Tyson Chandler (photo. Brandon Sullivan)Why was it such a big deal when the Blazers won the ‘07 Lottery and the chance to draft Greg Oden? Because the true (effective) center — a huge building block for most teams hoping to reach a championship level — is allegedly a dying breed in the NBA, and teenage phenom 7-footers typically aren’t available in bulk. Looking around the League, though, there are actually quite a few younger fives with All-Star potential. So, NOT COUNTING Dwight Howard, Yao Ming or Amare Stoudemire (who would obviously go 1-2-3), and taking things like age, ability and salary into consideration, where would you rank these up-and-coming young (non-rookie) true centers?
ANDRIS BIEDRINS (6-11, 245)
21 years old
10.1 pts, 9.4 rebs, 1.2 blks per game
62% FGA, 61% FTA
Restricted free agent this summer [qualifying offer $3.6 million]
ANDREW BOGUT (7-0, 245)
23 years old
13.6 pts, 9.3 rebs, 1.7 blks per game
50% FGA, 56% FTA
Due $6.2 million next season [restricted free agent in 2010; qualifying offer $8.1M]
ANDREW BYNUM (7-0, 275)
20 years old
13.1 pts, 10.2 rebs, 2.1 blks per game
63% FGA, 69% FTA
Due $2.7 million next season [restricted free agent in 2010; qualifying offer $3.7M]
TYSON CHANDLER (7-1, 235)
25 years old
12 pts, 12.3 rebs, 1.0 blks per game
60% FGA, 60% FTA
Due $22.7 million over the next two season [$6.4M player-option on a third]
EDDY CURRY (6-11, 285)
25 years old
13.2 pts, 4.7 rebs, 0.5 blks
54% FGA, 62% FTA
Due $9.7 million next season [$10.5M player-option on a 2nd season; $11.2M player-option on a 3rd]
SAM DALEMBERT (6-11, 250)
26 years old
10.8 pts, 10.0 rebs, 2.3 blks per game
51% FGA, 72% FTA
Due $34 million over the next three seasons
CHRIS KAMAN (7-0, 265)
25 years old
16 pts, 13.1 rebs, 2.9 blks per game
47% FGA, 75% FTA
Due $43.4 million over the next four seasons
EMEKA OKAFOR (6-10, 252)
25 years old
13.6 pts, 11.1 rebs, 1.7 blks per game
51% FGA, 56% FTA
Restricted free agent this summer [qualifying offer $7.0 million]
KENDRICK PERKINS (6-10, 280)
23 years old
7.6 pts, 6.2 rebs, 1.5 blks per game
61% FGA, 60% FTA
Due $12.5 million over the next three seasons
March 13th, 2008 at 10:24 am
YallAllReadyKnow says:
“Biggups….to all my haters”
March 13th, 2008 at 10:26 am
YOUNGFED says:
“Young-Fizzle Been Getting Pappeeerrr…!!” Lol
March 13th, 2008 at 10:29 am
word says:
Chris Kaman
Emeka Okafor
Tyson Chandler (big salary)
Sam Dalembert
Andrew Bynum
Andrew Bogut
Andris Biedrins
Ken Perkins
Eddy Curry (is horrible)
March 13th, 2008 at 10:30 am
Fabian says:
Bynum and Biendrins
March 13th, 2008 at 10:31 am
YOUNGFED says:
Ok Back to BBall.
Chandler
Kaman
Okafor
Bynum
Bogut
Biedrens
Dalembeast
Perkins
Curry (Bum ass)
March 13th, 2008 at 10:35 am
Dime Magazine says:
I think Bynum far and away has the most potential of any of these guys … and it might not be close. guys like Kaman and Bogut still have some room to improve, but how much better can they get? Chandler’s improvement has been amazing, but how much does that have to do with CP getting him 5 or 6 look wide open looks a game?
If I had to take one of them right now, I would 100% go with Bynum.
