I haven't seen this posted anywhere yet (lock if it is), but ESPN just released their best Centers list. I know Dwight has fallen out of favor from the media and from ESPIN, so I would be very interested to see where they have him ranked. It looks like they have Drummond ranked number 1, so I already don't agree with it. Can anyone post the full article? http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/stor...mond-leads-projected-rank-top-10-centers-warp
Projecting top 10 centers in 2014-15 Bradford Doolittle [ARCHIVE] ESPN Insider | August 22, 2014 Drummond Allen Einstein/NBAE/Getty Images With new coach Stan Van Gundy, Andre Drummond is poised to take off. The No. 1 center spot was once Dwight Howard's exclusive domain, but things are changing. Howard is still as good as anyone in the middle, but he's being challenged by not only first-team All-NBA center Joakim Noah, but by dynamic young players on teams that are, to put it kindly, in transitional phases. Defensive mobility is an essential trait for today's big men, or else they can be schemed right off the court. But however you value the contributions of today's centers, rim protection remains as important as ever and ensures that the NBA isn't going retire the position anytime soon. Below we continue our NBA positional ranking according to forecast WARP, with the projected top 10 centers for the 2014-15 NBA season. (An explanation of the statistic can be found at the bottom of the page.) PG | SG | SF | PF | C Last year's center rankings are here. Drummond 1. Andre Drummond, Detroit Pistons Projected 2014-15 WARP: 11.5 | Win%: 64 percent Drummond might be the league's best rebounder, and his ability to dunk everything keeps his offensive efficiency high. His 13.8 WARP last season ranked 11th in the league, and he ended the season still too young to legally purchase a six pack of beer. Yet Drummond can be so much better. First, he's carving out a special place for himself among the pantheon of the NBA's worst free throw shooters. And his defensive real plus-minus (RPM) was break-even despite his shot-blocking and off-the-charts rebounding. Hopefully Stan Van Gundy can harness Drummond's immense energy and channel it in a positive direction. Cousins 2. DeMarcus Cousins, Sacramento Kings Projected 2014-15 WARP: 11.2 | Win%: 63 percent Cousins is just beginning what promises to be a long run as one of the league's best big men. His 2013-14 WARP (13.6) ranked 13th in the NBA and was six wins better than the season before. Everything was better, including career bests in usage rate and true shooting percentage, and improved rates in assists, rebounds and blocks. He put up more foul shots, but had fewer fouls and turnovers. His defensive RPM climbed to plus-2.4. However, he was minus-0.5 on offense and rates below average as a whole in the NBA, so his production is still coming somewhat in a vacuum. Now that he's got his own game where it needs to be, Cousins can focus on boosting the level of his teammates. Howard 3. Dwight Howard, Houston Rockets Projected 2014-15 WARP: 10.1 | Win%: 60 percent Few would doubt Howard's status as an elite player, and he enjoyed a solid 10-WARP season during his first season with the Rockets. Yet it seems the MVP-level Howard of Orlando vintage is gone for good. Sure, 10 WARP was a slight improvement over his season with the Lakers, and it put him in the 96th percentile leaguewide, but it's less than half what he put up during his best season with the Magic. His defensive impact (plus-4.7 RPM) is still considerable. But his offensive RPM has been negative for two years running. If Houston can figure out why that's happening, look out. Noah 4. Joakim Noah, Chicago Bulls Projected 2014-15 WARP: 10.0 | Win%: 60 percent Last year, Noah was rewarded for his best professional season by being named the defensive player of the year and earning first-team All-NBA honors. For a player lauded for his intangibles, his tangibles were awfully impressive. Noah's 14.0 WARP ranked 10th in the league, as he established career bests in usage, assist rate and defensive rebound rate. Chicago ran much of its offense though Noah, perhaps the NBA's best passing big man, and he became a nightly threat for a triple-double. It will be fascinating to see how this fully mature version of Noah meshes with Derrick Rose. Monroe 5. Greg Monroe, Detroit Pistons Projected 2014-15 WARP: 9.5 | Win%: 60 percent Like Josh Smith, Monroe's game faltered from ill-conceived schemes, and it was easily the worst season of his career. Monroe is effective as both a scorer and a passer with the ball in his hands, but that just didn't happen often enough a season ago. Assuming he returns to the Pistons one way or another, he's another player you hope Van Gundy will get back on track. His RPMs, by the way, remained positive, and he's been better than break-even on both ends of the floor in every season of his career. Jordan 6. DeAndre Jordan, Los Angeles Clippers Projected 2014-15 WARP: 9.0 | Win%: 58 percent When you draft a big-man project at the top of the lottery and he doesn't pan out, it's a major setback for a franchise. When you draft one in the second round and he turns out to be DeAndre Jordan, you've put your team on the elite track. Jordan posted 12.0 WARP in 2013-14 despite being as low usage as ever. His value stays high because of his elite rate of finishing: 67.7 percent in 2013-14. His rebounding is what really exploded, as Jordan grabbed 29.3 percent of opponent misses, by far a career best. His RPM on the defensive end was an outstanding plus-3.0, but he was positive on the offensive end as well. Gasol 7. Marc Gasol, Memphis Grizzlies Projected 2014-15 WARP: 7.6 | Win%: 56 percent Gasol missed 23 games last season, but he wasn't as good even when he did get on the floor. His defensive impact was intact; Gasol's RPM on that end was plus-5.0. On offense, however, his true shooting percentage fell below league average, even as he used more possessions than ever. Gasol's