You can pick any center in his prime, who do you pick?

[Mavs<Spurs]

You can pick any center from any era in their prime to have for one season.
Who do you pick?

I pick Hakeem.

Discuss.

[Budkin]

Hakeem without a doubt. He didn't have a single weakness in his game and that Dream Shake was completely unstoppable.

[texlawman]

1. Bill Russell
2. Hakeem
3. Kareem

[Bob Lanier]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v519/Evdog64/DreamShakeAvatar.gif

I want to pick Hakeem, but Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has to be considered the best center ever to play the game.

[bulletedge]

Bill Russell. I know he is a very old school choice but all his teams did is win championships. That was a direct result of all of the little things he did so well. I suspect that most of the folks on this forum weren't around yet to see him play in his prime. And I know that the NBA was an 8-10 team league in those days. But Russell's team beat Chamberlain's every year but one. And Wilt was no slouch in his prime, either. (Nate Thurmond and Walt Bellamy were also good big men in those days)

Russell was truly incredible in his ability to control a game without scoring 40 points. And as a shot blocker he has no rival. If you didn't get to see it, you wouldn't believe the number of CLEAN blocks he made- with not even the hint of any contact that the refs could call a foul.

[Mavs<Spurs]

Hakeem without a doubt. He didn't have a single weakness in his game and that Dream Shake was completely unstoppable.


Hakeem rocks!!!

Top ten in league in steals and blocks and rebounding and gave you 25-30 points a game.

love David, but Hakeem tore him up.

Combination of strength, could jump out of the gym, so quick, unstoppable on offense and what a great defender.

[Mavs<Spurs]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v519/Evdog64/DreamShakeAvatar.gif

I want to pick Hakeem, but Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has to be considered the best center ever to play the game.


Kareem had great longevity. He put up 20,000 points and won 5 championships? and a number of mvps. Skyhook was unblockable, but he also had a good drop step move, good footwork (Hakeem's footwork is the best I've ever seen), could pass pretty well and was a pretty good defender.

Russell was the ultimate defender. He also did win 11 championships. However, (you knew that was coming) he had some help.
Yes, he played before I was born. So, I wonder if he could keep up with Hakeem or Robinson or Shaq (in his prime)? Russell was an extremely smart player.

One thought: Remember this is for a single year, so consider that when you are using career stats. Not saying they don't show what he could do.
If he won every year, then there's a good chance if you had him for any year he would win... So, that makes sense, just ...

[Mavs<Spurs]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v519/Evdog64/DreamShakeAvatar.gif

I want to pick Hakeem, but Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has to be considered the best center ever to play the game.


I must thank you for putting that video link up.

Hakeem!!!

[bulletedge]

[QUOTE=themanurules]
Russell was the ultimate defender. He also did win 11 championships. However, (you knew that was coming) he had some help.
Yes, he played before I was born. So, I wonder if he could keep up with Hakeem or Robinson or Shaq (in his prime)? Russell was an extremely smart player.

QUOTE]

I know that it was a different era. This is what always makes these comparisons difficult, if not impossible.

I do think that Russell would compete very well in today's game. He was unbelievably quick for a big man, incredible leaping ability (unusual for big men today but Hakeem had this, too), he ran the floor like a gazelle and he beat Wilt all but one year. And I have no doubt that Wilt could not only compete with, but probably dominate Hakeem, Robinson and certainly Shaq. Wilt makes Shaq look small (hard to believe but I have seen them both up close).

Hard to say but interesting to debate...and obviously unprovable.

[ducks]

david robinson without the bad back

[jacobdrj]

I don't like commenting on players I never saw play (or only select games).

I only saw Hakeem in his no-knee years. I didn't even get a feel for how good he might have been in his prime. I saw a film of Wilt once, so effortless... it was like he wasn't even trying and he was TOTALY dominating his opponents...

I have seen Shaq... lots and LOTS of Shaq... and he is good, but I refuse to belive he is the GOAT.

Russel had 11 rings, but he also had a team of HOFers around him...

Kareem ALWAYS had the best PG ever on his team. Shaq always had Penny/Kobe/Wade

The Admiral couldn't win without Timmay, and it took a REELY good team for Timmay to win without Robinson...

So, I am going to go outside the box a lil' bit. I never saw him in his prime, only as an old man with no legs, and he STILL impressed me like nothing I had ever seen before...

Arvydis Sabonis

If he was that good when he was decrepid, when he was in his prime, he might have been the best ever...

[Mavs<Spurs]

I know it's impossible to prove.

That's why it's cool to discuss.

Very interesting.

[Mavs<Spurs]

Arvydis Sabonis, intriguing.

Good points about him.

when did he play, again?

He was a trailblazer, right?

Big man who could shoot outside.

Was he in the Memorial Day Miracle game?

[jacobdrj]

I do wish I could have seen Moses Malone in his prime, I heard he was REEELY something. And Wilt's 50 ppg season...

Rodman as a center is as impressive as anything else. Maybe the most unique defender of all time, up there with Artest and Ben Wallace, and perheps soon, AK47. Not even mentioning Russels uncredited Blocks.

[Rip-Hamilton32]

lol russel didn't block he just took the ball out of the air..

[Darrin]

I take Hakeem. He was a world-class defender who was one of the first truly great centers who could step out on the floor. I think the center position is all about footwork, and the older he became, the better the footwork. The Dream Shake along with the Skyhook.

Now, did he have the best career? No. But he's the midpoint between the old-school centers that ran a straight line down the floor, and the Boris Diaws of the world.

On reputation, I would take Bill Russell because he was a winner. But I saw maybe 2 reels of him in my life.

[Burn531]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/olmedia/980000/images/_982617_olajuwon_300.jpg

[JMarkJohns]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v519/Evdog64/DreamShakeAvatar.gif

I want to pick Hakeem, but Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has to be considered the best center ever to play the game.

1. Hakeem
2. Wilt
3. Kareem

I highlighted the aboce post just for the video. Damn, those are some sweet moves!

[adidas11]

1. Shaq
2. Wilt
3. Kareem

[Trainwreck2100]

Jesus

[DirkAB]

Kareem, sky hook was the most unstoppable move ever.

[atxrocker]

is this really a debate? the dream easily for me..

[RON ARTEST]

david robinson without the bad back
after seeing what hakeem did to him in that game i dont know how you could pick david. :lmao

[Leetonidas]

Hakeem
Kareem
David
Shaq
Wilt
Russel

[sanman53]

Wilt
David

[samikeyp]

Bill Russell

[Pistons < Spurs]

Wilt
Kareem
Hakeem
Russel

[Obstructed_View]

Russell.

[Obstructed_View]

after seeing what hakeem did to him in that game i dont know how you could pick david. :lmao
History shows that Rockets team was pretty good. Hakeem was great for four games against Robinson, but you can't be stupid enough to think that was the way every matchup between them was.

[SA210]

Drob!

[DarrinS]

Hakeem
Kareem
David
Shaq
Wilt
Russel


I agree with the above list.