- PC
March 13th, 2008 at 10:36 am
MoxWestCoastRep says:
Bynum
Chandler
Kaman
Okafor
Biedrens(basically equal to Bogut for less money)
Bogut
Dalembert
Perkins
Curry
March 13th, 2008 at 10:38 am
YallAllReadyKnow says:
pc
if you can ask of tyson success tied to paul, then you also gotta ask how much of bynums numbers/success is tied to kobe.
keep the playing field equal when you equate and breakdown the ballas
March 13th, 2008 at 10:47 am
fiyaman says:
Chandler
Biedrens (got game but Nellie dont play him)
Bynum
Bogut
Kaman
Okafor
Dalembeast
Perkins
Curry (shouldnt even be on the list)
March 13th, 2008 at 10:50 am
daquest?on says:
wow eddy curry is only 25 years old?!?!! i thought he was like 35 damn so young and people are already talking about retirement when it comes to him with, with that said:
Bynum
Chandler
Kaman
Dalembert
Okafur
Biedrens
Bogut
Perkins
Curry
March 13th, 2008 at 10:55 am
Kobeef says:
I like the “up and coming” SF’s post from yesterday and this is just as good. Nice work Dime
1. Bynum: Offense? check. Defense? check. Size? check. As long as the “Kobe-Therapy” keeps him motivated this kid is a future all-star. He is a monster.
2. Chandler: Marcus Camby II. Does all you want from a Centre and seems super-motivated. His carrer will depend on his continued pairing with Chris Paul cause he’s not going to create his own shots.
3. Dalembeast: Again, does all you want from a Centre and is super athletic and motivated. Playing great with Philly right now. Slightly smaller than Chandler and Bynum and older.
4. Bogut: His offensive game is better than Dalembert and Chandler (who don’t have any) and his rebounding and D are under-rated. Brings a lot more passing and scoring to the low post than the others above him.
5. Caveman: His conditioning is a concern. Always seems to look out of shape compared to the others and gets injured a lot. Nice size and good moves.
6. Okafor: Very over-rated coming into the league. Smaller than most starting centes and currently struggling to outplay Nazr Mohammed. ’nuff said.
7. Biendris: Can’t shoot for ISH. A major offensive liability.
8. Perkins: We’d all look pretty good if nobody ever defended us and KG had our back on the defensive end.
No comment on Curry. Enough has been said already.
March 13th, 2008 at 10:59 am
VQ says:
Kobeef I totally agree with the Chandler=Camby comparsion. I think Andrew Bynum and Dwight Howard will be the future bigs of the league.
March 13th, 2008 at 11:03 am
Myrie says:
Tyson Chandlier is only averaging 1 block per game?
No mention of Darko or Kwame?…hahaha lol
Eddy Curry gets paid the most on this list and also weighs the most.
Pound for pound by the numbers, Chris Kaman has the best digits. How is that possible?
No honorable mention for: Chris Anderson, Spencer Hawes, Patrick O’Bryant, Aaron Gray, David Harrison, DeSagana Diop, Nenad Krstic, Al Horford, Nene Hilario, Sean Williams
Kendrick Perkins is only 23yrs old? How long has he been in the league?
March 13th, 2008 at 11:06 am
Prof. TX says:
Okafor should be a PF. Sometimes successful big men in college don’t necessarily equate to NBA centers and would be better off standing beside a legitimate seven-footer.
See Also: Foyle, Adonal… NCAA shot blocking record holder (in only 3 years of play), known for blocks and great defense with no offensive game. He could dominate a college game, but would fit best as a helpful 4 instead of an anchoring 5 in this league.
March 13th, 2008 at 11:09 am
YallAllReadyKnow says:
wilt
russell
kareem
mikan
shaq daddy
hakeem
malone
reed
unseld
sampson
robinson
parrish
ewing
lambier
mourning
chambers
eaton
bol
mutombo
cartwright
but no bill walton.
sucka.
“biggups….to all my haters”
iholla
March 13th, 2008 at 11:10 am
GEE...What happens in Vegas really don't stay there says:
Outside of Tyson and hoepfully Andrew this has to be the wackest list of centers ever! Dang how the L. is hurting.
Well top 5 in this list.
Tyson
Bynum
Kayman
Camby
Okafor
considering his height. If Okafor is 7 ft. He is a serious problem!
March 13th, 2008 at 11:20 am
dagwaller says:
That’s a LOT of guys to rank, Dime.
On POTENTIAL, Bynum, but before November you wouldn’t have said so.
