Once and For Tall: Settling the Debate Over the NBA's Greatest Centers

Sparked by the recent discussion on Alonzo Mourning, I began thinking where would he, and other centers of his caliber rank in an all-time sense. Who makes the top ten and who doesn't make the cut? These rankings will heavily favor peak play and career accomplishments.

For the sake of keeping the article short, it will only contain my picks from No. 1-10. The rest, 11-20, should be in another installment, and possibly more later.

The first question to ask yourself is, what is a dominant center? There's no specific definition, but on a general basis, it's one that can anchor a team's offense and defense with the ability to make his teammates better.

The general candidates for the self-proclaimed title of the "Greatest Center of All-Time" consist of usually the same ensemble: Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bill Russell, Hakeem Olajuwon, and Shaquille O'Neal.

I'd like to first get out of the way the myth that Kareem was a step below both Russell and Chamberlain defensively. While he may not have been better than either of them, he certainly was just as good and most definitely on the same level.

In Kareem, or Lew Alcindor's prime, the Bucks' defensive rankings were as follows:

1969-1970: third in opponents' points per game (no FG percentage recorded).

1970-1971: third in opponents' points per game and first in opponents' FG percentage.

1971-1972: second in opponents' points per game and first in opponents' FG percentage.

1972-1973: second in opponents' points per game and first in opponents' FG percentage.

1973-1974: third in opponents' points per game and first in opponents' FG percentage.

1974-1975: fifth in opponents' points per game and second in opponents' FG percentage.

Kareem currently ranks third all time in total career blocks (3,189) behind Dikembe Mutombo and Hakeem Olajuwon. Considering blocks per game weren't recorded in his first four seasons in the NBA, it would be conceivable in those seasons he'd roughly get over three blocks per game.

Just for the lack of argument's sake, we'll assume an exact 3.0 blocks per game (presumably more considering his averages when blocks were first recorded), which would amount to a total of an extra 896 blocks. Add that to his current total and he's all of a sudden the NBA's leading shot-blocker.

Considering he would have at least multiple defensive player of the year awards and would be the NBA's leading shot blocker, then all of a sudden Kareem's defensive “softness” becomes a positive and puts him right up there with both Wilt and Russell defensively.

Now that Kareem's defensive myth is covered, it's time to address another myth—that Bill Russell was poor offensively.

I've heard outlandish statements, such as he's as bad as Ben Wallace offensively. He had a better touch around the basket than people gave him credit for, and stats adjusted Russell was one of the more efficient players on those Celtics teams.

There's no doubt with the IQ Russell possesses that he'd be a more efficient player in today's game. That's not the point; determining how good an offensive player is shouldn't just be about scoring.

Russell anchored those dynasty Celtics teams offensively as well—he rebounded the ball and started the break. On offense or in the half court, he was primarily a high post player, which allowed others space to operate around him and get easier buckets.

In a time where assists were harder to get accredited for (but accounting for the pace, it all evens out) Russell had a career average of roughly 4.3 assists per game.

He averaged over five assists in two seasons, nearly topping out at six assists per game. In the playoffs, he was even better (hence the Celtics' tremendous success in the postseason), averaging over five assists eight times in his career and over six in another season.

He's not at the level of Wilt, Kareem, Hakeem, or Shaq, but offensively, he certainly wasn't another Ben Wallace. Russell had a terrific high post game and initiated those famous Celtic fast break teams.

To get back on the topic in terms of ranking the centers, I think the best center to have ever played should have the least amount of flaws.

Wilt had the highest peak offensively, but when he was at that peak, it was also the low part of his career in terms of defense and offensive play-making.

Wilt's peak, in my opinion, was in 1967, when he excelled as a low post passer in the paint that could still take over games offensively and was arguably the greatest defensive player to have ever played.

So, in saying that, Kareem was just as effective of a scorer and offensive player (while being close enough defensively as well) to the point that he has the much better resume in terms of winning. Wilt continuously came up short in big games (with the Lakers against Russell in the final year of his career), while Kareem has many more championships.

