NBA: From Stiffs To Studs–The Decline And Rise Of NBA Centers
In the late 1990s and early 2000s, the center position was in a depression-like state. Hybrid power forwards were taking over the league and centers were just the goofy guys you threw at the 5 to fill up the lane.
During this time, we saw an emergence of Kevin Garnett, Tim Duncan and Dirk Nowitzki; three perfect examples of different kinds of 4s who were taking the league by storm (and now they all wear rings, go figure).
Duncan played like a 5, but spent his first few seasons playing next to former-great David Robinson, in a twin-towers look similar to the ’86 Rockets, who tortured the “Showtime” Lakers en route to a Finals loss to the Boston Celtics. With Duncan and Robinson, San Antonio clogged up the lane, owned the boards, anchored top-notch defenses and dominated in the high-low game. The Big Fundamental rocked a throwback game during a time when Ricky Davis was throwing the ball off the wrong basket to try to get a triple-double; the NBA needed a gentleman like Duncan and he has been a staple of the league for his long and illustrious career.
Garnett was unlike Duncan, but equally as lethal in his prime. He came into the league as a near-7-foot power forward who possessed insane athletic skills and A-plus intangibles. KG came into the league as a high flyer, but as he matured, he became a jack of all trades who could facilitate offensively from the high post, dominate in the low post, hit open jumpers, fill up the highlight reels with fast-break slams and was refined enough to cause problems in the half-court offense as well. Unfortunately, Garnett suffered from the same fate as Tracy McGrady, as both spent too much of their primes playing with below-average supporting casts, although Garnett did finally get his ring in Boston at the back end of his prime.
Nowitzki was (and still is despite his age causing him to be less effective) a first-of-his-kind stretch 4 (Andrea Bargnani and Darko Milicic wouldn’t have come into the league with so much hype if it weren’t for Dirk). He was a shooter above everything else and although his offensive game grew by leaps and bounds over his first few seasons, it was his improved defense and rebounding that made him a top-five talent for a number of years. In his prime, Nowitzki could shoot the lights out, create his own shot with ease (that over-the-wrong-shoulder fallaway was his classic innovation) and take over in crunch time, but his talent would have been wasted if he didn’t learn how to be a competent defender and rebounder (key word is competent; don’t mistake it for dominant).
As Shaquille O’Neal was tearing apart the league (not Kobe Bryant, Shaq was the dominant one, don’t let time rob him of that), general managers started to realized that in a changing league (due to rule changes and growing athleticism), there wasn’t going to be another Shaq, but there were going to be a lot more top-notch power forwards (although Duncan, KG and Dirk are the premier PF’s of their generation, who filled my youth with NBA bliss). However, the league is forever changing and after years of pathetic center play, the NBA center is back on the rise; if you haven’t taken notice, start looking for it now.
There was once a time when the general perception of the league was that big men ruled and guards were mere complementary pieces (back in the traditional point guard days where Bob Cousy shot 40 percent and got away with it and there was no 3-point line). In 1956, the NBA started giving out the MVP award, and from 1956-83, every single MVP was a big man, except for Cousy in 1957, Oscar Robertson in 1964 and Julius Erving in 1981 (and Erving played above the rim and wasn’t a guard, so he’s only half of an exception).
In the 1980s, the league moved into the hands of Larry Bird, Dr. J (wish the ABA wasn’t around so his legacy was greater, but if I were alive back then, I would have been rockin’ the ABA ball on the courts), Magic Johnson, Isiah Thomas and eventually to Michael Jordan in the 1990s (even though he was tearing it up without Scottie Pippen in the ’80s too). Despite the MVP award being pretty evenly split between the positions from the post-Jordan era to the LeBron James era (which we’re in the thick of), the fact remains that no team can win a title without some help from inside. General perceptions seems to be that Kobe Bryant won a couple titles on his own (meaning without Shaq), but he had Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum and Lamar Odom, who Phil Jackson was able to get everything out of (can’t stress that enough; the Lakers had the best team, and I wouldn’t say Kobe was the best player in the league then, but the man single-handedly ruined my youth when he and Shaq came back from 14 down to beat the Portland Trail Blazers, so my opinion may not be 100 percent valid here). Even the Miami Heat, who won with small ball last season, had the most dominant, physical force in the league today in LeBron James, and if you watched basketball recently, you’ve noticed that he’s abandoned the perimeter (for the most part) and started to do his work inside (that Game 6 was something, huh?).
So how does this all relate back to NBA centers being back on the rise? It comes down to function and in a league where the talent pool is thickening after years of over-expansion (that left studs like McGrady and Garnett wasting their primes with sub-par supporting casts), there is more competition than ever at every position. At the 5, there are considerably fewer back-to-the-basket scorers than there used to be, but with the European invasion, you’re seeing an interesting didactic between Euro-style bigs (highly skilled players like Marc and Pau Gasol are the prototypes) and American centers (Dwight Howard and Roy Hibbert are the prototypes, DeAndre Jordan and JaVale McGee are the anti-Christs) and hybrids between the two (Joakim Noah is a good example).
Now, let’s go back to the idea of function being important with these 5s. First of all, the function of the 5 varies depending on the big man’s counterpart at power forward. Sometimes there’s a stretch 4 and sometimes there’s a 4 who bangs on the block; depending on what the 4 does, the 5 needs to complement it. The days of having two big men on each block are over. Look at the two best 4-5 combinations in basketball. Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph play off of each other, with Z-Bo taking the low post and baseline area while Gasol runs the offense from anywhere from the top of the key to the elbow. Roy Hibbert and David West provide a similar combination, with Hibbert working in the post and West being more of a face-up kind of 4 (he can take his man in the post if need be, but his mid-range and face-up games are his calling cards).
