Blunt's top 10 centers in the league

[Blunt91]

Well since Diesel didn't make this list I will.

1. Shaq- This is a no brainer.Enough said.

2. David Robinson- Good rebounder, can score if need be, Not as though as he could be but he did better this year in the playoffs,Especially in the games that Duncan missed.

3. Vlade Divac-Good rebounder, scores well for a center, and a good passer.

4. Dikembe Mutombo- I know he is older now and not the great shotblcoker he use to be, but he still makes guys think twice about coming down the lane. He is also a good rebounder.He is very Durable player, doesn't miss many games due to injury.

5. Marcus Camby- I know he isn't tough but he still is a good defender, Blocks shots and rebounds.

6. Theo Ratliff- If he can just stay healthy he could move up to the 3rd or 4spot.

7. Elden Campbell

8. Alonzo Mourning- Oh how the mighty have fallen. He is no where the player he use to be. He will still play hard for about 25mpg.

9. Michael Olowakhandi- Keeps getting better each year. Could become the top center in the league in about 5years. After Shaq leaves of course.

10.Toni Batttie- Yes Toni Battie, he impressed me in the playoffs. Better player than people think.

[ersimo2889]

I don't know if you can put David Robinson in the top 5 anymore, nonetheless the number 2 spot. If you can say that stuff about Alonzo Mourning, you can say the same about David Robinson. He is nowhere to where he used to be, either. Last year he averaged 12 PPG, and 8 RPG, which isn't bad, but compared to his other seasons, it looks terrible. His rate of decline is getting to be very steep. His points per game, and rebounds per game are dropping on the stat sheet, and on the court he is noticeably more fatigued and slower. I watched a few ESPN Classic games of him in his prime, and he was extremely dominant. Now centers like Samaki Walker are getting the better of him. He should be at about maybe the #9 or #10 spot.

On another note, why is Marcus Camby ahead of Theo Ratliff? Camby is just as injury-prone as Ratliff, if not more, and when both healthy, Ratliff is a better player. I know you talked about him being in the #3 or #4 spot when healthy, but even an injured Ratliff can take an injured Camby.

But this is just one man's opinion.

[Guest]

Man, no way in hell Robinson's second. At one time, maybe even three years ago, this argument could have been made, but it's clearly not the case now.

Creating this ranking is perhaps the toughest in the League as so few teams have people playing Center that actually are Centers... and the fact that many of the "great ones" are now incredibly old with few new faces coming in as bangers on the inside (see LaFrentz and Yao with their outside touches).

Nevertheless, here's my less than thought out list.

1. Shaq - this has got to be undisputed.

2. Vlade - similar to MJ, his cunning (and passing ability) have allowed him to excel far past his prime

3. Mourning - might be too high...

4. Theo - before he came to Atl.

5. Mutombo - rebounds are down, blocks are down, points are down...he still brings more fear than Ewing and Hakeem though...

6. LaFrentz - should he be listed as a PF? Didn't think so, so I put him here...he can block shots

8. Olowokandi - a nice little game he put together there in his contract year....jury's still out though

7. B. Miller - one of the few younger "centers" that like to bang, board, and get dirty.

8. Big Z - didn't know where to put him....

9. Antonio Davis - wasn't sure if I should consider him, but I did, based on 00- 01 playing position

10. D. Robinson - old man river will never play sixty games again....fifty might be nice. Once the league scoring champ, now has to fend off Malik Rose for minutes...

11. Hakeem - charity I guess...again, I just don't know...would you rather have Nazr? I might...

obviously some names were not considered (J. O'Neal, Wallace, Camby, etc.) because they start at the 4 most of the time. This is really the toughest list to make.

[TomahawkChop]

1. Shaq

2. Zo

3. Vlade

4. Miller

5. Mutombo

6. Lafrentz

7. Olowokandi

8. Ratliff

9. Campbell

10. Nesterovic

This is definately the toughest position to rank. Ming might crack Top 10 in a few months.

[ersimo2889]

Miller at #4? Hopefully, you're talking about Brad, and not Pig, but still, even Brad Miller is not one of the top centers in the league yet, even though he still has plenty of time for improvement. He can bang inside and rebound and score, too, but you can't put him above Mutombo (old, but still got it), Ratliff (You'll see this year) or Elden Campbell (He's pretty underrated). Then i guess my list would look something like -

1) Shaq - no question.

2) Mutombo - He's old, but he's still one of the best defensive players in the game.

3) Vlade Divac - He can score, has range, can pass, and he can act.

4) Theo - He'll show the skeptics what he can do this year.

5) LaFrentz, Olowokandi (tie) - Same rookie classes. Both are pretty effective, but I would pick Olowokandi in the long run.

7) Elden Campbell - He's underrated. He'll put up a good 15 and 8 for you every year.

8) Jermaine O'Neal - I don't know if he can be considered a C or a PF, but he's a rising star.

9) Marcus Camby - When healthy, he's effective.

10) Lorenzen Wright

I didn't know whether Ben Wallace was a Center or not. He and Cliff Robinson both kind of shared the position.

[Blunt91]

Camby played more than 3 games this past year unlike Theo. I forgot about guys like Brad Miller and Big Z. I would have Brad at the 10th postion, and Battie at the 11th spot.

[Guest]

When healthy, Big Z definitely makes that list. While it may be true that he'll never be back to his old form (last season he remained mostly healthy but played well below his standards)...but if he returns to the center he was just two years ago (00 - 01) and prior, he might be top five. He was far and away the number one boarder when healthy.

PS - Elden Campbell is underrated, I agree and overlooked him. Not sure if it'd change my rankings, but it'd definitely be something to consider.

[BlackHawkDown]

I was trying tom stay out of this arguement because I didn't find it that compelling but, I cant now. How on God's Green Earth did you come up with Vlade " I am the one who started this Euro ball crap 13 years ago" Divac get rated over Deke. All Vlade does is pass and fall on himself. Their is a reason he didn't make my top 50. That reason is because he is horrible maybe 10 years ago he was a interesting player but now he is just a sloppy old drunk.

Sorry to be so negative.

[Blunt91]

Well BHD After Shaq the talent level at the center postion falls off drastically.

[BlackHawkDown]

Well I have to agree with you on that nobody is even close to Shaq but Deke and maybe Zo and D.Robinson are the closest thin.