Is yao considered one of the best centers (or even THE best) of this decade?

No best center has won nothing in a decade.

awkward topic indeed.

 

Well since this century just begun I would say no. But after he wins a championship this coMING season and schools Howard in the finals you will have to put him on top.

 

i thought he would be the best back to 5 yrs ago, but now i would rather have big Z.

 

Kind of depends on how much you knock him for his durability (or lack thereof).

I mean, would you rather have Yao, knowing that when he's healthy he's the best center in the league, but not knowing how long he's going to stay on the floor, or Dwight Howard, knowing that he'll probably play a full 82-game season and give you 35 minutes a night? Obviously you choose Dwight. While you could certainly make the argument that he's "as good" as Yao (which is debatable, btw), you can't argue that he's given his team more value over the last six years.

It also depends on whether or not you consider Tim Duncan a center. I mean, he plays like a center. He's typically guarded by the other team's center. He's really a PF in name only.

Either way, it just goes to show how weak this decade's crop of centers has been, unfortunately.

 

Big Z sucks... Yao is the best center in the West at the moment. Dwight might be the only center better than Yao in the game today...

 

Leaving aside Tim Duncan because I don't want to get into that debate, the best center of the past decade was Shaq. Let's enumerate the accomplishments:

3 championships
3 Finals MVPs
1 MVP
7 All-NBA 1s team selections
3 All-star MVPs
2nd to LeBron in PER for the decade


Honestly, Yao doesn't come close to that.

 

I think you forgot the Heat championship with Wade.

 

Yao's got a jay with a nice post game and he's 7'6"....Dwight Howard can dunk

 

he is definitely on of the top centers of the decade.

 

Shaq has been better than Yao even in the last 5 years. Shaq was better than Yao, last year.

 

Shaq or TD....

 

Tim Duncan is old and still better than Yao.

 

Here's the order:

Shaq
Duncan (who played PF during his glory years so not sure if he counts as C)
Yao

Howard (He can still go off on scrubs)

Big Z (who wasn't really that good to begin with)

Then the list thins off....this decade has not produced any quailty big men at all, I just have to say.

 

This is the most ridiculous thing i've read all day. It seems rocket players get no respect, even from their own fans.

 

1) Shaq (not even close)

2) Yao Ming


The next few spots are between Dwight Howard, Ben Wallace, Amare Stoudemire, and a couple others

 

yao is the best center in the west AT THE MOMENT? U MEAN AT THE MOMENT? LOL, at the moment, Im not sure if Yao Ming can still play 20mins per game even. Yao is slightly better than Big Z when he is healthy, but unfortunately hes not AT THE MOMENT. So i would pick BigZ over yao back to 5 yrs ago, at least in the past 5 yrs, Big Z can play much more games and we dont need start Chuck Hayes as our center position last year kkggthx.

 

I'll argue T-mac was better than Kobe at one point, but never won and was short lived.... doesn't mean I'm right. :grin:

 

I hope your not serious

 

Shaq,howard, yao/wallace doesnt matter.