[SI] Yao Ming is POTENTIALLY the league's best center

So Elson plays PF for Spurs?

He is a starter for 41 games this season.

 

It really doesn't matter. In any meaningful sense, Duncan is a center. He has the size of a center. He plays more like a center than like a forward. He guards opposing centers. He's their best interior defender. He's their best rebounder. He's their most potent interior scorer.

If you're going to say Yao is the best center in the game without even considering Duncan, I think that's an artificial honor.

 

Just compare the performance this year.
In his peak, TD is definitely better than current YM.

 

Are you sure? Don't you want check your book to see if you have 3 blank spots ahead Yao for Greg Oden, Dwight Howard, Amare Stoudemire?

 

we can consider him, but consider this:

1. Yes he has the size of a center: 6'10" or a big PF. I mean, we consider 6'9" a small PF nowdays.
2. He plays like a competent (obviously he's one of the all time greats) big; centers aren't the only ones who play with their back to the basket, you know.
3. He guards opposing centers: If they are not named Shaq, Yao, Zydrunas, [insert any other legit center who isn't a scrub and isn't playing out of position here]. Why? Because they're LEGIT centers and he's not big enough to guard these legit centers who have some skill.
Anyone other center, like the ben wallaces, the tony batties and the mark blounts of the world, duncan will cover.
4. Garnett's his team's best rebounder. So is Jermaine O'Neal. So is Elton Brand. List goes on.
5. See above.

I've had this discussion before on the board, but Duncan plays center when the Center he's guarding is crap. Any Center with some size can score on him pretty much at will. I mean, that's why they brought it francisco freaking elson in to start. THey tried Rasho. THey tried Nazr Mohammad. If DUncan could really play C fulltime, why in the world would you bring in so many lesser talents to fill the starting center spot? It wears duncan out to guard other Centers. SCoring wise, He has the speed mismatch to be able to take advantage on the offensive end, but with the limited spurs-rockets games we see, he has a harder time trying to score on yao and mutumbo because they are so much bigger than he is and they have strength to stop him from backing them down.

I'm really interested in seeing the opposite side and to answer some of my questions/ points.

 

It isn't even open for discussion. If you don't think Yao is the best center in the league you've either had your head in the sand for the past 2 years or you are stupid. There really isn't a third choice anymore.

 

LOL. Sounds like a explanation to me.

 

I should Potentially kick his azz...What an idiot...Yao is the best center in the league, period...This year's playoffs will be the time and place where he and T-Mac prove how great they really are...

I can't f'n wait...

 

tompson is just scared that oneal will kick his ass....haha

 

Lol. You think Howard, Oden and Stoudemire are better then Yao? Didnt Yao manhandle Howard in his second game back from injury? Put 34 on Stoudemire with consistant double teams? And please, Oden can barely score on college centers, lets give him a couple of years before you put him in over his head.

 

Duncan is a legit 7-footer, and he's like 260 lbs. And he has very long arms. He's physically better equipped to guard opposing legit centers than any other player on his team. And he has guarded Yao/Shaq/Z. Considering he's the Spurs primary low post threat and they usually play another center along with him (Elson or Oberto), of course he's not going to be exclusively guarding them.

Because the Spurs believe in defense and rebounding, they like to have another strong rebounder next to Duncan. And since Duncan is capable of playing the low and high post equally effectively, and he's versatile enough to defend opposing PFs as well, they can afford to do that.

I'd classify Jermaine O'neal as a center as well, btw.