How do you rank these Centers?

[CodeBreaker]

How would you rank these Centers in the Top Centers of All Time list?



Here's mine:

1. Kareem Abdul Jabbar - Unstoppable Skyhook and his hardwares back it up.
2. Shaquille O'neal - Easily the MOST dominant center in history of basketball during his prime.
3. Hakeem Olajuwon - Too skilled for a center both offense and defense.
4. Bill Russell - 11 rings enough said. I put him at 4 because he did have great teammates that helped him win those rings but still 11 is 11.
5. Wilt Chamberlain - Mr. 100 was very dominant IN HIS ERA, era that isn't abundant with big men.

 

[Rock Strongo]

How would you rank these Centers in the Top Centers of All Time list?

View attachment 22938

Here's mine:

1. Kareem Abdul Jabbar - Unstoppable Skyhook and his hardwares back it up.
2. Shaquille O'neal - Easily the MOST dominant center in history of basketball during his prime.
3. Hakeem Olajuwon - Too skilled for a center both offense and defense.
4. Bill Russell - 11 rings enough said. I put him at 4 because he did have great teammates that helped him win those rings but still 11 is 11.
5. Wilt Chamberlain - Mr. 100 was very dominant IN HIS ERA, era that isn't abundant with big men.

Kareem
Russell
Hakeem
shaq
wilt


russell was the best defensive center to ever play the game. and yeah, 11 means something.

 

[trojanfan12]

Kareem
Russell
Hakeem
shaq
wilt


russell was the best defensive center to ever play the game. and yeah, 11 means something.

Pretty much agree. For me, in order, it's:

1. Kareem - The best all around center on the list.
2. Wilt - I give him the edge because he was better overall than Russell. Russell played on better teams.
3. Russell - Agree that he's the best defensively and those rings gotta have him up there on the list.
4. Hakeem - To this day, Shaq calls him "Mr. Olajuwon" for how he tore Shaq up in the finals.
5. Shaq - Could be higher on the list if he'd have listened to Kobe about staying in shape year round.

 

[Hornsstampede2.0]

1) KAREEM
1a) Dominant Shaq
3) WILT
4) HAKEEM
5) Bill Russell

Although I might consider guys like Moses, Robinson, Ewing, and several others over Bill Russell.
I am certainly not putting Robert Horry as one the greatest PFs of all time because he has 7 rings.
Playing with 6 HOF teammates in a less regarded 8 team league without a salary cap can skew titles.

 

[Mecca]

It's hard for me to rank the guys who played in the 60's and early 70's.

But, off the cuff I would say....

1. KAJ

2. Shaq

3. Wilt

4. Dream

5. Bill

* Ranked the guys that I actually saw play higher

 

[wildturkey]

Hmm. That's tough. But I've got a pretty good idea where Hammer would rank Mr. Russell

 

[Rock Strongo]

1) KAREEM
1a) Dominant Shaq
3) WILT
4) HAKEEM
5) Bill Russell

Although I might consider guys like Moses, Robinson, Ewing, and several others over Bill Russell.
I am certainly not putting Robert Horry as one the greatest PFs of all time because he has 7 rings.
Playing with 6 HOF teammates in a less regarded 8 team league without a salary cap can skew titles.

thats crazy talk.

 

[WiggyRuss]

Brenda Haywood would work a modern day Russell.

Russell played against a bunch of 6 foot 5 white guys for the most part. #recballhero

Desagna Diop v. Russell would be a fair matchup

 

[Robotech]

Brenda Haywood would work a modern day Russell.

Russell played against a bunch of 6 foot 5 white guys for the most part. #recballhero

Desagna Diop v. Russell would be a fair matchup

I guess you're not too impressed with Wilt Chamberlain either since he played roughly around the same time as Russell.

 

[DragonfromTO]

Hmm. That's tough. But I've got a pretty good idea where Hammer would rank Mr. Russell

I think he'd have him at #11.

And you know, speaking of eleven...

 

[Hornsstampede2.0]

I guess you're not too impressed with Wilt Chamberlain either since he played roughly around the same time as Russell.

WILT put up dominating numbers versus those tiny 6'5" white dude centers

Russell could barely score against them at all. Mr. 44% himself.

Luckily, Russell played with 7 (seven!!) Hall of Fame teammates to bail him out.

.

 

[SoCalWizFan]

WILT put up dominating numbers versus those tiny 6'5" white dude centers

Russell could barely score against them at all. Mr. 44% himself.

Luckily, Russell played with 7 (seven!!) Hall of Fame teammates to bail him out.

.

Wilt Chamberlain: Did He Really Play In a Weak Era? | Bleacher Report

Here is good reply in terms of how Chamberlain might fare in this era. The guy was a monster & actually did play against some decent competition. I have to laugh when I read some of these replies since there basically are no true centers at this time. Wilt's strength & athletic ability would be way too much for any current player to handle. The only recent player I think who would come close would be Shaq & I believe that Wilt in his prime could probably hold his own in that matchup.

 

[Robotech]

Wilt Chamberlain: Did He Really Play In a Weak Era? | Bleacher Report

Here is good reply in terms of how Chamberlain might fare in this era. The guy was a monster & actually did play against some decent competition. I have to laugh when I read some of these replies since there basically are no true centers at this time. Wilt's strength & athletic ability would be way too much for any current player to handle. The only recent player I think who would come close would be Shaq & I believe that Wilt in his prime could probably hold his own in that matchup.

Wilt was a freak athlete. Wilt was a track star as well as a strong man. Arnold Schwarzenegger has stories of how amazingly strong Wilt was. I think I read somewhere that he had the ability to press a man over his head. None of today's NBA centers can match Wilt's overall athleticism.

Though he didn't have Wilt's size and strength, Russell was also a tremendous athlete, especially with his leaping ability. He was also a track star. He high jumped nearly 7 feet (and this was using the old school techniques, as Russell competed in track before the Fosbury flop). He ran the 400 meters in 49.6 seconds (probably run on a dirt track). I'm not sure if any of today's NBA centers can run that fast.

If we're just talking about athleticism, Wilt and Russell stack up well against today's big men. I understand the argument that they enjoyed size and athletic advantages over their peers, but you also have to remember that because there were far fewer teams back in the day, Wilt and Russell were playing each other all the time.

 

[Wamu]

WILT put up dominating numbers versus those tiny 6'5" white dude centers

Huh? Some C's Wilt faced during his career...

- 6-9 Johnny Kerr (3x All Star)
- 6-9 Clyde Lovellette (4x All Star & Hall of Famer)
- 6-9 Willis Reed (7x All Star & Hall of Famer)
- 6-11 Nate Thurmond (7x All Star & Hall of Famer)
- 6-11 Walt Bellamy (4x All Star & Hall of Famer)

 

[tducey]

1, Kareem
2. Shaq
3. Wilt
4. Bill
5. Hakeem

 

[Kinzu]

Talent wise the best Center to ever play the game was Hakeem followed by Kareem and Wilt.
Physically I'd go with Shaq then Russel.

As for rankings it just depends on what you want from that position. If you want a beast that's impossible to keep off the block and protects the paint then you want Shaq or Russell. If you want a Center that can't be guarded and scores at will with their back to the basket and still protect your rim then you want Hakeem, Kareem, or Russell.

For me though there's never been a Center and may never be again a Center that played the game as smoothly as Hakeem. He was Center with Guard ball skills in the same way Magic was a Guard with the body of Forward. It's sad at how much of the art of big men playing with their backs to the basket has been lost in the current NBA.