Yao Top Fantasy Center

According to NBA.com's Rick Kamla, Yao is the #1 Center to pick when it comes to fantasy basketball.

http://www.nba.com/fantasy_games/fantasy04_centers.html

10. Erick Dampier, Mavericks: After finishing fourth in rebounds (12.0) and third in field goal percentage (.534), and setting a career high with 12.3 points per game, Dampier was one of the summer’s most coveted free agents. He ultimately ended up in Big D, where I see a slightly smaller double-double with two blocks a game.

9. Samuel Dalembert, 76ers: Not since Dikembe Mutombo’s heyday have we had a center capable of a double-double with three blocks a night. Well, now we do.

8. Marcus Camby, Nuggets: Camby is a Ben Wallace-clone in that his top three categories are rebounds (10.1 per game last year), blocks (2.6), and steals (1.2). And like Wallace, Camby was a tough guy last season, overcoming various injuries to play a career-high 72 games.

7. Jamaal Magloire, Hornets: It took Magloire just four years to make the All-Star game, and he completed his breakout 2003-04 season with 13.6 points, 10.3 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks. Those numbers can only go up now that Jamal Mashburn is out for the year.

6. Mark Blount, Celtics: Blount isn’t a secret anymore, but his 2003-04 averages of 10.3 points and 7.2 rebounds belie his value entering this season. Remember, Blount averaged 7.4 points and 4.2 rebounds last November and December before exploding with 14.1 points and 10.8 rebounds in March and April. Blount also averaged 1.5 blocks and 1.3 steals over the last two months, and ranked second in field-goal percentage (.566) for the season.

5. Ben Wallace, Pistons: Wallace perennially ranks one or two in rebounds and blocks, and among the top 10 in steals. But he has yet to average double-digit points, he’s a 42% career foul shooter, and his field goal percentage dipped to .421 last year. I’m not hating on Ben, who’s one of my faves, but those are the reasons why he’s ranked below Zydrunas Ilgauskas.

4. Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Cavaliers: No slight to Drew Gooden, who’s on the verge of a career year, but the departure of Carlos Boozer is good fantasy news for Z. After averaging 15.3 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks a year ago, I look for 17-9-2 and a return to the All-Star game.

3. Brad Miller, Kings: First of all, B Miller’s my man. I love how hard he plays and how chill he is off the court. But I also love the fact that he’s the best shooting center in the game. His career percentages of .492 from the field and .783 from the line attest to that. Plus, check out the big five-cat line on Brad: 15-10-5-1-1.

2. Shaquille O’Neal, Heat: I know you think I’m crazy for ranking Shaq beneath Yao Ming, but hear me out before burning this page. While I am convinced that Shaq returns to the 25-point range, I can’t be sure he’ll play more than 67 games. (Amazingly, Shaq has landed on that number three years in a row.) Plus, that sub-zero free throw percentage is an albatross in eight-cat leagues.

1. Yao Ming, Rockets: Durability weighs heavily in my rankings and Yao hasn’t missed a start in two years. Plus, he’s on the fast lane toward 20-10-2 every night now that Houston’s other superstar, Tracy McGrady, is cool with Jeff Van Gundy’s Yao-oriented system.