Not to mention Kareem is a much more reliable free throw shooter, thus more well-rounded. For those reasons, Kareem would rank the No. 1 center to have ever played the game.

The No. 2 spot is between Chamberlain and Russell. It's tougher than the stats would indicate.

During Wilt's prime (late Sixers), he played essentially the same role Russell did on the Celtics: initiate the offense, play elite defense, and rebound the basketball.

Russell owns Wilt in terms of the winning aspect of the game, and it's easily comparable as both played in the same era.

Russell's supporting cast has always been overrated in my opinion, and Wilt had comparable supporting casts later in his career.

But I can't help but think Wilt would be the more dominant player in today's game, and had Wilt had better coaching from the beginning of his career, it's possible he would have more championships.

Sometimes success outweighs pure dominance, but in this case Wilt excelled at nearly every aspect of the game at some point in his career. That type of dominance is hard to ignore.

Russell would get the third spot, but in my opinion there would be a legit argument for Shaq or Hakeem as well. However, I'm factoring in a career perspective as well, so Russell's eleven championships and arguable greatest G.O.A.T defense would rank him third overall on my list.

The final two spots come down to Olajuwon and O'Neal. One of the greatest debates in the past decade, O'Neal has twice the amount of championships and displayed more offensive dominance Olajuwon has shown throughout the prime of his career.

That's saying something, as Hakeem was one of the most well-rounded and gifted offensive players to have ever played the game.

Both have similar longevity during the prime of their careers and only one MVP (when it's painfully obvious both should have more).

What makes me lean towards Hakeem is the smaller amount of flaws in his game. As dominant as Shaq was offensively, he was, to an extent, a liability on the pick and roll defensively while being a historically bad free throw shooter.

On Olajuwon's end of the spectrum, he was one of the most amazing pick and roll defenders I've ever seen (one of the best defenders, period) and a solid free throw shooter for a big man of his caliber.

But one also can't deny that Shaq might be the most physically imposing offensive center to have ever played the game and doubles the amount of championships Hakeem finished with.

It's truly a toss-up and a matter of preference, but I am a Rockets fan and a sucker for a terrific all-around game, so I'd give the slightest of preference towards Hakeem Olajuwon for the fourth spot on the list.

The next batch of centers includes David Robinson, Moses Malone, Patrick Ewing, and Artis Gilmore.

I've always believed that if the bounce of the ball went a separate way in 1994-1995 and the Spurs, who finished with the best record in the league that season, were to have beaten the Houston Rockets, Robinson's reputation as a player that "choked under the pressure" would have immediately been removed and he'd have been considered Hakeem's equal.

In the regular season, it was arguable that Robinson was the better player. He was an amazing offensive player from the high post and in, and like Hakeem, a terrifying defender on the weakside, strong enough to defend any one man to man in the post.

For a more modern day look into Robinson's offensive game, he truly reminds me of a blend of both Chris Bosh and Dwight Howard: A terrific mid-range jumpshooter and an athletic finisher in the paint who thrived off second chance opportunities.

Ewing is in a similar boat. He too was schooled by Hakeem in the finals, but to an even more embarrassing extent.

It's a shame he doens't have the defensive accolades of some of the other greats, because Ewing was truly one of the best defensive centers to have ever played—but unfortunately, he played in a time in which both Olajuwon and Robinson were on top of everyone's rankings defensively.

Had he played in any other era (barring the early '70s with both Wilt and Kareem), then Ewing would have been a consistent defensive team member and if he played today, he'd be the NBA's defensive player of the year.

When Pat Riley/Jeff Van Gundy and Patrick Ewing teamed up in New York, the Knicks' defensive rankings were as follows:

1991-1992: secnd in opponents' points and fifth in opponents' FG percentage.

1992-1993: first in opponents' points and first in opponents' FG percentage (both by large margins).

1993-1994: first in opponents' points and first in opponents' FG percentage (both by large margins).

1994-1995: second in opponents' points and first in opponents' FG percentage (FG percentage by a large margin).

