Who Is the Best Center in the NBA?

[Champ06]

Lock if this is posted. If not, enjoy reading.

Yao Ming vs. Dwight Howard

Who is the best center in the NBA right now? Some say Dwight Howard, some say Yao Ming. But from where I stand, the best center in the league is definitely Yao.

Yao is clearly the best center in the NBA today and has been for the last two years. Yao is better than Howard for the simple fact that he is better at everything offensively, not to mention he is a better man-to-man defender, as well.

Main thing is there is a larger gap from Howard's offense to Yao's offense than there is vice-versa. Yao is a player who must be doubled in order to be stopped, unlike Dwight. Yao has all the moves, while Dwight has no post moves whatsoever.

Yao is a player who has the jump-hook, hook shot, fade-away, turnaround jumper, he has it all. Howard is a player who does not need to be doubled to be stopped, just watch the 2008 playoffs, Magic vs. Pistons—he was shut down by the one-on-one defense of Jason Maxiell, Rasheed Wallace, and Antonio McDyess.

Maxiell said that Howard is not even as strong as people make of him, and that he's weak in the legs. To add to this, Yao dominates Howard every single time they play; there has never been a game where Howard has outplayed Yao.

You cannot be the best center in the league if you can only outplay 28 or 29 centers in the league and fail to outplay the true best center in the league. Yao also is a much better passer by miles, as well as being a better free-throw shooter. These factors are important for the fact that he can easily get out of double-teams and isn't a liability on the fourth quarter.

Although Shaquille O'Neal had much trouble with free throws, it was the fact that he can pass and was a very intelligent player, as well, that made him great. Howard is not in any way intelligent on the offensive side of the ball; he is smart with the shot-blocking, but not with the offense or man-to-man defense.

Although Howard is not the best center today, it is no knock on him. He's just not fully developed as an overall player yet. Yao is a great player and the best center in the league. Both are one of the few true centers left in the game. The fact is that Yao Ming is the best center in the league and Dwight Howard is only second-best.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/5...ter-in-the-nba

[WinorLoseMate]

I see this more as a personal attack against Dwight than a comparison of the best Center?

Anyways give Dwight 2-3 more years if that and he will be over Yao's capabilities offensively and defensively.. not only due to his increase in experience and skills but also due to Yao aging and a possibility of more injuries.

[CometsWin]

Dwight Howard is the superior player. He's six years younger than Yao and puts up the same numbers without missing a single game.

Howard - 20.7 ppg, 14.2 rpg, 2.2 bpg, 59.9 FG%, Efficiency Rating: 22.98

Yao - 22.0 ppg, 10.8 rpg, 2.0 bpg, 50.7 FG%, Efficiency Rating: 22.61

[clos4life]

I agree with the author of the article. Right now, Yao is just a better center. When Howard starts needing double teams, then we'll be able to call him the best.

However, in 3 years, when he is 25, I think it will be scary to see what Howard can do IF he develops his game. Otherwise, he will be a great center, but not the best.

[Hydhypedplaya]

I agree with the author, but I feel as if I just read an article that a middle schooler wrote.

[DreamRoxCoogFan]

the bleacher report is a website that looks for anyone to write for it. So I wouldn't be shocked if this was a kid.

[YallMean]

Yao is the best center in a premier oriented NBA today.
The only thing about Yao is that he hasn't shown people that he can carry his team when it matters. This at least is a very minimum for a best center in the World.

I am a huge Yao fan.

[GermanRoxFan]

Originally Posted by CometsWin Dwight Howard is the superior player. He's six years younger than Yao and puts up the same numbers without missing a single game. Howard - 20.7 ppg, 14.2 rpg, 2.2 bpg, 59.9 FG%, Efficiency Rating: 22.98 Yao - 22.0 ppg, 10.8 rpg, 2.0 bpg, 50.7 FG%, Efficiency Rating: 22.61

dude, howard is exactly better in 2 aspects of the game: 1. rebounding. 2. dunking.

the author of the above article is absolutely right. yao is a dominant force on offense because he has all the skills. howard is dominant on offense because he can out-jump his opponents. he has no moves at all. that's why yao can't be stopped on-one-one and howard can be stopped one-on-one.


