Dwight Howard, one of the best centers of all time

[ClipperRevival]

People will act like this is a ridiculous thing to say but how many centers are ahead of Dwight all time?


For sure ahead:
Wilt
Kareem
Russell
Shaq
Hakeem
DRob
Moses
DRob
Mikan


Probably ahead:
Ewing
Reed?


Same level:
Mourning


He's one of the best

Ewing is clearly superior over Howard. He actually had a dominant, offensive game. Reed won 2 rings, 2 finals MVPs and a regular season MVP. So he's clearly ahead.

You forgot Bill Walton. How about Robert Parish? Mutombo? Unseld? Thurmond? Hayes?

And I know I'm probably leaving out a couple of great old timers.

So when it's all said and done, Howard is probably somewhere between 20-25 all time.

[Orlando Magic]

Is Dwight a top 5 center all time? Clearly not.

Is Dwight a top 30 center all time? Unquestionably.

Is Dwight a top 20 center all time? Probably.

Is Dwight a top 15 center all time? Probably.

Is Dwight a top 10 center all time? No.

So it depends on what you mean by "one of the best centers of all time".

I would say that top 30 puts him in that category.

To put it into perspective... there are over 30 NBA centers RIGHT NOW. He has unquestionably been a top 30 center to EVER play the game.

I'd say he might be one of the top 100 players to ever play, and I think 150 is inarguable.

So yes, he is one of the best centers of all time... just not as high on the list as he could have been.

He's better than the detractors give him credit for and he's not as good as the jockers give him credit for. I ranked him accurately. Piss off.

[k0kakw0rld]

Agreed.

Literally the only center in this league today to have reached the finals as a number one option. (Timmy for me is a PF).

The league is in trouble.

[Nastradamus]

Damn good player, probably somewhere from 11th to 15th all time.

People generally underrate him though. He's a better Tyson Chandler in a league where Chandler is an easy max player. People would rather look at how he falls short of Shaq though.

[RRR3]

Ewing is clearly superior over Howard. He actually had a dominant, offensive game. Reed won 2 rings, 2 finals MVPs and a regular season MVP. So he's clearly ahead.

You forgot Bill Walton. How about Robert Parish? Mutombo? Unseld? Thurmond? Hayes?

And I know I'm probably leaving out a couple of great old timers.

So when it's all said and done, Howard is probably somewhere between 20-25 all time.

Reed didn't play that long IIRC. I should have put Ewing in the first tier, you're right. Reed probably as well. Parish, Unseld and Hayes would all be debatable based on what I know about the NBA (not much compared to many posters I admit). Wasn't Thurmond a PF? Walton had like 3 healthy years. Mutombo scored about half as much as D12.

[bizil]

In terms of freak athletic ability and strength as a package, he's at the top of the heap historically for centers. Right up there with Wilt and Shaq. And at his best, u are getting 23 points, 14 boards, and DPOY type of shit. It just seemed like his game hasn't evolved as many had hoped. So at best, he's a top 20 GOAT kind of center at this point. Peak wise is about the same. Defensively, I think he's arguably a top five center of all time.

[Siemens]

Is Dwight a top 5 center all time? Clearly not.

Is Dwight a top 30 center all time? Unquestionably.

Is Dwight a top 20 center all time? Probably.

Is Dwight a top 15 center all time? Probably.

Is Dwight a top 10 center all time? No.

So it depends on what you mean by "one of the best centers of all time".

Agreed, but then this thread becomes pointless if there is no range that is talked about. Might as well call every all-star "one of the best of all time" because they are better than over half of those who have played.

[ArbitraryWater]

He's top 50 all time, top 40 for me.. obviously he's one of the best Centers ever. Smh.. so ****ing underrated.

[The Iron Sheik]

People will act like this is a ridiculous thing to say but how many centers are ahead of Dwight all time?


For sure ahead:
Wilt
Kareem
Russell
Shaq
Hakeem
DRob
Moses
DRob
Mikan


Probably ahead:
Ewing
Reed?


Same level:
Mourning


He's one of the best

you're selling pat short. he was unquestionably better than dwight

[Pushxx]

Mentally Dwight has never been all there, but he easily should have won the MVP over Rose in 2011. To me it wasn't even close.

He's at least a top 15 center right now. He is missing something in his head though.

[20Four]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKmzDi40LfY

Multiple DPOY, lead a team to the NBA finals, should have an MVP.

Nah, if prime shaq was playing in this league, he would make Dwight look like Luc Longley on the bulls

[warriorfan]

OP is wrong like usual. Dwight Howard was a dominant defender and could score at will if he got the ball very deep down low but his limited and awkward post game made him an unreliable scorer down the stretch. Poor and unclutch free throw shooting accentuates his liability in crunch time situations. Dwight Howard is an all time great on the defensive end but he doesn't have the 2 way game of 10+ other all time great centers. If we dive into intangibles and leadership this is where Howard gets absolutely crushed. Dwight Howard is a pinhead. Anyone remember the "Dwightmare" in orlando? After he bitch and moaned and got SVG fired when he was the reason why they made it to the finals in the first place? Then after he forces SVG to leave he just leaves to the Lakers and what do you know? He has problems there and now he is in Houston being a shell of his former self and he still has the same old shitty attitude. Dwight Howard is a very good defensive player and can score on good percentages but he is so limited offensively and has a shitty attitude and is some what of a mental midget. Not an all time great center.

[Smoke117]

Damn good player, probably somewhere from 11th to 15th all time.

People generally underrate him though. He's a better Tyson Chandler in a league where Chandler is an easy max player. People would rather look at how he falls short of Shaq though.

Tyson Chandler was never close to the defensive or offensive player Howard was. There is ZERO comparison. Saying he's a better Tyson Chandler is such an understatement and insult that it's absurd. You say people underrate him and than you do it yourself...

[Legends66NBA7]

What Orlando Magic said.


He's definitely one of the best, but depends on the range and context of his era. For most, it seems that one of the best = Top 10 range, which Howard isn't. Center is the most stacked position all-time, so there's no shame there.

[warriorfan]

Tyson Chandler was never close to the defensive or offensive player Howard was. There is ZERO comparison. Saying he's a better Tyson Chandler is such an understatement and insult that it's absurd. You say people underrate him and than you do it yourself...

The better Tyson Chandler description actually is pretty accurate. The funny thing though is the mental gap between Tyson Chandler and Dwight is night and day. Tyson Chandler is a man, Dwight is a clown. Even though Dwight was more of a physical specimen than Chandler, Chandler has A LOT more going on between the ears. During the Mavericks 2011 title run, it was Dirk's team but Tyson Chandler was the vocal and spiritual leader for that team. If you replace Tyson Chandler with Dwight Howard on the 2011 Mavericks, I don't think they win the title.