[bobbybParticipant]

Ever since Shaq mentioned him, does anyone think much of him ? Yes , I know D12 is #1 and Bynum is #2 but who would you rank as the #3 center? I always thought of him as a top 5 center going into the future( meaning not counting KG and Timmy) , but most people didnt have him in their top 10’s. Anyone change their mind?

[hoodwinkParticipant]

If I were forced to name the #3 best pure center, I’d go with Marc Gasol.

That said, I think DeMarcus Cousins, Tyson Chandler and maaaybe Roy Hibbert are in the debate.

(This is with the assumption that Ibaka, Monroe, Noah, Aldridge, Jefferson, P. Gasol, Love and ETC. are considered PF/C hybrids.)

Pekovic and McGee are looking to be solid centers going into the future as well. And I’m excited to see what becomes of Drummond.

[AccountCanBeDeletedParticipant]

I personally feel at #3 for centers there’s plenty of players who could easily be argued to go there like hoodwink mentioned. I do feel that even some players could be argued over Bynum, don’t get me wrong a healthy/motivated might be the best/if not the second best center, but a unhealthy/3point shooting/elbowing Bynum is not someone I would rank #2 personally.

If I had to pick it probably would be in between Gasol, Chandler and KG (if he counts as a C).

 

In terms of Lopez, I still think the general consensus is that offensively he’s great getting you 20+ a game, but until he starts playing visible defensive and gets those boards/blocks. He isn’t a top 5, maybe not even a top 10 center.

 

From the link below you can see he was voted most overrated, so that should give you a general idea of what people think of him.

 

http://www.nbadraft.net/forum/vote-all-positions-center-results

[kobyzParticipant]

Brook Lopez is top 5 center on offense but the worst center on defense, he’s so apathetic and soft at that side of the floor it’s unbelievable, for that reason i have hard time to put him in my top 10 overall.

[JoeWolf1]

 I’ve been saying, I think he’s poised for a bouce back season.  Especially in terms of rebounding and shot blocking.  He is no longer that team’s #1 option and he’ll be shouldering less of the offensive burden, which will allow him to use more energy on the glass.

He’ll never be a guy who leads the league in rebounding, but I think it’s realistic he’ll return to the 8-9 rpg range he put up in his first couple years. I’ll be the first to admit that pre-season isn’t the same as the regular season, but I think his 9 and 11 rpg games ( in only 26 mpg) are a good indicator he’s more comitted to hitting the glass.

[hwt4433Participant]

great post

[KanyEvil27Participant]

Bogut?

[IMFWAYParticipant]

yes

[dg34232323Participant]

I’d go with Marc Gasol.

[A Lil EnglishParticipant]

I agree with Joe Wolf in that his rebounding will bounce back to more respectable numbers..

People have bashed him for the lack of boards for 2 years but many forget he grabbed 8.1 as a rookie and 8.6 the next year before getting hurt.

In 2 preseason games to date he has an 11 rebounds against Washington and 9 vs Philly. Maybe it’s a case of health after some time off?

[Shanetaylor95Participant]

Cousins is easily the 3rd best , no question about it

[druneave3Participant]

 Howard, Bynum (when healthy, and because he can’t stay healthy would take several players over him if I was a GM), Cousins, Gasol, Chandler, Hibbert, Noah, Horford, Lopez

Noah- people will hate on that Noah ranking but I think he affects the game and helps the team win more than Lopez. His energy, hustle, and effort is constant and infectious. Thanks to that energy he is an exeptional offensive rebouding and runs like the floor better than anyone in the league besides Howard. He is an extremely good ball handler and passer, a great, versatile defensive player, career 72% FT shooter, and is starting to consistently knock down 15-18 footers. After working with Kareem this offseason I have even seen a few baby hook shots this preseason. I would rank him higher if he was a little bigger/stronger so he didn’t get moved or pushed around in the post so easily, Howard has his way with him. Ultimately I think he should play with a bigger Center and slide over to PF where he can do the dirty work and be a hustle man ala Dennis Rodman.

Cousins- most people wouldn’t give him that spot ahead of Gasol and others quite yet but if I had to win one game I would take Cousins 3rd and and he will eventually be the better player in the long run, perhaps even better than Howard one day. Obviously he won’t ever be as good defensively (although he did have 93 steals in a shortened season, Tyreke Evans had 84) but he is already vastly better on the offensive end. 

[Jlv2012]

the league in charges so he has some common sense on the defensive side.

[JoeWolf1]

 I think Noah is going to have his best pro season as he steps up and takes a leadership role in Rose’s absence.  Noah has a lot of tools and plays with fire.  He was a 12 and 12 player before getting hurt in 2010-11, and despite having a junk shot, he has a strangely effective offensive game, paired with great passing instinct and the ability to run the floor better than any other C in the league, except for Javale McGee, IMO.

I think he’ll be a 14 ppg 11.5rpg 3.5 apg 1.5 bpg 1 spg player this season and be a fringe All-Star in the East, beating out Hibbert, but a healthy Lopez and a healthy Al Horford will give him some competition.

