Which center would you choose?

[Heat Loaf]

The homer tells in me says Zo but my mind says Hakeem. You can't go wrong with either. Zo had better D but Hakeem had better post moves. Give me defense and day over offense. I just convinced myself on Zo.

[DayofMourning]

I wouldnt say Zo has better defense. As much as I love his intensity, Robinson and Hakeem were better. Thise two were like guards in centers bodies.

Combined they led the league in defensive rating ten times.

[DayofMourning]

I went with Zo - he was ready from day 1, probably the fastest of them all, probably the best at blocking shots, awesome defensive player, tough as nails. he's just the the perfect fit for this team.

And he'll be easy to sigh

Surprised you didnt choose the center in your avatar...

[FlashFlare]

I like Zo, but I'd go with Hakeem the Dream, the best defender of those guys.

[RexBoyWonder]

I went with Zo - he was ready from day 1, probably the fastest of them all, probably the best at blocking shots, awesome defensive player, tough as nails. he's just the the perfect fit for this team.

And he'll be easy to sigh

Surprised you didnt choose the center in your avatar...

David was the better overall player, i have no doubt about that. plus he's a super cool guy, got a chance to meet him. But with LBJ and Wade already on the team, i think Zo would be the perfect complementary piece next to Bosh. it's about the chemistry.

[zogster]

Only two votes for Russell? If you put loyalty to Zo aside, I don't see how Russell isn't the answer. I mean sure he is maybe too small for today's game, but if he could do what he did when he played in today's game, he's exactly what we would need.

How did Shaq get seven votes? He's exactly what the Heat don't need at center. He'd make the defense worse, clog the lane for LeBron/Wade, and his ego would clash with the rest of our big 3 or at least big 2.

[Grumpy Heat Fan]

Only two votes for Russell? If you put loyalty to Zo aside, I don't see how Russell isn't the answer. I mean sure he is maybe too small for today's game, but if he could do what he did when he played in today's game, he's exactly what we would need.

How did Shaq get seven votes? He's exactly what the Heat don't need at center. He'd make the defense worse, clog the lane for LeBron/Wade, and his ego would clash with the rest of our big 3 or at least big 2.

The 60's were overrated. Different game then. Inflated REB stats, shorter players...

I would say Zo is a better player than Bill Russell.

[Beasley]

Wilt Chamberlain all day every time. Dude was 7"2 with a 9"7 standing reach and was an Olympic level track athlete. He could bench press over 500 pounds! Shaq couldn't do anymore than 450! Imagine a 7"2 Lebron James. That's Wilt Chamberlain.

In his prime he averaged over 50 PPG and 26 RPG. This was whilst being quadrupled teamed (yes 4 people who defend him in a box zone) and 1 other defending the ball. This was also without a shot-clock! Teams would just pass the ball around until they got a wide open layup of some sort. If Wilt had the opportunity to play ANYONE 1 on 1 WITH a shot-clock, he would destroy!

As a 36 year old, he averaged 19.2 RPG in the same season a 25 years old Kareem averaged 16.6 RPG.
Don't tell me you can't compare between eras.

[wallsfamily]

Beasley. I love what you said about the comparison between eras. Wilt would dominate in any era! The comparison on rebounding + that is the year he shot .727 is a perfect example of that fact!!!! He was the best center ever and I think he would be the same now. But I think he would not be the best fit because offensively he would either hinder our flow or be ineffective! Zo shooting something that would allow our constant attacking and ensure spacing! We would constantly be able to switch because of his lateral quickness and ability to guard multiple positions! But most of all this is about chemistry! I think Zo would get the best out of Lebron and Bosh!

[RexBoyWonder]

I dont want no Wilt coming here averaging 50 points a game and hurting Wade's career averages.

ZO would be worth 10 points a game without even taking a single shot, just his blocks that will turn to fast breaks epic dunks from Dwade and LBJ. Plus he'll bring the fire, no more coasting. with Zo here we're going for 73 **** wins.

[Woodsanity]

Hakeem. Hakeem. Hakeem. Dude pretty much won 2 straight titles himself.... One of the best defensive centers of all time with an amazing post game. Also a capable passer. Lebron and Hakeem would probably have good chemistry too.

He would absolutely butcher Howard offensively and defensively. He could completely stop Ewing's offensive game. If he could do that to Ewing imagine what he could do to Howard.... No way can Howard stop Hakeem's post game either.

[DayofMourning]

I went with Zo - he was ready from day 1, probably the fastest of them all, probably the best at blocking shots, awesome defensive player, tough as nails. he's just the the perfect fit for this team.

And he'll be easy to sigh

Surprised you didnt choose the center in your avatar...

David was the better overall player, i have no doubt about that. plus he's a super cool guy, got a chance to meet him. But with LBJ and Wade already on the team, i think Zo would be the perfect complementary piece next to Bosh. it's about the chemistry.

I think it goes either way with those guys. David showed he could play with humility and let a 22 year old come in and run his show. If David was set loose just to play defense and rebound....it would be something out of a video game. His athletic ability combined with his defensive instincts and size were very very rare.

He also had an offensive game with a very established face up game which would fit in as well, but so did Zo, Ewing, Hakeem, etc. I think the value on the offensive end has much less significance than on the defensive side.

