2nd greatest dribbling and driving center of all time?

[SinceGatlingWasARookie]

I am calling Giannis the greatest dribbling and driving center despite him being the greatest traveling center. In theory if you could take Giannis back into the 1960s NBA when the traveling rules were strickly enforced, Giannis would still be the greatest dribbling abd driving center once he learned to stop traveling. Breaking his traveling habits could be hard but I think he could do it. The traveling is not Giannis's fault; If the refs are going to let you travel then It is stupid to not travel.


Giannis is the number 1 dribble driving center but who is the number 2 dribble driving center of all time?

[Peregrine01]

There is 0 chance refs in the 60s would led Giannis get to the hoop from half-court line with one dribble.

[Colbinii]

Probably Karl-Anthony Towns.

[70sFan]

Giannis doesn't play at center that much, even in this season without Brook. I also find comparing dribbling skills across eras nearly impossible. Does Giannis have better handles than someone like Bob McAdoo?

[Owly]

Tangent but I'd say big men drives have probably been mostly about athleticism and maybe misdirection other than dribbling (fakes). It's not like there's a ton of bigs throughout history starting at the 3 point line either so drives might only require a single dribble.

It seems this is more about driving than about dribbling.

[penbeast0]

Is Giannis even primarily a center? He certainly isn't one stylistically on offense and plays next to Bobby Portis, a much more traditional center type who is 1 inch shorter but 10 pounds heavier. Before Portis, his primary front court mate was Brook Lopez, another center. When they go small ball Giannis ends up as the center but I'd call him a PF if you are talking primary positions.

Even if all you want to say he is the greatest dribble drive player listed at over 6'9 then you have to say he is better than Durant or Dirk at it and I'm not sure you can go there either.

[SinceGatlingWasARookie]

Is Giannis even primarily a center? He certainly isn't one stylistically on offense and plays next to Bobby Portis, a much more traditional center type who is 1 inch shorter but 10 pounds heavier. Before Portis, his primary front court mate was Brook Lopez, another center. When they go small ball Giannis ends up as the center but I'd call him a PF if you are talking primary positions.

Even if all you want to say he is the greatest dribble drive player listed at over 6'9 then you have to say he is better than Durant or Dirk at it and I'm not sure you can go there either.

I don't see Dirk as being in the competition. Even Bird, 6' 9" and driving was one of his weaker skills, but Bird drove better than Dirk. My image of Dirk is heavily weighted towards when the 2007 Warriors 8th seed team defeated the Mavericks. Not very fair to Dirk; Warriors coach Don Nelson had recently Coached the Mavericks and knew their weaknesses and Nelson was experinced with small ball. In my opion the Mavericks screwed up when they continued to try to make Dirk the hub of their offense playing out near the 3 point line while the Warriors went small and had Stephen Jackson guarding Dirk. I think the right thing to do for the Mavericks was to send Dirk to the offensive boards and play Dampier and just beat the small Warriors up on the inside.

Harris and Terry's lack of point guard skills got exposed. The Mavericks could not handle the small fast scrambling Warriors defense. Mavericks were not getting good shots. They would have been better off with Harris and Terry putting up bad shots on drives while Josh Howard, Dirk and Dampier worked the offensive boards. My plan seems like a waste of Dirk but Dirk was not getting any good shots against Stephan Jackson anyway so change tactics. The warriors plan conceeded offensive boards but the Mavericks did not take what the Warriors were giving them.

Mavericks won 67 games and were the clear champioship favorites. The Suns were the only other 60 win team. Mavericks got outcoched in their 1st round loss to the Warriors.

[70sFan]

Dirk was excellent dribbler and driver, watch some early 2000s games. Yesterday I watched their matchup vs Lakers from 2001 and he dribbled a lot.

[SinceGatlingWasARookie]

If Dan Issel and McAdoo were centers then I am calling, Giannis and Amare and Duncan centers.
I am OK with calling Dirk a center. So why don't I call KG a center?

I am definitely opposed to calling Durant a center despite thinking that if McAdoo could play center then Durant could also play center.
Durant's shot blocking helped Draymond when Draymond played center. If I call Durant a center then Durant might be the second best driver/dribbler. Durant was not a prolific dribbler on the Warriors but he dribbled well enough to have an effective drive. He had good acceleration and avoided defending guards that might swipe at his dribble. Durant did not take on defenders away from the hoop like Giannis does. Durant was fine beating 2 men at the rim but after beating his man he did not want a 3rd help defender 9 feet in front of the rim.

