NBA Center Rankings

Part 5.

30. Robert Swift, OKC – 3.4 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 0.5 apg, 1 bpg, 51% FG, 60% FT. Thank God for Krstic.
29. Aaron Gray, Chicago Bulls – 4.1 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 1.1 apg, 49% FG, 60% FT. At least Pitt is #1 in the nation in college ball.
28. Roy Hibbert, Indiana Pacers – 5.7 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 0.7 apg, 51% FG, 60% FT. He does play hard.
27. Jared Jeffries, New York Knicks – 5.6 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 1.3 apg, 43% FG, 56% FT. The only other team he plays center for in the NBA is Golden State.
26. Joel Anthony, Miami Heat – 3 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 0.4 apg, 1.6 bpg, 47% FG, 62% FT. Never heard of him until this year.
25. Matt Bonner, San Antonio Spurs – 7.9 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 1.1 apg, 52% FG, 47% 3PT, 86% FT. Gotta love the big man that can hit the three.
24. Erick Dampier, Dallas Mavericks – 5.4 ppg, 8.1 rpg, 1 apg, 1.3 bpg, 66% FG, 56% FT. Love the field goal percentage and the fraternity.
23. Andray Blatche, Washington Wizards – 9.5 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 1.7 apg, 47% FG, 78% FT. He’ll hit an occasional three when he’s on, but if he gave a consistent effort he’d be a lot higher on this list.
22. Samuel Dalembert, Philadelphia 76ers – 5.7 ppg, 8.3 rpg, 0.2 apg, 1.5 bpg, 46% FG, 71% FT. His contract might’ve ultimately led to Billy King’s demise.
21. Greg Oden, Portland Trailblazers – 8 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 0.7 apg, 1.2 bpg, 53% FG, 64% FT. He may not be great, but he’s a great guy to have in your rotation.
20. Tyson Chandler, New Orleans Hornets – 8.8 ppg, 8 rpg, 0.5 apg, 1.5 bpg, 55% FG, 53% FT. For some reason, most of his numbers are way down this year.
19. Jermaine O’Neal, Toronto Raptors – 14 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 1.6 apg, 1.9 bpg, 48% FG, 80%FT. Still kind of effective, not even 31 yet.
18. Brad Miller, Sacramento Kings – 12.1 ppg, 7.9 rpg, 3.4 apg, 47% FG, 39% 3PT, 78% FT. Wouldn’t be surprised to see him playing valuable minutes on a contender in the next few years.
17. Brook Lopez, New Jersey Nets – 10.3 ppg, 8 rpg, 0.8 apg, 1.9 bpg, 47% FG, 79% FT. Already playing better than their former starting center, who was also a twin from Stanford.
16. Kendrick Perkins, Boston Celtics – 8.9 ppg, 8.4 rpg, 1.2 apg, 1.8 bpg, 60% FG, 58% FT. Fits in perfectly with the rest of Boston’s starting 5.
15. Marc Gasol, Memphis Grizzlies – 11.3 ppg, 7 rpg, 1.4 apg, 1.1 bpg, 52% FG, 71% FT. That Lakers trade for his brother doesn’t look like the steal we thought it was now that he’s in the NBA too.
14. Andrew Bogut, Milwaukee Bucks – 11.5 ppg, 10.6 rpg, 2 apg, 1 bpg, 56% FG, 58% FT. On pace to have his first double-double season.
13. Andrew Bynum, Los Angeles Lakers – 11.9 ppg, 8.2 rpg, 1.7 apg, 1.8 bpg, 53% FG, 66% FT. I’m interested to see what his ceiling is. The numbers aren’t going to be there now, because of whom he plays with, but what would he do on a team like Minnesota?
12. Nene, Denver Nuggets – 14.7 ppg, 7.9 rpg, 1.4 apg, 1.3 spg, 1.5 bpg, 62% FG, 73% FT. He’s having a career year for a Nuggets team that looks like it might be able to make a run this year (finally).
11. Emeka Okafor, Charlotte Bobcats – 13.8 ppg, 11 rpg, 0.6 apg, 1.8 bpg, 58% FG, 58%FT. A consistent double-double guy for Larry Brown’s team.
10. Mehmet Okur, Utah Jazz – 16.9 ppg, 8.4 rpg, 1.8 apg, 48% FG, 37% 3PT, 80% FT. He is another reason why Utah has been able to keep moving along despite Boozer and D-Will’s injury woes.
9. Andris Biedrins, Golden State Warriors – 14.2 ppg, 11.9 rpg, 2 apg, 1.4 spg, 1.5 bpg, 55% FG, 56% FT. Without him, there’s no way Nellie’s style would even be remotely effective with the roster he has in Oaktown.
8. Rasheed Wallace, Detroit Pistons – 12.3 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 1.4 apg, 1 spg, 1.6 bpg, 42% FG, 38% 3PT, 76% FT. He could be a 20 and 10 guy if he wanted to.
7. Al Horford, Atlanta Hawks – 11 ppg, 8.7 rpg, 2.7 apg, 1.6 bpg, 52% FG, 72% FT. He doesn’t get a lot of shots, and maybe this is too high for him, but he’s been outstanding for the Hawks this year.
6. Zydrunas Ilgauskus, Cleveland Cavaliers – 13.8 ppg, 7.1 rpg, 1.5 apg, 1.3 bpg, 52% FG, 84% FT. One of the hardest things about this list is the numbers. His numbers aren’t as good as some of the guys he’s a head of (#7 and 8 are in this boat too), but he does the more with his opportunities.
5. Shaquille O’Neal, Phoenix Suns – 17.2 ppg, 8.9 rpg, 1.8 apg, 1.5 bpg, 59% FG, 60% FT. Shhhh. Shaq is having his best season since he helped D-Wade bring the championship to Miami.
4. Marcus Camby, Los Angeles Clippers – 12 ppg, 13.5 rpg, 2.3 apg, 2.8 bpg, 52% FG, 75% FT. It’s pretty hard to beat a double-double with three blocks a game.
3. Al Jefferson, Minnesota Timberwolves – 22.8 ppg, 10.4 rpg, 1.7 apg, 1.8 bpg, 50% FG, 77% FT. The best player in the league none of us really get to see.
2. Yao Ming, Houston Rockets – 19.8 ppg, 9.8 rpg, 1.6 apg, 1.7 bpg, 52% FG, 88% FT. You already know what you’re going to get from Yao every year; 20, 10 and at least 20 games on the shelf.
1. Dwight Howard, Orlando Magic – 20.1 ppg, 13.6 rpg, 1.4 apg, 3.5 bpg, 56% FG, 57% FT. His numbers are every similar to the numbers Shaq put up in his rookie year, which shows how dominant Shaq really was. However, D-Ho is at about 50% of his potential right now, and is far and away the best center in the league, which is scary.

Shaq (92-93) 23.4 ppg, 13.9 rpg, 1.9 apg, 3.5 bpg, 56% FG, 57% FT.