Where have the centers gone?

[Packfill]

Will being a “top 5 center” in the NBA in three years really mean anything? When you think about it, not really. Shaq may very well have retired by then, which leaves the current crop of “top” centers including Yao Ming, Brad Miller, Zydrunas Ilglauskas, Ben Wallace, Marcus Camby and Jamal Magliore. Wallace really isn’t a center but I will include him. Amare plays center for the suns, but he is definitely not a true center and thus I will not include him. Duncan, on the other hand, is a center so add him to the list. So that leaves us with 7 guys so far: Duncan, Ming, Wallace, Miller, Ilglauskas, Magliore and Camby. What about young up-and-comers who have a chance to break into the elite group? I guess Eddie Curry is a possibility, but I am not sure who else – Dalembert? Kamen? Mihm? I don’t think you can label either Emeka Okafor or Tyson Chandler as centers.

All I am saying is that it is a far cry from 8-10 years ago when you had legitimate battles in the paint between guys like Shaq, Mourning, Ewing, Hakeem, Dikembe, and Robinson (with second tier guys like Siekely, Smits, Tarpley, Divac, Duckworth, etc.) or 12-15 years ago when you had some of the previously mentioned guys plus Kareem, Parrish and Moses Malone (plus guys like Lambier, Sikma, Walton, Joe Berry Carroll, etc.)

[Weez]

you had a lot of guys that were willing to mix it up, not even try to get out on the perimeter. you had guys like sally, lambeir, oakley. either a pf or a c who was willing 2 simply 'mix it up' down low, not worry about their touches...or fouls to a certain degree.

[chillzatl]

Those guys that were content to "mix it up" did it because that's all they had. They weren't good scorers, passers, etc. They were big and were paid to focus on rebounding, defense and "mixing it up".

There is no shortage out there of guys like that out there. One sided players who happen to be tall. But teams don't want that anymore. All the way down to the college level. The game today demands more athleticism and more skills than a lot of those old guys could offer.

The only player that comes to mind that offers a similar skillset to those old players would be Ben Wallace. But Ben is much more athletic than any of those guys. If he weren't he would probably not have made it to the level he has in todays game.

[Packfill]

Quote:

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Those guys that were content to "mix it up" did it because that's all they had. They weren't good scorers, passers, etc. They were big and were paid to focus on rebounding, defense and "mixing it up".

There is no shortage out there of guys like that out there. One sided players who happen to be tall. But teams don't want that anymore. All the way down to the college level. The game today demands more athleticism and more skills than a lot of those old guys could offer.

The only player that comes to mind that offers a similar skillset to those old players would be Ben Wallace. But Ben is much more athletic than any of those guys. If he weren't he would probably not have made it to the level he has in todays game.

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Are you saying Ewing, Hakeem, Robinson, Parrish, Kareem, Malone, et al. are not talented/athletic enough to play?

That is dead wrong.

[macdaddy]

You left out Dwight Howard. I think he has potential to be a top tier center. Its just gotten where 7 footers don't dominate they way they used to. For whatever reason the positions aren't as specialized as they used to be.

[Packfill]

I am not sure Dwight is a center either, but I guess if I did add in some of the quasi-centers of today the current crop of centers would not look so bad.

[chillzatl]

it helps to actually read the thread before you jump to conclusions... he specifically mentioned guys like Charles Oakley, John Sally and Bill Lambier. I don't think any of those guys come close to being on the same level as Ewing/Hakeem/etc.

[TheDude]

i think also alot of it has to do with increased skill set..you've got guys 7 foot or a shade under playing power forward or even small forward instead of center because they can move a bit better and hit the long shot...

[Diesel]

That's it.

Mainly, the problem is that there are so many who have increased skills.. But the other thing is that there are so many who come from Europe who do not possess the skills of a Center. They are soft.

So the center position is changing.

[Weez]

sadly, there is a lacking of stateside players wanting to rough it up inside as well...but the euro's have a 'better skill base' to go iwth their size, thereby are encouraged more to 'expand' their game.