shooting percentages have always been up and down, so there is hope for a rebound. Memphis will likely need him to maintain a similar level of usage, as Zach Randolph is not getting any younger. Jefferson 8. Al Jefferson, Charlotte Hornets Projected 2014-15 WARP: 7.2 | Win%: 54 percent Jefferson's production last season wasn't the best of his career, but it was representative of the higher end of his personal spectrum. He had his best rebounding season in years and became the focal point of the Hornets' attack. Jefferson's offensive RPM was plus-1.3, which understates just how valuable it was for Steve Clifford to have him as an offensive starting point. Jefferson's defensive RPM was neutral, but he was the starting center on a very good defensive team. Hibbert 9. Roy Hibbert, Indiana Pacers Projected 2014-15 WARP: 6.9 | Win%: 56 percent Has any player had more of an up-and-down season that Hibbert's 2013-14 campaign? In the postseason, the extremes continued, as he alternated between breakout performances and virtual nonexistence. The statistical bottom line is that Hibbert's WARP (2.4) was his lowest since his rookie season. His overall rebound rate of 12.4 percent was a career nadir and was downright pitiful for a 7-foot-2 starting center. His 2-point field goal percentage (.439) was his worst yet. Hibbert's defensive impact was still there, but for the first time, Pacers fans had to wonder if it was worth it. Horford 10. Al Horford, Atlanta Hawks Projected 2014-15 WARP: 5.9 | Win%: 56 percent Who's to say the Hawks didn't make an impact acquisition this summer? If Horford, who has played 11, 74 and 29 games the last three years, respectively, returns to health, Atlanta could be poised for a major surge in the East standings. Horford's winning percentage in his limited time a season ago was a career low, so you do have to be concerned whether all the injuries have taken their toll. Next five -- Chris Bosh, Nikola Vucevic, Anderson Varejao, Robin Lopez, Marcin Gortat Bosh's willingness to subsume his game in service of LeBron-led title runs is endlessly admirable, and with teams throwing max offers his way over the summer, it's obvious that league decision-makers still think there's elite production there. With James gone, we'll find out soon enough. Also notable -- Omer Asik, Brook Lopez, Nikola Pekovic If Lopez's playing-time forecast wasn't kneecapped by his injury issues, his projected winning percentage would have been good enough to get him in the top 10. Let's not forget two things: His winning percentage (.648) was a career best before he was injured, but at the same time, the Nets got a lot better after he was hurt.
I actually really like Drummond and Cousins but i dont think they are quite there yet, and i think Cousins is way ahead of Drummond also.
I would take Marc Gasol before some of those guys ahead of him. I love his passing ability which really keeps the Griz offense moving. A rare trait for a big man.
"but it's less than half what he put up during his best season with the Magic. His offensive RPM has been negative for two years running. If Houston can figure out why that's happening, look out." Why is it less than half of what it was with the Magic and why is hit offensive RPM negative?
For the 100th time, these rankings are based purely on a stat. It is not a vote by ESPN columnist Believe the value of this stat or not. But would ppl please stop giving ESPN controversy time, as if they voted on the list
Until there's another center in the league who is the kind of two way force that D12 is I don't see him dropping the center crown....Drummond and Cousins will pass him eventually but I don't think next year is the year...Drummond is a top tier athlete and defensive stud, but as of now he doesn't have the post up ability to force double teams thus creating opportunities for his teammates; his offense is dependent on lobs and rebounds....Cousins on the other hand has a complete offensive game jumper and all, but he simply doesn't have the bounce/athleticism to be a legit rim protector and defensive difference maker...he also still has some discipline issues (although he is maturing) which can lead him to commit some questionable fouls....At the end of the day I still see Howard as the top center for the time being and I think he will surprise some of his critics next season
This. It wasn't a "dump it to DH and let him figure out what to do now" or a "which big we give it to, pau or Howard?" granted in LA he had back issues. I am pro-McHale but coach needs to establish an offense and an identity to utilize Howard and Harden to their potential. Otherwise, they will just keep getting criticism from the media
Lol who cares about these rankings. We all saw what Dwight did to Andre last year. 1. Howard 2. Cousins 3. Gasol 4. Noah 5. Jefferson
All the "Pure" Post Ups is probably why its so low Dwight in Orlando wasnt just given the ball on a block and asked to score. Run the floor and Pin/Ran the PNR a lot More/ And would often hit him closer to block not half way to the corner 3 point line.
Dwight KILLED Detroit last year. Nobody on that team could handle him. Drummond? Lol. Cousins? Good but nowhere near as consistent as Howard. Why exactly is ESPN still mad at Dwight?
The WARP stat that the list is based upon is who is mad at Dwight. No one voted on that list. It's just a stat list that ESPN puts out every year, and people always turn it into some controversy about how anyone could make such a list. It's a stat. It would be like listing the 10 Ten centers in PER. Take it for what it's worth. Clearly, any stat that puts Howard #3 Center and doesn't even include Parker in Top 10 PGs two years in a row has some serious flaws. It's probably pretty good for looking at entire careers or, at least, several seasons...but for just one season...pretty questionable stat ranking.
It's a list based in a stat ranking. No one at ESPN voted on this list We should be discussing how good or flawed this stat is, not whining about "BSPN"