[HitsterParticipant]

A fully fit Brook Lopez is one of the very best offensive C’s in the NBA, overall in the C ratings, I’d agree that he would be pushing for a top 10 spot. Behind D12 and possibly Bynum there are a whole lot of guys in the mix, Roy Hibbert, Marc Gasol, Tyson Chandler, Al Horford, Nene, Noah, Marcin Gortat, a fit Andrew Bogut are the sort of guys I’d put into that mix in no particular order and that is discluding the likes of KG, Tim Duncan and the younger centres.

[anthonymatthew24Participant]

 well in the preseason hes been rebounding the ball pretty well, which was one of his biggest weaknesses, he has a great offensive game and due to his size can block some shots… I believe this season he will be a Top 5 center behind Howard, Bynum, Gasol, Hibert…

[BigChamp12Participant]

 1. Dwight Howard- Great Body, Runs Floor, Supremely Athletic, Rebounder, Finisher, Shot Blocker, Improving Offense w/ ball, Bad Ft Shooter,

2 A. Andrew Bynum- Big Body, good back to the basket, Young, Can be better Defensively, Inconsistent

   B. Demarcus Cousins- Huge Body, very good inside and out, great hands, needs to be more dedicated on D

4. Roy Hibbert- Good scorer, okay jumper, improving, not at full potential yet

5. Tyson Chandler good ft shooter, great finisher and defender,not good with back to basket

6. Marc Gasol good hands, big body, good scorer, big stiff

7. Marcin Gortat decently athletic, soft touch, good finisher, below avergae defender

8. Joakim Noah great energy and hustle player, not a guy you can feed the ball too in the post

9. Brook Lopez… good offense, no defense, clumsy.

10… ???? 

[SiggyParticipant]

 Marc Gasol is a big stiff? He’s one of the better C defenders in the league and he’s a better offensive player than Roy Hibbert.

I’d put Gasol comfortably at #3.

Boogie’s good, but he’s not there yet. He’s got a lot to learn about playing good defense without fouling and shot selection and not forcing the issue on offense.

[BigChamp12Participant]

 Yes, Marc Gasol is one of the best offensive Centers in the league, I agree. Nonetheless, he is STILL what people consider a big stiff. That doesn’t mean he’s not good. I can see him as the number 3 Center but I feel Demarcus his more mobile and gives the team many more options than Marc Gasol. And he is better on D than Marc. And IMO Roy Hibbert passed Marc Gasol this past year in the playoffs. 

[SiggyParticipant]

Cousins is not better than Marc defensively.

Lower is better.

M.Gasol

% Scored against- 38.7%

Points Per Play against:

Overall-.76

Iso-.55

Post Up-.7

PnR Roll Man-.98

Spot Up-.82

————————————————

D.Cousins

 

% Scored against- 40%

PPP against:

Overall-.84

Iso-.74

Post Up-.81

PnR Roll Man-.71

Spot Up-.99

—————————————————————————————-

Hibbert is not better than Gasol offensively

Higher is better.

M.Gasol

% Scored- 49.1%

Points Per Play:

Overall-.96

Post-Up- .93

Spot Up- .63

PnR man- 1.05

Cut-1.11

While being the best passing big man in the game.

————————————————————

R.Hibbert

 

% Scored- 48%

Points Per Play:

Overall- .92

Post-Up- .88

Spot Up- .60

PnR man- .97

Cut-1.24

Hibbert is a better offensive rebounder and he scores more on dump offs. That’s all he has over Gasol.

 

In conclusion, Gasol is not a stiff. He’s one of the most well-rounded C’s in the game and he’s an impact player on both ends of the floor.

 

 

[BothTeamsPlayedHardParticipant]

The perceived rebounding deficiency is mostly fantasy nonsense. If you throw out last year because he was hurt, Lopez has averaged more offensive rebounds per game than Al Horford, Marc Gasol, Nene and David West every year since he entered the league. Individual defensive rebounding numbers don’t really matter. It didn’t matter if Kris Humphries or Brook Lopez take in a defensive rebound so long as someone did, and the team was better at hauling in the other team’s misses in 2011 than they were with Yi or Ryan Anderson at the 4. The same will be the case this year with those two, Gerald Wallace, Andray Blatche, Mirza Teletovic, and Reggie Evans. 

Lopez should be a top 5 center in the game based off his size and skill level, but his accomplishments are lacking. Winning matters. This is his first year where there are high expectations for a team he is on, and we will see how he responds.

[kobyzParticipant]

guys just look how horrible Lopez play defense: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_z3hAbv7Kn0

that’s would ruin any team chance to succeed, no metter how good you on offense.

 

[aamir543Participant]

I would not be one surprised to see Lopez average 27 a game somtime in his career, he’s an amazing offensive center, but he’s not the complete passage.

But DeMarcus Cousins on the other hand is the future of this league, he has future star written all over him. He also has a chance to be a very good defender as well. I’m already going to pencil him in to be a perrenial 25 and 12 guy, and even better than that. I expect him to easily be the most dominant center since Shaq. 

[HaleParticipant]

 I think 27 a game is too high. Nowadays that’d put him in the top 3-5 in the NBA. Not only that, but despite his offensive skill he’s finished 9th and 10th in FG% among C’s in his last two healthy seasons. 

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