rick Schmidt, Luc Longley, Ronny Seikly, and Alonzo Mourning.
Last edited by SacJB Shady; 11-25-2012 at 04:02 PM.
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I brick nerf balls
Re: the best centers in the nba right now
Originally Posted by Teanett
any fundamentally sound basketball player will exploit a height advantage without smashing over the defender.
yes you said it in one sentence took me 10. i need to learn laconic speech
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I brick nerf balls
Re: the best centers in the nba right now
Originally Posted by La Frescobaldi
My favorite position ~ ~ C
I had started the season going like this.......
1. d12
2. Bynum
3. Monroe & Pekovic fighting for this spot.
4. D Jordan
5. David Lee - who gets ignored by everybody for some reason.
Clearly I hadn't reckoned on Varejao, who I can't seem to catch a game, and J Noah who has developed into an elite player (in spite of the fact I can't stand the chumpiness of his ways).
Not accounting for injuries etc., CBS has center "power ratings"... these guys of Teanett are all over the place but they show it like this:
1 d12
2 Varejao
3. Noah
4. David Lee
5. Marc Gasol
6. G Monroe
7. A Jefferson
8. Al Horford
9. Cousins
10. B Lopez
11. Bargnani
12. Kaman
13. B Mullins
14. Asik
15. Pekovic
16. T Chandler
17. Vucevic
18. Hibbert
19 D Jordan
20 Robin Lopez
http://www.cbssports.com/nba/playerr...egularseason/C
The matchups I want to see in this league right now are these:
D Howard - O Asik
D12 weakness: not much. Injuries.
Asik weakness: inexperience, possibly physical weakness.
N Pekovic - G Monroe
Pek weakness: passing, injuries.
Monroe weakness: tendency to overplay early and fade bad in 4q.
B Lopez - J Noah
Lopez weakness: Have not seen enough; Pekovic destroyed him
Noah weakness: can be shoved around easily, but not much. Defense can be appallingly bad for a center that plays in the NBA. Played Pek to a standoff
M Gasol - A Varejeo
haven't seen these guys this year...
D Lee - Bargnani
D Lee weakness: wants to have teammates but doesn't.
Bargnani - haven't seen but my friends say he is the real thing on a bad team. Just looking at stat line from last night, Monroe had all he could handle and that is saying a lot
we will have some clarity at the C when we have seen those answered; nobody I have seen is close to Howard since Shaq retired (although d12 won't ever be at that level though). I count Timi Dunkin as a PF otherwise clearly he's the best C of the last generation, and possibly since Hakeem.
CBS's Center Power Rankings 2 weeks later
1. Dwight Howard
2. Anderson Varejao
3. David Lee
4. Al Jefferson
5. Joakim Noah
6. Marc Gasol
7. Al Horford
8. Greg Monroe
9. Tyson Chandler
10. DeMarcus Cousins
11. Brook Lopez
12. Andrea Bargnani
13. Omer Asik
14. Nikola Pekovic
15. Byron Mullens
16. Nikola Vucevic
17. Robin Lopez
17. Chris Kaman
19. Roy Hibbert
20. DeAndre Jordan
Clearly David Lee getting zero attention for some reason. Of course this list is based on CBS stat lines and has no account for things like Roy Hibbert ability to change a game with a hard body check, or Brook Lopez fluid game.
************************************************** ****************
Tonight I'm hoping to catch a key NBA matchup ~ Varejao & Pekovic
Wolves (8-9) vs. Cavaliers (4-15) - 7 PM Central @ Target Center in Minneapolis
Both star point guards are out with injuries ~ making this matchup even more interesting. Both players will have to bring their best inside game without the benefit of a game-stretching outside force in K. Irving or Rubio.
I have not seen too much of Varejao so far this year.... tonight will have even that added edge:
Anderson Varejao statline for this season:
MPG 36
PPG 15.0
RPG 15.40
APG 3.2
EFF + 26.89
From what I've read, Anderson has been carrying most of the duties for the Cavs in the paint so far this year, and is having a career season. He seemed to have no difficulty against the Grizzlies front line
Nicola Pekovic statline for this season:
MPG 31
PPG 14.2
RPG 7.50
APG 1.3
EFF + 15.67
Pek has had some injuries but so far not a whisper about bone spurs, which he had surgery on during off-season. His partner in the paint is Kevin Love.
Let the games begin.
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DEY DA-PRESSED
Re: the best centers in the nba right now
During the early 2000's a lot of people said that shaq had to do with a lot of it. People like garnett, duncan, webber all had to play pf because they cant deal with shaq on D.
Now we see the opposite happening
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NBA Legend
Re: the best centers in the nba right now
15ppg .502fg% .775ft%
15.4rpg 6.1orpg 32.4drb% 24.8trb%
3.2apg 1.6spg 0.4bpg
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