Just five or six years ago, there were hardly any impact centers (remember when the Collins brothers–Jason and Jarron—were starting?). Now, take a look at the best 10 teams in the league, aside from the Miami Heat, who are allowed to defy convention because they have the best player since Michael Jordan and the most dominant player since Shaq on their squad:
Indiana Pacers: Roy Hibbert–pPost scorer, basket protector, elite help defender, anchor of the second or third best defensive team in the NBA (probably third with the Bulls full strength).
Chicago Bulls: Joakim Noah–Elite defensive player, below-the-rim basket protector, competent offensive player with a quirky but fun-to-watch skill set.
New York Knicks: Tyson Chandler–Basket protector, innovative offensive rebounder with his unique and uncanny ability to slap boards out to guards, inept offensively (he’s a prototype of sorts as well because he was the defensive anchor for the 2011 Mavericks).
Brooklyn Nets: Brook Lopez–Possibly the best scoring big man in the game, effective face-up and post games, shot blocker, will make the “elite” leap his year with Garnett masking his deficiencies.
Oklahoma City Thunder: Kendrick Perkins–Alleged elite back-to-the-basket defender and screener, pathetic offensively, totally overrated, but his grit and leadership are great for chemistry and key for a young team like the Thunder.
Los Angeles Clippers: DeAndre Jordan–Unbelievably athletic and annoyingly unpredictable, a highlight-reel specialist, supremely athletic.
Memphis Grizzlies: Marc Gasol–Best passing big man in the game, great fade-away shot, elite position defender, decent shot blocker, ideal glue-guy.
Houston Rockets: Dwight Howard–Still the best center in basketball, robotic-looking but sometimes-dominant post offense, elite back-to-the-basket defender, shot-blocker and help defender.
Golden State Warriors: Andrew Bogut–Great back-to-the-basket defender, competent offensively, above-average position defender.
San Antonio Spurs: Tiago Splitter–Improving post scorer, decent position defender, could evolve into above-average starter.
Outside of those top 10 teams, there are a number of other centers who have made waves in recent years or are going to make waves in the coming years, proving that the position is the deepest it’s been since the ’90s:
Sacramento Kings: DeMarcus Cousins–Supremely talented offensively, tough defensively, possesses Euro-like guard skills for such a big guy, WILL break out when he is moved or when the Kings land a decent supporting cast (I’m of the belief that his character issues have everything to do with losing).
Minnesota Timberwolves: Nikola Pekovic–Above-average scorer with toughness and finesse, decent defensively and on the boards, tough as nails.
Phoenix Suns: Marcin Gortat–Remarkably similar to Pekovic, including sailor tattoo on the shoulder (I think he’s got an anchor; I wouldn’t make fun of it to his face though, he throws elbows … heavy elbows).
New Orleans Pelicans: Anthony Davis–Will see time at the 5 this season when Pelicans go to small ball, sky’s the limit for his at both ends; ink has barely grazed the pad on his NBA story, but it’s going to be a good one.
Utah Jazz: Enes Kanter–Could end up being a great rebounder, help defender, back-to-the-basket defender, ins and outs of his offensive game remain to be seen.
Orlando Magic: Nikola Vucevic–Great rebounder (he had no competition for boards though, so someone had to grab them; wouldn’t be surprised if he never tops last year’s rebounding numbers), decent defender, marginal offensive player, still has upside.
Charlotte Bobcats: Al Jefferson–Dominant offensive player and rebounder, but a poor and slow-footed defender, offensive numbers should sparkle in the less-competitive Eastern Conference.
Cleveland Cavaliers: Andrew Bynum–If he stays healthy, he’s one of the top three back-to-the-basket scorers in the game, remains to be seen how his post-injury career pans out (if it pans out at all).
Washington Wizards: Nene–A talented offensive player who can play a little defense too, not much of a shot-blocker or too great of a help defender, looked unmotivated last year (hey, must be the money… Nelly reference, get it?)
Toronto Raptors: Jonas Valanciunas–Decent back-to-the-basket scorer, has some offensive polish, still adjusting to defense in the NBA (it took Dirk a few years too, but Raptor fans know the cautionary tale of Bargnani all too well), could evolve into above-average starter (I like him more than Splitter).
Detroit Pistons: Greg Monroe and Andre Drummond–Monroe is the antithesis of Drummond; great passer, solid fundamentals, not too athletic, heavy polish, perfect glue guy. Drummond is a jumper and he’s raw as can be. Maybe some of Monroe will rub off on him … or maybe some Josh Smith will rub off on him. Yikes.
Atlanta Hawks: Al Horford–A great glue-guy who can score in a number of ways, play defense on the block and in help position, a solid rebounder.
Milwaukee Bucks: Larry Sanders–Could emerge as the newest version of Tyson Chandler with a little more offensive punch, character issues a slight worry, an elite shot-blocker with some more room to grow.
The league is always changing, but the game remains the same. The young talent in this league is staggering (although the 2013 draft class is awful; note that pencil-haired and unproven Nerlens Noel, low-ceiling Cody Zeller and the shockingly pathetic-looking Alex Len and Steven Adams didn’t graze this list), and it will only grow with the allegedly talented 2014 draft class coming to a court near you in the 2014-15 season. This is just a little food for thought to get everybody back in the basketball mindset. As Lou Reed said, “Start the games” (one more month my fellow junkies, one more freaking month).
Thanks for reading, folks. Feel free to comment and I’ll jump into the argument with you, as poison-tongued and opinionated as ever.
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