Kaman (complete package)
Chandler (plays good D, isn’t completely inept on offense)
Bogut (plays good O, isn’t completely inept on defense)
Emeka
Biedrins over Dalembert if only because of the contract situation.
Eddy Curry. If everyone else on this list has upside, Eddy Curry has the most tremendous backside.
March 13th, 2008 at 11:24 am
Chuck says:
bynum
kaman
chandler
biedrins
perkins
dalembert
okafor
bogut
…
gadzuric, magloire, dikembe -> all before eddy curry the worst player i’ve ever seen. his defense is worse than a 3 year olds
March 13th, 2008 at 11:30 am
DaPro says:
@
dagwaller
I know what you meant but Curry having a trememdous backside
“Pause”
March 13th, 2008 at 11:36 am
GEE...What happens in Vegas really don't stay there says:
Double “Pause”
March 13th, 2008 at 11:40 am
Kobeef says:
@ Gee
This is “up and coming” centres, NOT all centres which explains the list.
Some of you should read the story before posting (especially Y’all…who answered the wrong question..again)
If we could include next year’s draft class and Oden I’d bump eveyone but Chandler and Bynum down a ranking:
3. Oden: remains to be seen if he can score in the NBA but he should have no problem defending. Awesome size and athleticism for a 7 footer.
4. DeAndre Jordan: People are comparing him to Dwight because of his athleticism but I’d say he’s more like Oden-lite
5. Brook Lopez: Great size and skill - hopefully not the second coming of Mike Olowokandi.
March 13th, 2008 at 11:41 am
Celts Fan says:
1. Chandler (anyone that’s been posting for a while knows how much of an emphasis I put on defense. If you average 25ppg but get lit up on D and always give up the same amount, it’s not effective. He’s probably helped by running with CP3, but I keep thinking of him as a younger Camby, and none of the guys on this list would be as effective on NO as Chandler, who’s the perfect running mate for Chris Paul)
2. Andrew Bynum (we went over his pros and cons yesterday in the Smack debate of him vs. Bogut. I put him slightly behind Tyson because Tyson’s more athletic.)
3. Chris Kaman (let’s assume the revelation of his lifelong misdiagnosis of ADD, getting off the pills, and subsequent breakout season are connected and he can stay consistent at this level)
4. Bogut (solid player, will always be in CP3 and Deron’s shadows, which is a shame. Has had a solid career so far.)
5. Biedrins (love the way he plays, but FT% hurts him. Would he be as good on a more traditional team?)
6. Emeka (slotted here ONLY cuz he can’t seem to stay healthy. HAS ALREADY MISSED OVER 100 GAMES IN HIS CAREER! That’s over 1/3 of his games. I put a huge emphasis on defense, but an even bigger one on being dependable. Would you want to have to depend on Emeka playing 75 games a year for your team to win, all while paying him around $13M/yr? -the minimum he’ll be going after this summer- Didn’t think so.)
7. Perk (has been busting his ass and getting better all year. He’s not getting into foul trouble in the first quarter every game like he had in years past, has found a bit of a touch, his passing has improved dramatically, as has his decision making and offense with the ball in his hands and plays really good D. You can see his development and how he’s learned to use his body effectively this year finally. He is rebounding like an animal… probably because he’s afraid KG would murder him if he didn’t, and he probably would! Downside is he’s still kind of slow and has a terrible habit of putting the ball on the floor when he should just catch and go up for a dunk, which leads to a few TOs per game. Still, for $4M/yr over the next 3 years, he’s a great value.)
8. Dalembert (has no basketball IQ or he’d be a few slots higher, but when you can pencil a guy in for 10, 10, and 2, he’s still solid. Don’t know about that contract, though I will say, he’s a really, really cool guy. I met him on the street in Philly a few days after they got eliminated from the playoffs a few years ago and he was the nicest guy. Signed an autograph and talked to me for a few minutes before I stopped bugging him - he didn’t look like I was bugging him even though I’m sure I was! At least he’s a good guy that understands the responsibility that comes with being a pro athlete and handles himself accordingly.)
