Realgm: The Top Centers Of The NBA

http://www.realgm.com/src_feature/694/20061002/the_top_centers_of_the_nba/

By Aaron Bronsteter

10) Andrew Bogut

Last year's top pick may not deserve this spot just yet, but I think that he has more legitimate talent than anyone who ranks on the honorable mentions list. He has solid shooting abilities, he can block shots occasionally, he's a crafty passer and he's a team player.

Thus far, his impact has not shown up on paper, but the year before he arrived in Milwaukee they won the top pick in the lottery and they're currently a reigning playoff team. Whether you attribute it to Bogut entering the league or T.J. Ford returning from injury is your choice, but one thing's for certain, Bogut can play and thankfully, it's at a position that is severely weak around the league.

9) Alonzo Mourning

Over the hill? Plagued by injury? A shell of his former self? Maybe, but don't tell Zo that, especially after this past season. In just 20 minutes-per-game, Mourning trails only Marcus Camby in blocks per game for centers with 2.7 per. He shot just under 60 per cent from the field and was one of the driving forces behind Miami's championship.

Say what you will about his New Jersey and Toronto debacles, but Mourning is an inspiration to his teammates after recovering from his kidney ailment with his strong play on the court and with his humanitarian efforts off of the court.

8) Mehmet Okur

2005-2006 was finally the breakout year for Okur that everyone had anticipated. In his years with the Pistons, it was clear that Memo was oozing with potential and the Jazz felt the vibe and rightly overpaid the once unproven talent.

Okur is simply reliable – period. He shoots 46 per cent from the field, 34 per cent from three point land, where he averages around three attempts per game and a squeaky clean 78 per cent from the line. But forget about percentages, his averages of 18 and 9 speak for themselves. While Carlos Boozer's contract may be suspect, critics of the Jazz's 2004-2005 offseason can no longer accuse them of overpaying Okur.

7) Zydrunas Ilgauskus

I mentioned Mourning's miraculous NBA return earlier, but something has to be said about Big Z's amazing recovery from his foot injury – an ailment that usually plagues bigger NBA players.

In 2005-2006, Big Z shot over 50 per cent from the field for the first time since his rookie year and he had a career high 83.4 per cent from the line. Without Ilgauskus, Cleveland is an entirely different team and his presence will be vital to their success.

6) Brad Miller

Much of Miller's impact on the court cannot be summed up numerically, his stifling post defense and his ability to irritate offensive players with his tenacity on the boards and his strength cannot be summed up in statistics.

However, one statistic shows what Miller's all about, which is his 4.7 assists-per-game, which is more than many of the league's starting point guards, including Jason Terry and Smush Parker. Miller also shoots a reliable 82.8 per cent from the line, which he frequents with 4.3 attempts-per-game. Another interesting statistic is Miller's minutes-per-game, which tops every other player at his position at 37 mpg.

The Sacramento Kings are rebuilding on the fly, but an asset like Brad Miller is too important for them to consider giving up.

5) Marcus Camby

Early on in the season, before his trademark annual injury, Camby was looking like an MVP candidate – yeah, I said it, an MVP candidate. Here are some of his lines from November of 2005:

1) 19 pts, 14 reb, 2 blocks
2) 23 pts, 17 reb, 6 blocks
3) 20 pts, 11 reb, 6 blocks
4) 17 pts, 22 reb, 7 blocks
5) 21 pts, 21 reb, 4 blocks
6) 24 pts, 14 reb, 6 blocks

All of those lines are from November and I dare you to find a player who can compare, because you simply cannot. When people write off Denver, they can only do so if Camby isn't healthy and while that's probable, you can't help but wonder how dangerous the Nuggets can be with a healthy Glass Man.

4) Ben Wallace

Whether Detroit was right to let Wallace walk is arguable – it was likely his worst season with the team, they had lost in two consecutive years and giving a 32 year old Wallace a five-year deal that ends at around $18 million is questionable at best.

But there's no doubting Wallace's impact. I don't think there's a scarier player to go up against in the post because Big Ben has the ability to make offensive players look like clowns when he swats their shots, dunks, lay ups, etc.

Would I have given Wallace the same contract that the Bulls did? Probably not. Will I be surprised if Wallace exceeds expectations and takes the Bulls to the NBA Finals? Probably not.

3) Jermaine O'Neal

Whether it was negligence on my part or my buying into the notion that JO will be starting at center this upcoming season, something blinded me into leaving him off of my top power forwards list and earning apt criticism for excluding him.

But low and behold, JO has arrived on the top centers list and according to 82games.com, he played more minutes at center than he did at power forward in 2005-2006.

He was plagued with injuries and he was partially responsible for Ron Artest's exile from the Pacers, which in turn lead to the departure of Peja Stojakovic with nothing in return. Eventually, Al Harrington jumped on board to soften the blow and the Pacers are a lock for the playoffs if O'Neal is healthy.

While he has only played 95 games combined in his last two seasons, his averages have remained consistent with those amounted throughout his glorious Pacers tenure. This year, from all indications, the Pacers will be playing small ball with a lineup of O'Neal, Danny Granger, Al Harrington, Stephen Jackson and Jamaal Tinsley (if healthy). I have a feeling that this lineup could result in the Pacers landing atop their division.

2) Yao Ming

I have no doubts that at this time next year, Ming will top this list hands down. However, with a Larry O'Brien trophy on Shaq's mantle and a losing record on Ming's conscience, he's still not there just yet.

When Yao was healthy this season, he was simply dominant. He was Dream-esque minus a few blocks and he had finally arrived in the NBA. Unfortunately, his shortened season weakened his impact and it went generally unnoticed by many basketball fans. This season, I expect that Ming will play around 80 games and revive the Rockets alongside T-Mac and the newly acquired Shane Battier and Bonzi Wells.

Statistically, Ming was the league's best center, but until the Rockets get somewhere in the playoffs, he will remain second best.

1) Shaquille O'Neal

This was easily Shaq's worst season to date in the NBA and he still wound up with a championship. However, Shaq has promised another one next season and if anyone can do so with credibility, it's Shaq daddy.

Even though it was his worst season, 20 and 9 is nothing to laugh at and as long as he trusts Dwyane Wade to carry the scoring load, there's no reason for him not to be the Big Decoy rather than the Big Diesel.

He'll never be the league's free throw champion, but the rest of his game is without weakness and he is still the league's toughest matchup.

Honorable Mention: Chris Kaman, Eddy Curry, Jamaal Magloire

Names for the future: Emeka Okafor, Tyson Chandler

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I think we can all agree that this ranking is a bit more fair.