is Yao the best center in the NBA when healthy right now?

ClutchCityOwns · Post #1 » by **ClutchCityOwns** » Sun Aug 10, 2008 1:11 am

I'm going to have to say yes, no explainations needed, and Don't consider Duncan a center.

rockybalboa11 · Post #2 » by **rockybalboa11** » Sun Aug 10, 2008 1:20 am

against the other contenders for best center, yeah

on a nightly basis

no

dwight howard runs **** pretty much night in night out

franchise73 · Post #3 » by **franchise73** » Sun Aug 10, 2008 1:28 am

i think Deke is the best center in the league!!

lol

ClutchCityOwns · Post #4 » by **ClutchCityOwns** » Sun Aug 10, 2008 4:16 am

2 yes

jove9 · Post #5 » by **jove9** » Sun Aug 10, 2008 4:25 am

You should ask this question on the Magic board and see what kind of responses you get.

RayStats34 · Post #6 » by **RayStats34** » Sun Aug 10, 2008 5:06 am

rockybalboa11 wrote:against the other contenders for best center, yeah

on a nightly basis

no

dwight howard runs **** pretty much night in night out

Yao is the best Center in the league the only thing Howard has on Yao is athleticism and rebounding but Yao is better scorer and shotblocker but overall Yao when healthy can get you 23 and 10.

rockybalboa11 · Post #7 » by **rockybalboa11** » Sun Aug 10, 2008 5:19 am

yao, when healthy, can get you 25 & 11 on 55% shooting or so.

but he's not healthy very often

and dwight howard is only getting better

the guy is insane. he will surpass yao next year probably.

Texas Longhorns · Post #8 » by **Texas Longhorns** » Sun Aug 10, 2008 6:08 am

Yes for now, but Dwight Howard is getting really close.

ShaY · Post #9 » by **ShaY** » Sun Aug 10, 2008 7:03 am

I voted no , I will take Dwight Howard over Yao.
Howard is a lot more flexible with his matchups , Yao will struggle against a lot of players.

But when we will play the Magic , Yao will play better everytime , because Dwight is a good matchup.
Yao is a better player imo but I will take Dwight even without taking into consideration their age.

Post #10 » by **Vator** » Sun Aug 10, 2008 1:56 pm

What Shay said. If I had to pick one guy it would be Howard all day. Howard on this team would be sick. Yao is better at creating his own offense right now, but Howard is a monster.

Julio · Post #11 » by **Julio** » Sun Aug 10, 2008 2:10 pm

ShaY wrote:I voted no , I will take Dwight Howard over Yao.
Howard is a lot more flexible with his matchups , Yao will struggle against a lot of players.

But when we will play the Magic , Yao will play better everytime , because Dwight is a good matchup.
Yao is a better player imo but I will take Dwight even without taking into consideration their age.

Vator wrote:What Shay said. If I had to pick one guy it would be Howard all day. Howard on this team would be sick. Yao is better at creating his own offense right now, but Howard is a monster.

Yes, that's what I was thinking also.
I love Yao, he fit our team very well, but Howard on this team would be fantastic.

PocketRockets · Post #12 » by **PocketRockets** » Sun Aug 10, 2008 4:32 pm

Howard is underrated defensively I think b/c on his team he is the offense. Anybody that has seen him play should notice how much his defense slips at the end of games, much like T-mac and offense. I like defense so I would prefer Yao on this team, but I voted NO at the top. Yao is one of the best, not the best. If D. Howard could shoot free throws, he would be the best, but until he can at least reach 65-70% (which still sucks), he won't be the undisputed "Best Center." I'd even put Amare in there, when he was the "center" on the Suns (for all you stat mongers that only worry about 25/12). For all you stat whores, couldn't we put the likes of Bosh in here too? heheh

Iggyemu · Post #13 » by **Iggyemu** » Sun Aug 10, 2008 5:46 pm

rockybalboa11 wrote:against the other contenders for best center, yeah

on a nightly basis

no

dwight howard runs **** pretty much night in night out

Thats pretty much spot on. When he wants to be he can be. Thats not to say he doesn't play hard...he plays hard every night. His points fluctuation and his rebounding totals are what hold him back. One night he'll drop 30 and the next he'll drop 15. He'll take 22 shots one night...and 11 the next. Rebounding wise...he is too big in the lane to not average 10+ a game. But to his credit his rebounding is better as he averaged 10+ last season.

To me the best center is Howard. He stays consistently around his average points wise and simply dominates the boards and protects the paint.

JOHNNYN · Post #14 » by **JOHNNYN** » Sun Aug 10, 2008 7:33 pm

how often do you see yao having 20pts/20rebs games?

PocketRockets · Post #15 » by **PocketRockets** » Sun Aug 10, 2008 8:55 pm

Now that I've put some thought into it, I think Howard probably has the edge on Yao. Imagine that Orl squad with Yao on it. They would stink pretty bad, although Lewis and Hedo would probably put up better numbers, I'm pretty sure their win total would be lower due to their lack of depth. Howard covers up a lot of their defiencies due to his athleticism and he has more stamina than Yao. Once they get a decent PG, they'll be top 3 in the East, no doubt.

grond · Post #16 » by **grond** » Sun Aug 10, 2008 10:29 pm

Question: Is Yao the best center in the NBA when healthy right now?

Answer: Yes. Not even as close as most people think (imo). Howard's individual defense isn't really spectacular to be honest. And offensively, he doesn't have a lot. Look at all the playoff series' he's been involved in, and how little impact he made. Even in the regular season, Orlando, offensively, goes as Hedo goes. Howard is just a roamer/finisher off pick and roll.

Question: Who would I take right now considering all factors (health, age, etc)

Answer: Close. Yao's general stock is low right now because of the recent injuries. I think, like Shay, I'd give the edge to Howard. His smaller size and greater athleticism make him less of an injury headache.

moofs · Post #17 » by **moofs** » Sun Aug 10, 2008 10:31 pm

Howard was better than Yao without question this year.

Yao's more valuable though.

stillmatic73088 · Post #18 » by **stillmatic73088** » Mon Aug 11, 2008 2:11 am

RayStats34 wrote:
rockybalboa11 wrote:against the other contenders for best center, yeah

on a nightly basis

no

dwight howard runs **** pretty much night in night out

Yao is the best Center in the league the only thing Howard has on Yao is athleticism and rebounding but Yao is better scorer and shotblocker but overall Yao when healthy can get you 23 and 10.

LMAO @ you being a better shotblocker. Not only that, Howard rebounds the ball better and sometimes attracts more attention and double teams because he plays in the post while yao takes a lot of jumpshots. Yao is a very good center, but we saw that he is somewhat of a defensive liability when he is out. I love Yao, but I'll take D. Howard all day

RayStats34 · Post #19 » by **RayStats34** » Mon Aug 11, 2008 3:29 am

You can be a good shotblocker and not really be a good defender Yao is a good shot blocker but is his lack of lateral quickness will not let him be a good team defender Dwight Howard is a excellent rebounder and a better man on man defender but he's not a better shot blocker.

moofs · Post #20 » by **moofs** » Mon Aug 11, 2008 1:25 pm

Yao isn't a bad shotblocker. He's somewhat changed the way he plays defense over the years to avoid being called for the dreaded "Standing Still with Arms Straight up in the Air as Someone Jumps into him During an Out-of-Control Drive" fouls.

Howard doesn't have that problem as much because he's athletic, so he can block shots sensationally instead of trying to block a sensational drive.

is Yao the best center today?