9. Eddy Curry (see the Dalembert explanation, only the exact opposite. This guy is a few more late-night Pizzas away from eating his way out of the league and he puts as much effort into rebounding as he does to eating right. Moves like he’s 45, acts like he’s 5, eats like he’s 15, is somehow still only 25, and was the “prize” for $50M and 2 #1 picks. I wonder if the Knicks are going to wait for Curry to officially take the player option on the last 2 years of his contract, or if they’ve just put the paperwork through already…)
March 13th, 2008 at 11:42 am
YallAllReadyKnow says:
why is kendrick perkins on this list?
who ever said he had potential?
6.2rebs? thats all? his only job is to make free throws when fouled and hit the boards. 6.2rebs? pittyful for a starting center.
and dont gimme that garnett takes boards away from him. hell if i said fatty zach randolph takes boards for fatty eddy curry, would you still be ok with curry only getting 4.7rebs a game?
and how come none of these bastards can shoot fts?
shaq syndrome? i bet chris dudley,dale davis,ben wallace could be any of these bums in a ft shooting contest. shameful.
big ass contracts and cant even make 2fts in a row. damn shame. league is going to shit if this is the best we got with big men.
March 13th, 2008 at 11:48 am
Celts Fan says:
YAll, Perk doesn’t have the rebound numbers because, of all of our starters, he seems to get the least amount of minutes. Leon Powe and now PJ Brown come in for large periods of time and Perk just relaxes on the bench. Plus, when you blow out a lot of teams, your starters get to watch a lot from the bench. There have been at least 6 or 7 games I was at that the starters didn’t even makeit out of the 3rd before that was a wrap for them. I’d be willing to be he has by far the least minutes per game of these guys. Plus, his November was a complete dud before he realized if he didn’t pick it up, he might need to hire security to protect him from KG…
March 13th, 2008 at 11:58 am
YallAllReadyKnow says:
celts
understood and makes sense
but he still shouldn’t be on this list as a center with any kinds of potential. al horford should be in his place instead
March 13th, 2008 at 12:04 pm
BxBaller says:
People don’t realize that Curry was averaging 19 points and 7 boards last year. Yes his numbers are way down this year, and thats because Isiah’s dumbass brought Z-bo to town, but I still think that Curry can make an NBA All-Star team someday.
March 13th, 2008 at 12:05 pm
YOUNGFED says:
True Dat x 2
March 13th, 2008 at 12:06 pm
YOUNGFED says:
the last comment was for yallalready know not that crazy ass comment from BxBaller.
March 13th, 2008 at 12:07 pm
dagwaller says:
Celts, cool story about Dalembert.
My problem with Bynum and Perk is that before this year, we would’ve laughed them off. Now we’re judging Bynum on - what? - three months of promise? You could say that he always had that potential, but there are tons of players with potential. It’s all about unlocking it, and I’m not sure that he’s done so yet. Similar thing with Perk. He’s not going to have 3 GREAT players next to him for the rest of his career.
Meanwhile, Chandler’s success is mostly on the defensive end, ditto Dalembert. They’d be successful on any team, because by and large, their stats would be the same (see: Camby, Marcus).
Kaman’s similar in that he’s got great defensive stats, but obviously can be a first option when he needs to be, which you can’t really say about Chandler or Dalembert.
Celts, I really hear you about Emeka. It’s one thing to miss 15 games a year, another to miss 30. I like him a lot as a player, but misses too much time.
Yall, remember last season when Biedrins was shooting like 45 percent from FT?! That was crazy. Historically bad. My theory on that (which may be obvious) is that what makes a guard or a forward worthwhile as a bball player is skill. Sometimes you get the freakish athlete that’s no good, but that gets weeded out pretty quickly (a la Gerald Green). Anyway, there are loads of people out there that have bball skill, but not all of them are 6′ tall - that’s a guard. If you’re 6′8″ with less skill, you have an advantage over 6′ guys WITH skill. But if you’re 7′1″, you have an advantage over all of them, whether you have skill or not. That’s where you get NBA centers (except for guys like Hakeem, Walton, Yao, etc that are good shooters/passers).
March 13th, 2008 at 12:08 pm
YallAllReadyKnow says:
bxballer is a homer
no way anybody really cosign on eddy curry
sad that they tried to break into homies house and finger his wife,
but curry still looks like a fat overcooked burnt up dumplin
March 13th, 2008 at 12:11 pm
YallAllReadyKnow says:
curry softer than vince carter and a newborn babies ass
March 13th, 2008 at 12:11 pm
Marcus says:
caveman
bynum
biedrens
chandler
My center has gotta be able to hit from the stripe
March 13th, 2008 at 12:13 pm
Kobeef says:
Al Horford is a PF that plays C ’cause his team doesn’t have another option.