[DayofMourning]

Hakeem. Hakeem. Hakeem. Dude pretty much won 2 straight titles himself.... One of the best defensive centers of all time with an amazing post game. Also a capable passer. Lebron and Hakeem would probably have good chemistry too.

He would absolutely butcher Howard offensively and defensively. He could completely stop Ewing's offensive game. If he could do that to Ewing imagine what he could do to Howard.... No way can Howard stop Hakeem's post game either.

You're absolutely right. Hakeem would exhibit every flaw to Dwight's game.

I'm not sure if Hakeem's ego would allow him to defer so much. Its not just that he's playing with LeBron, but he's got to relinquish touches to Bosh and Wade too. That's a big sacrifice, but maybe that's a perception born from watching him will teams by himself to the top. Maybe he wouldn't have any issues. He's obviously very charitable with his time, as he helps mold the game of the NBA's stars for nothing.

[DayofMourning]

Wilt Chamberlain all day every time. Dude was 7"2 with a 9"7 standing reach and was an Olympic level track athlete. He could bench press over 500 pounds! Shaq couldn't do anymore than 450! Imagine a 7"2 Lebron James. That's Wilt Chamberlain.

In his prime he averaged over 50 PPG and 26 RPG. This was whilst being quadrupled teamed (yes 4 people who defend him in a box zone) and 1 other defending the ball. This was also without a shot-clock! Teams would just pass the ball around until they got a wide open layup of some sort. If Wilt had the opportunity to play ANYONE 1 on 1 WITH a shot-clock, he would destroy!

As a 36 year old, he averaged 19.2 RPG in the same season a 25 years old Kareem averaged 16.6 RPG.
Don't tell me you can't compare between eras.

Nice post. The game hasn't changed that much that a 7'2" behemoth with a versatile skill set wouldn't wreak havoc today, or in any era.

[Woodsanity]

Hakeem. Hakeem. Hakeem. Dude pretty much won 2 straight titles himself.... One of the best defensive centers of all time with an amazing post game. Also a capable passer. Lebron and Hakeem would probably have good chemistry too.

He would absolutely butcher Howard offensively and defensively. He could completely stop Ewing's offensive game. If he could do that to Ewing imagine what he could do to Howard.... No way can Howard stop Hakeem's post game either.

You're absolutely right. Hakeem would exhibit every flaw to Dwight's game.

I'm not sure if Hakeem's ego would allow him to defer so much. Its not just that he's playing with LeBron, but he's got to relinquish touches to Bosh and Wade too. That's a big sacrifice, but maybe that's a perception born from watching him will teams by himself to the top. Maybe he wouldn't have any issues. He's obviously very charitable with his time, as he helps mold the game of the NBA's stars for nothing.

Hakeem doesn't have to score a lot to have a huge impact on this game. To be frank adding any of these centers to this team would be ridiculously unfair to the league. All of them are at least as good as Dwight or better. Hakeem is better than Dwight defensively and WAY better offensively.
Hakeem would probably be fine scoring 20 a game but he would torch ever center in this league so it would probably be a good idea giving him more touches if possible.

[DayofMourning]

That's true too. Hakeem would be a terrible mismatch for anyone right now. There's not a center in this league who could play defense on him. Dwight wouldn't know what to do. Hakeem's just so much smarter than him. He'd dream shake him every play. That would be so much fun to watch happen. He'd foul him out in the first half.

[DayofMourning]

Shaq's got 8 votes to David Robinson's 3 so far. That's kind of surprising to me. If you completely discard team fit (where David clearly has the edge on Shaq) you're left to compare the players. The best way for me to do that is to check their head to head matchups-or for lack of a complete analysis-just their stats against each other.

I checked box scores on basketball reference to guage how they fared against each other, and the results weighed favorably in David's favor. He won the majority of the matchups, and he almost always performed better statistically. He was Shaq's superior in the 5 seasons I checked (Shaq's first five) when they played head to head, and his team always had the better record if I remember correctly. I think several who have voted may not have had the chance to really see the Admiral in action, or is aware of how good of an all around player he was.

I'll use the Shaq example again, as I referenced his head to head matchups with Alonzo. Unfortunately, and it pains me to say it, Shaq almost always had the upper hand on Zo. He would often dominate Zo in the games they played against each other. I remember one of the last games they played against each other when Zo was at his absolute best, think it was the 2000 season, and Zo was actually playing better than Shaq (at this point Zo was at a different level as a basketball players than in his earlier years), but Shaq still rejected him 3 times in a row. And the Heat lost. I think if Zo had stayed healthy the matchup would have swung into his favor a bit, but for the majority of their careers, head to head, Shaq was better.

[twix2500]

I would take Hakeem, I think too many of you get caught up with a guy desire to be second fiddle. Hakeem was not just a dominate scorer, but a dominate rebounder, defender, shot blocker, steals, can out run any center, and was a great passer. Hakeem moved around so well and understood the game so well.

[Slot Machine]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SxDopaqTxiY[/youtube]

Just wanted an excuse to post this video. Amazing.

[Wade3]

I've gone with Zo because he's Zo and I would love to see him playing with our current crop. If I had to pick someone probably not based on emotions etc I would go for Shaq. Yes he probably could disrupt a locker room but he's the center I most remember watching and think he was a monster.

PG- Mario Chalmers
SG- Dwyane Wade
SF- LeBron
PF- Bosh
C- Shaq

Wow.