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Z the best true center right now

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Hitting the outside shots, establishing strong post presence, blocking/altering shots, getting tough rebounds, making key free throws, is there a better true center in basketball right now? The outside shots are falling now and a big reason is a strong inside post presence. If he can keep it up, the Cavs will be very tough to beat.
 
With Shaq and Yao injured, Z is the best healthy "true" center in the NBA. Unfortunately for the sport, they are turning the game into a one dimesional run and gun where traditional center play is limited.

Look at Ilgauskas's record the past 5 seasons. He would have to be about the healthiest center in the game despite his earlier dramas.
 
You know, so few exist that it's really not even worthy of mentioning. As far as 'true' centers go ... I do know that Brad Miller and Mikki Moore have put more than two times their scoring average up at the center postion lately ...

Z is streaky. He's in a good streak ..good offensive flow right now. Whereas Drew has always been a guy that is a day by day trial and error type ..Z tends to go into long stretches of either good or bad play...

I will say Z's defensive capabilities have surprised me, as has the entire teams, for that matter.

Z's a decent enough center....maybe not the perfect fit for our particular team and it's player chemistry, but, far better than most teams have to offer.
 
Z dropped 17 and 9 last nigth on what seemed to be an average night

his inside game is fluid right now and as W/G said once he gets into a good flow it seems he stays there for awhile

that Hook shot in the lane is looking tough to stop if he is on


BUT it has been the defense which has been the stellar part of his game....blocking and altering shots liek whoa almost every night
 
Yao is....that dude has been unreal the last season and a half. He has finally "got it" and started to dominate before he got injured..

But Z is def. doing pretty well for us lately.
 
Yao is by far the strongest center, no questions asked. But with him out. Z is one of the top next contenders.
 
Can you make an argument for why we should differentiate "pure centers" ?

I find it hard to ignore guys like Tim Duncan, Dwight Howard, Amare Stoudemire, Emeka Okafor, Marcus Camby, Ben Wallace, Jermaine O'Neil, Mehmet Okur, Eddy Curry, and Andrew Bogut.

Heck, even Z is not a traditional center. He takes a lot of outside shots.
 
The problem with that is, Duncan, Howard, Amare and Jermaine dont play the center position.

Bogut is trash, both Wallace and Camby are one dimensional and Okafor is solid.
 
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A Mac aka The Truth said:
The problem with that is, Duncan, Howard, Amare and Jermaine dont play the center position.
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Then what exactly are they doing on the court when they're the only big on the floor for their team? Robert Horry is the Spur's C?!~?!?

Bogut is trash, both Wallace and Camby are one dimensional and Okafor is solid.
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IMO, they're still in the debate. Bogut is close or leads Z in points and rebounds, and has a lot more assists. Bogut has a huge lead in FG%. Z is much better on defense but he's playing under a much better system. And Camby is one dimensional? 12 PTS, 11.5 REB, 3 BLK, 3 AST ... I count 4-dimensions, right there. :chuckles:

I'm not saying all those guys are better then Z, but I don't see how you can toss them out of the discussion just by tacking on the word "true".
 
Duncan and Jermaine generally play PF (and are listed there on teh all star ballots). Drew and AV play center at times too, that doesn't make them a center.

Amare and Howard play center, so would be part of this debate. I don't see how Howard wouldn't be considered a "true" center either. Amare is a repositioned PF, just like Ben Wallace. But either you include Amare and Wallace or you include Duncan and Jermaine. You can't exclude both pairs.

Also, Yao Ming is the best center in the league this year. There didn't used to be much of a gap between Z and Yao, but Yao has elevated his game the past 10 months or so (when healthy).
 
How is Dwight Howard not a center? Howard is a better defender, scores more, and score more efficiently then Z.

Z's turned his season around but this thread is a bit of hyperbole. Him and and Zo are actually having pretty equivalent seasons (Z the better rebounder, Zo the better shotblocker)
 
JonFromVA said:
Can you make an argument for why we should differentiate "pure centers" ?

I find it hard to ignore guys like Tim Duncan, Dwight Howard, Amare Stoudemire, Emeka Okafor, Marcus Camby, Ben Wallace, Jermaine O'Neil, Mehmet Okur, Eddy Curry, and Andrew Bogut.

Heck, even Z is not a traditional center. He takes a lot of outside shots.
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Exactly. A true center is pretty much a guy that starts at center. He plays the center position. Basically, what teams ask out of the center position, in todays game has made the position players evolve, and play in a variety of ways that 'traditional' centers couldn't.

I think basically it is something that comes from having players of size, that have such superior athleticism, and broad skill sets that they can do more out on the court than what they ask of "traditional" or "true" or 'pure' centers.

Is the definition of a 'true' center a player of size that has limited mobility on the floor ? Or a player that is asked more to play with his back to the basket ?

I've always been perplexed by those that throw around the 'true' center label.
 
LJ4MVP said:
Duncan and Jermaine generally play PF (and are listed there on teh all star ballots). Drew and AV play center at times too, that doesn't make them a center.
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In the past, but this season Indiana is starting O'Neil and Harrington. They're not starting Foster. The Spurs have been starting Duncan and Horry. Don't tell me Robert Horry is their C. :)
 
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