1995-1996: fifth in opponents' points and fourth in opponents' FG percentage.

With his elite rebounding and shot-blocking numbers and having anchored a defensive team of that caliber (with the likes of the Sonics, Rockets, Spurs, and Bulls all with their own defensive players of the year), Ewing often gets overlooked in what he was able to accomplish.

Moses Malone is similar to Shaq in the fact that he used his frame and physically-imposing stature to intimidate his opponents and be a dominant player on both ends of the floor.

He's a three-time MVP, took the eighth-seeded Houston Rockets to the NBA Finals, and won a championship on what's widely-considered one of the five greatest teams ever assembled in the '83 Sixers.

He's the greatest offensive rebounder to have ever played, a great finisher around the basket, and I can't stress what he was able to do with an over-the-hill Rockets supporting cast, taking them as a sub-.500 team to one that challenged Bird's Celtics in the NBA Finals.

He was an underrated defender, making the All-NBA Defensive Team twice in his career.

He wasn't a traditional anchor in a sense that he ruled the paint with his supreme shot-blocking, but with his size and bulk in the paint, he was one of the better man defenders in the league.

He's also famous for outplaying Kareem in the finals (though past his prime) and dominating him in the final games in '83. In this case, he's the best player left with the most success, thus the next player on the list.

It's time to introduce Artis Gilmore into the equation. His career was underrated, as the first part of it was spent in the ABA.

I'm a big believer in the NBA and ABA not having had as large of a talent gap than some make it out to have had. In fact, there would be a good argument that the ABA had more top talent.

In a three-year stretch in the ABA, Julius Erving was the man. He won the MVP award three straight years and almost won the league championship all three of those years as well. I say nearly because the only team to have won in that stretch was Artis Gilmore's Kentucky Colonels.

He dominated on both ends of the floor and for his efforts was named the ABA Playoffs MVP.

He continued his strong two-way game in the NBA as he became recognized for his efficient play and brute strength in the paint.

He never won an NBA championship or much at all to be honest, but for what he's done in both the NBA and the ABA, it's a crime he hasn't been inducted into the Hall of Fame yet.

Back to the rankings, I think it's clear Robinson was the next best center on the list. I feel it's closer between he and Ewing/Gilmore than people would think, but D-Rob was an elite defender as well as an NBA MVP.

For the next two spots, it comes down to both Ewing and Gilmore. I'll wrap this one up more quickly.

Like Hakeem and Shaq, it can come down to a matter of preference, but I feel Ewing was able to accomplish more in a time where it was harder to get accolades (the late '70s center competition was very good, but the top talent wasn't on the same level as the '90s). This was because Ewing had to face more high-quality teams.

Ewing is be eighth on the list and Gilmore takes the next position.

For the 10th and final spot in this article, there are many candidates to choose from, but to wrap it up and not give away more names to expect in my next article, Bill Walton will get the 10th spot.

Nobody else's career longevity stands out at this point. There are the likes of Reed and McAdoo, but neither was as dominant as Bill Walton was in his one year peak.

He was the league's MVP, the Finals MVP, and led a magical run to the NBA championship.

Down 2-0 in the Finals, behind the back of Walton's well-rounded game and Lucas' toughness on the interior, the Blazers were able to come back and sweep the rest of the series. In terms of ability, he could have arguably been in the top five.

He had an amazing passing game and has a case as the best passing center to have ever played, all while being a force on the defensive end and on the boards.

He was the consummate teammate and had the ability to play in the post as well.

People also take for granted his role on that '86 Celtics team, where he was able to stay relatively healthy and make a huge contribution off the bench as the Sixth Man of the Year on what many call the greatest team ever assembled.

So there's my list for the top 10 folks, check back soon for No. 11-20.

1. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

2. Wilt Chamberlain

3. Bill Russell

4. Hakeem Olajuwon/Shaquille O'Neal

5. Shaquille O'Neal/Hakeem Olajuwon

6. Moses Malone

7. David Robinson

8. Patrick Ewing

9. Artis Gilmore

10. Bill Walton