The Braves drafted McAdoo to be a power forward but McAdoo took offense at that and strongly wanted to be a center. The Braves let McAdoo have his way. Young McAdoo was aggressive enough and physical enough to handle center duties. McAdoo with the Lakers did not handle defensive center duties well. But centers could not guard McAdoo so whatever McAdoo gave up on defense he got back on offense.

Maybe as the OP I should change "centers" to "centers plus anybody 6' 11' or taller. What 6'11" guys could not play center if asked to play center? But if I change to include 6' 11 guys with center then KG is included.

David Robinson was good at dribble/ drives.
Karl Malone is still excluded for being 6' 9" or 10" and mostly not playing center even though Karl Malone was probably heavier and stronger than Issell and McAdoo. Karl Malone would be a contender if he was eligible. Issell is a contender.

[BenoUdrihFTL]

For all of his flaws, DeMarcus Cousins was pretty skilled at putting on the floor and attacking (when he wasn't turning it over)

[prolific passer]

Magic was a pretty good dribbling center in game 6 of the 1980 finals.

[Ursusamericanus]

Hakeem was good at it.

[penbeast0]

Magic was a pretty good dribbling center in game 6 of the 1980 finals.

It's a false narrative though a popular one. Magic was used as the post passing hub, but heck, Cousy had done that for the Celtics back in the 50s, it doesn't necessarily make you a center. Power Forward/Center Jim Chones played 43 minutes for the Lakers and 3rd string center/forward Mark Landsberger played 19 more as really the only bench player (rest of bench combined had 10 minutes). I don't see Magic as the center at all, just as a post passing hub.

[falcolombardi]

off topic but how was wilt handle?

i have seen some impressive highlights where he runs a fast break in very good control but i dont know how representative they are

[prolific passer]

Magic was a pretty good dribbling center in game 6 of the 1980 finals.

It's a false narrative though a popular one. Magic was used as the post passing hub, but heck, Cousy had done that for the Celtics back in the 50s, it doesn't necessarily make you a center. Power Forward/Center Jim Chones played 43 minutes for the Lakers and 3rd string center/forward Mark Landsberger played 19 more as really the only bench player (rest of bench combined had 10 minutes). I don't see Magic as the center at all, just as a post passing hub.

But do you see Giannis as a center?

As for the topic at hand? Red had the Celtic centers learn how to dribble so that the fast break can always find a way to get going. Ended up with 4 hof centers from 1950-1994.

[70sFan]

off topic but how was wilt handle?

i have seen some impressive highlights where he runs a fast break in very good control but i dont know how representative they are

I never thought much about Wilt's handles, he didn't use it that much in footage we have, though I've seen him running the break a few times as well. I've seen an article saying that he worked hard to improve his handles in mid-60s, but we don't have enough footage from that period to see that.

[SinceGatlingWasARookie]

off topic but how was wilt handle?

i have seen some impressive highlights where he runs a fast break in very good control but i dont know how representative they are

I never thought much about Wilt's handles, he didn't use it that much in footage we have, though I've seen him running the break a few times as well. I've seen an article saying that he worked hard to improve his handles in mid-60s, but we don't have enough footage from that period to see that.

I wish I could find the video again to give you the link.
There was a video of early 60s young Wilt. The opposing center (a moderately well known center but I forgot which one) was a big white guy with slow feet. Wilt ran the same play on this guy at least 3 times. It was game footage. The play was Wilt goes wide on the baseline and recieves a pass. The big white center (a couple inches shorter than Wilt but still big) was forced to come within a few feet of Wilt because the rules required that everbody be guarding somebody. Wilts teamates vacated the paint taking their defenders with them. Wilt was out beyound his shooting range. The defender should not come out to Wilt but the defender did come out to Wilt. My assumption was that it was the rules that forced the defender to come out to Wilt on the baseline beyond Wilts shooting range. There was no reason to guard Wilt out there so it must have been the rules forcing the big white guy out to Wilt. Then Wilt drives by the stone footed big white guy. Wilt did this to that big white center at least 3 times in less than 7 minutes of game time.

Wilt drives by and stuffs the ball before any help defenders can do anything but foul Wilt. Wilts teamates all go outside on this play to give Wilt the one on one.

[migya]

Driving to the basket was the Admiral Robinson. He was unstoppable going to the basket and made his career mostly doing that.

[cupcakesnake]

Pau Gasol would occasionally flash some impressive handles in transition. He was pretty effective driving right and drawing fouls.

Watch on YouTube

[falcolombardi]

Pau Gasol would occasionally flash some impressive handles in transition. He was pretty effective driving right and drawing fouls.

Watch on YouTube

he was played as a wing in Barcelona a ton when he was young and lanky after all