on offense:

moves: yao
consistent scoring: yao
passing: yao
mid-range shot: yao
smarts: yao
offensive rebounding: howard (difference is minimal, though)
fg %: howard
ft %: yao


on defense:

one-on-one defesen: yao
help defense: howard
shot-blocking: tied
defensive rebounding: howard


since we're comparing those players now and that for a fair comaprison we have to assume that both are healthy that really is no contest. yao is clearly superior now.


a closer look on howard:

- he has a better standing with the refs than yao (just look at the ridiculous bs calls that yao got while playing the magic in the last couple of games)

- his rebounding numbers make him look better than he really is (he plays in the east and on a team with rashard lewis as a pf and backcourt players that are very bad at rebounding. he's a great rebounder, though, but just not as dominant as people think he is.)

- his so called dominance is in fact his major weakness (his fg % looks great, but he's still only averaging 20 ppg as his career high, his ts % is not really better than yao's, he still has no moves and no shot at all and he still can be stopped one-on-one.)

- his defense is incredibly overrated because of the hype that's around him (he's worse than yao one-on-one, his shot-blocking numbers are embarrassing for a player with his length and athleticism.)

[WinorLoseMate]

You can't make a comparison among Howard and Yao with statistics because Yao gets double teamed, which thus makes it harder for him to score.

However with Howard's age and potential the sky is the limit!

[bbjai]

People also say Howard is better then Yao but noone bothers to bring up his shocking free throw % in comparison to Yao. They both turn the ball over at a similar rate so in the 4th Howard is completely unreliable. Lets not mention he plays in the East and avoids playing against most of the strongest centers in the league. TD, Yao, Tyson Chandler, DAmpier/Diop, Biedriens, Okur, Gasol/Bynum.

No knock on Howard his a great player, but as good as Yao thats a different story.

[binvegas]

Hopefully Oden does well, then we have Yao, Dwight. How does that compare in the future of the era of Hakeem, Ewing, David Robinson. I say the Hakeem era of centers are better but will not be as far off as some think.

[R-Jay]

In an NBA perspective, I will go with Dwight Howard, age, athleticism and durability.. Yao may be good on offense but Howard is a tailor made for NBA.

I am just fair to my opinion and I know Dwight Howard is proving himself worthy to be a first pick same with Yao.

But, imagine Yao with Dwight Howards athleticism added to him..

imagine!!!

[dexkk]

imagine, if you double Yao now, what are you going to do with Artest, Mcgrady, and Scola?

Once again, looking forward to the season.

[zerhoe]

yao commands the double, and is a much better anchor and pivot.

dwight has no skills except throwing it down when he's directly under the ring.

[GoRoxFromDC]

shotblocking ability tied between Dwight and Yao!?


we wish

[Pizza_Da_Hut]

On paper this one looks so clear cut. I mean come on, you always take the 7'6" guy, always, right? I'm not so sure. No disrespect to Yao I think Dwight has done a lot to impress as of late. True, his dunk at the slam dunk contest last year was a laugh, but he's more than made up for that. The thing that I hate about this guy is that as great as he is, the media always has to take it a step further. Between the two, i think you've got an even matchup. Yao has the height and sometimes the muscle, while Dwight has a bit better ball control and is a tad bit more athletic. Dwight is a little more versatile, a jack of many trades but a master of none. Yao on the other hand is a master of the down low presence and you can pretty much drop it to him and get something. I really don't know who'd I chose.

[Pete the Cheat]

please...this wouldn't even be an issue if yao could just stay on the court..

dwight howard is the most overhyped player in the league. he puts up alot of weakside blocks that look good on tv, but that is about the extent of his game.

his man defense is atrocious and his offensive game is pitifully limited (and I haven't seen anything to indicate that it is going to improve).

[kevC]

Originally Posted by GoRoxFromDC shotblocking ability tied between Dwight and Yao!? we wish

Are you kidding? Yao has always been the superior shot blocker. Yao is a career 4.4% shot blocker while Dwight is only 3.8%.

[Noob Cake]

Yao has the skill, Dwight has the body

I'll take either one

[Albert Einstain]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKr7xGMH_Jk
Actions speak louder than words. click this link and discover how howard was blocked by chinese magic .