Here is a list of some of the centers from around the league (not in any order). Where do our centers fit in the top 10? Make a list. Yao Ming 7'6" 300 Kelvin Cato 7'0" 285 Kwame Brown 6'11" 240 Brendan Haywood 7'0" 268 Curtis Borchardt 7'0" 240 Greg Ostertag 7'2" 260 Eric Montross 7'0" 270 Hakeem Olajuwon 7'0" 255 Vitaly Potapenko 6'10" 285 David Robinson 7'1" 250 Vlade Divac 7' 1" 260 Arvydas Sabonis 7'3" 292 Iakovos Tsakalidis 7'2" 285 Todd Mc Culloch 7'0" 280 Elden Campbell 7'0" 279 Dikembe Mutombo 7'2" 265 Marc Jackson 6'10" 270 Ervin Johnson 6'11" 255 Vladimir Stepania 7'1" 255 Paul Gasol 7'0" 227 Shaquille O'Neal 7'1" 335 Michael Olowokandi 7'0" 270 Brad Miller 7'0" 261 Erick Dampier 6'11" 265 Ben Wallace 6'9" 240 Mengke Bateer 6'11" 290 Raef La Frentz 6'11" 240 Zhi Zhi Wang 7'1" 220 Zydrunas Ilgauskas 7'3" 260 DeSagana Diop 7'0" 300 Eddy Curry 6'11" 240 Tony Battie 6'11" 240 Theo Ratliff 6'10" 230 My list: 1) Shaquille O'Neal 7'1" 335 2) Yao Ming 7'6" 300 3) Dikembe Mutombo 7'2" 265 4) Vlade Divac 7' 1" 260 5) Zydrunas Ilgauskas 7'3" 260 6) Ben Wallace 6'9" 240 7) Raef La Frentz 6'11" 240 8) Brad Miller 7'0" 261 9) Theo Ratliff 6'10" 230 10) David Robinson 7'1" 250
1) Shaquille O'Neal 7'1" 335 (DUH!) 2) Vlade Divac 7' 1" 260 3) Dikembe Mutombo 7'2" 265 4) David Robinson 7'1" 250 5) Mengke Bateer 6'11" 290 6) Todd Mc Culloch 7'0" 280 7) Michael Olowokandi 7'0" 270 8) Ervin Johnson 6'11" 255 9) Ben Wallace 6'9" 240 10) Raef La Frentz 6'11" 240 Notable mention: Brendan Haywood 7'0" 268 Yao Ming 7'6" 300 (Not sure yet)
Ervin Johnson above Ben Wallace and LaFrentz and Yao Ming? Didn't Johnson average like 2pts, 6rebs, and 1 blk last season?
I didn't include Yao in the list. Not until I see him in a full season. As far as Ervin, I was judging him on his tenacity during the play-offs.
My top twenty: (Gasol, B. Wallace, Ratliff, Battie, etc. are not true centers, so they aren't on my list) 1. O'neal 2. Divac 3. Mutombo 4. Robinson 5. Lafrenz 6. B. Miller 7. Campbell 8. YAO MING 9. Olowakandi 10. McCulloch 11. Ilgauskas 12. Tsakalidis 13. Dampier 14. Curry 15. Sabonis, CATO (tied)
Ervin Johnson only had ONE good playoff run, and that was mostly rebounding and some block shots. No way can he be ranked ahead of Ben Wallace, a defensive player of the year when Johnson can't even start for his own team after years in the league. And what has Bateer done to be ranked in the Top 5!? He had his chance in the NBA last year and wasn't impressive. And while he can be a quality player you have to judge players on their production in the league, that's why I can't really ranked Yao.
you gettin out of hand... he asked you to list top 10 not 15 or 20.. read the question carefully next time I think yao will fit in the top 3 spots for center position
1. shaq 2. divac 3. ilgouskas (if healthy) 4. yao 5. mutombo 6. b. miller 7. campbell 8. olowakandi 9. sabonis 10. robinson
Bateer makes top 5? I don't think so. he will be a good backup, but not good enough to make top 5, no way.
Looking at that list, and how much adjusting Yao has to do, I see him as top 3 in 3 years, but not top 10 this year. He'll probably crack top 5 in his second year. There are some exellent C's coming in future drafts btw. 2 most important ones: Kendrick Perkins (i think) and this 17 or 18 year old starting C for Yugoslavia. Starting next season, I don't think C will be considered the weakest poition. That honor belongs to the SF position, and lukily for us, that's our weakest position right now. How about a list of best C's UNDER 28 years of age? That's far more significant to our championship aspirations.
That's funny Sane. I don't think there will ever be a time when there are more good centers than there are small forwards.
I am a big fan of the Houston Rockets I am from New England and this is my first post. I do not think that Ilgouskas is better than Yao Ming when healthy. My list for the top ten ceners in NBA IMHO 1. Shaq 2. Vlade Divac 3. Mutombo 4. David Robinson (when playing healthy) 5. Yao Ming 6. Elden Campbell 7. Michael Olowakandi 8. Raef Lafrenz 9. Brad Miller 10.Keon Clarke
I am a big fan of the Houston Rockets I am from New England and this is my first post. I do not think that Ilgouskas is better than Yao Ming when healthy. My list for the top ten ceners in NBA IMHO 1. Shaq 2. Vlade Divac 3. Mutombo 4. Theo Ratliff 5. David Robinson (when playing healthy) 6. Yao Ming 7. Elden Campbell 8. Michael Olowakandi 9. Raef Lafrenz 10. Brad Miller