Eventually the Hawks will get a starting C and move Horford to the PF (JSmoove will get re-signed as the starting SF and Marvin will probably get paid by another team)
March 13th, 2008 at 12:18 pm
Celts Fan says:
agreed on Horford YAll, but Curry’s on the list too, so they don’t all have to have potential, someone’s gotta be at the bottom!
March 13th, 2008 at 12:24 pm
Myrie says:
Hard to defend Eddy Curry’s productivity, or lack thereof. But you know Myrie still gotta stand by my Knicks.
Holla at me if/when any of the guys on this list average 19pts 7rbs for a season will playing 75+ games and shoot over 58% from the field.
March 13th, 2008 at 12:27 pm
Myrie says:
@ 30—
Yallallreadyknow—
That comment about Eddy Curry’s wife just wasn’t right.
March 13th, 2008 at 12:52 pm
Steve M says:
Is Tyson Chandler realy only averaging 1 block per game??
March 13th, 2008 at 1:04 pm
GEE...What happens in Vegas really don't stay there says:
Kobeef I stand by my point that the list, even if it’s up and coming is still wack in regards to no one on this list will probably ever dominate.
I mean really I don’t have to read that article (which I did) to see that none of these centers aside from Tyson and Bynum really strike me as one who has enough “up and coming” to be spectacular.
Just for the record some of them cats on the list or not up and coming either, they been in the L for long enough to come up and have probably reached their max potential.
You right though some should read up on the article before posting.
March 13th, 2008 at 1:20 pm
Austin Burton says:
Tyson is an effective defensive presence inside, but no, he doesn’t block a lot of shots. Remember how everyone used to say Mutombo not only blocked shots but also altered a ton? That’s Chandler. Actually, look at Dwight Howard’s stats for his first 2 years in the League and he didn’t block a lot of shots either.
March 13th, 2008 at 1:30 pm
Celts Fan says:
well said Austin…
March 13th, 2008 at 1:30 pm
K Dizzle says:
I’m gonna say Bynum at the top. Young, huge potential and cheap for the next 2 years
Everybody else except for….
Eddy Curry at the botton. Someone lemme know if Nate avgs more boards than this heartless dude
March 13th, 2008 at 1:33 pm
Juanito says:
Kaman or Bynum first, Perkins dead last. That dude sucks big time.
March 13th, 2008 at 1:46 pm
Steve M says:
I was just surprised that he doesn’t average more. He’s so long and athletic and can jump. I’m sure he gaurds the rim well and alters a lot of shots. I just think he should get his hands on more.
March 13th, 2008 at 2:22 pm
Celts Fan says:
Juanito, even the biggest homer Knicks fan wouldn’t say they’d rather have Curry than Perk. You’re out of your mind.
March 13th, 2008 at 2:29 pm
Juanito says:
Eddy Curry can score in the post when he wants to. Yeah, he’s fat and lazy and doesn’t give a shit anymore, but with the right coach and circumstances he would be soooo much better than that dungheap Perkins. Look, Curry’s last two coaches were Isiah and Skiles…
March 13th, 2008 at 4:16 pm
andre says:
eddy curry would definitely be last. in fact, i’d take AI as a center rather than curry. at least AI tries during games
March 13th, 2008 at 4:49 pm
BenDizzle says:
This is a no brainer. Any GM in the league would take Bynum hands down over anybody on this list. For those of you saying prior to this year he would have been laughed off this list, remember that prior to this year he was still a teenager.
Big men are notoriously slow developers, especially ones who come straight out of high school. How long did it take JO, and chandler is just now avoiding the bust label.
Considering age, contract and what we’ve seen, bynum is in the same convo as dwight, oden and amare
March 14th, 2008 at 11:59 am
doc says:
Bynum is the beast of this list.Chandler comes next because of clamps.Give me Bogut next,i like his game.Kamans numbers get him next.Then Emeka,then Sammy,Curry,then Perk.