rank duncan against the best CENTERS of all time

[Drachen]

If we are going to do this, might as well rank Magic Johnson with the top centers. I mean he really elevated his game when it mattered. In the regular season his stat line was 0-0-0 at center, but when it mattered (clinching games of the NBA Finals) he averaged 42 points, 15 rebounds and 7 assists. It is impossible to calculate the percentage increase in performance on this.

[TD 21]

I also think that Wilt is the best Center of all time and maybe the best player of all time. I remember watching ESPN's top 5 reasons you can't blame Wilt for losing to Russell" and those in favor of Russell were just over-rating him beyond belief and lumping in his amazing HOF team with Russell's individual talent. Was Russell great? Of course he was. But was he better than Wilt to the point that you can point too his individual play as the main reason his teams had success over Wilt's? no.. Wilt was so great they had to change the rules to have any chance to stop him. He played for tons of coaches and numerous teams. And at the end of the day he still won 2 les.. People called him a loser because he didn't win like Russell. He never played with a team that stacked for such a long period of time..

I'm not pro Russell, but the whole "changing the rules because of Chmaberlain" thing had to have been more a function of him being physically dominant and overwhelming than it was a testament to his greatness. I understand him being physically dominant and overwhelming was a large part of his greatness, but he didn't have anything to do with that (his physical tools, not the rule changes), so how can he be given credit for it?

He'd have been physically dominant and overwhelming in any era, but particularly in his era, when it was much easier to win a championship than it is today, shouldn't he have been able to win more than two championships? O'Neal won four without playing on a stacked team. Granted, he had another top fifteen all-time player for three and a top thirty or so player for the other, but still. He never had a team that was loaded with All-Stars or Hall-of-Famers.

[Sean Cagney]

lol @ spurs fans wanting Duncan as a center when Yao Ming is injured, but wanting him as a power forward when Yao Ming is healthy and will clearly get the start at center.

Yao Ming should not be an all star at all the last few years, take the voting away from the idiot fans over there in China.... They vote on him because of race and not performance

[Sean Cagney]

Duncan would have been a good center as well. I have these guys ahead of him though.

Kareem
Hakeem
Wilt
Moses
Ewing
Duncan
Shaq

People should stop confusing Russell's legacy with his skill play.

LOL Ewing was not on Duncans level man, seriously D Rob was better than Ewing in his prime and thats no joke. I have Ewing after all those guys, he was good but he was not on their level as far as skillset goes. Ewing was not as great in the post either, he relied on little jump shots alot and fades away instead of bangin down low! I can't believe someone would put Ewing in the category with Tim.

[slayermin]

I personally think Russell is a tad overrated as an all around player. Every year he seems to get better. Not quite sure why. He is probably the most amazing basketball mind to ever play, which is why he alone created a new style of play. The whole defensive big man to start the fast break scene is Russell's creation, he simply locked down a basket and got the fast break going. However, outside of his fantastic defensive ability he wasn't a great offensive player. I personally believe that Wilt was the better, more versatile defender and Russell was the smarter more innovative defender.

He is arguably the greatest defensive center and defensive force in history but I don't think he's a top ten player of all time like most people do. I would say he is like #12 or so.

[ezau]

Russel and his coattailing antics. Put him in the NBA today and he's gonna get destroyed by an injured Andrea Bynum.

[ivanfromwestwood]

1. Wilt
2. Kareem
3. Duncan
4. Shaq
5. Akeem/Moses

i agree. add DRob in at 5 as well

[Galileo]

TOP 10 BIG MEN IN ORDER:

1. Duncan
2. Hakeem
3. Jabbar
4. Elvin Hayes
5. Russell
6. Wilt
7. David Robinson
8. Walton
9. Ralph Sampson
10. Ewing

[TDfan2007]

How in the are people putting moses malone and ewing in front of Tim? Again, Hakeem can be argued, and chamberlain and Hakeem were better, but that's it.