Monday, August 30, 2004

Discovering Japan - The Centers

First of all, I'd like to thank Celtics Blog for bringing me so many visitors on a hot August night. As someone who attended everything from John Havlicek's last game to the Draft Night celebration that brought us Chauncey Billups and Ron Mercer, it's nice to get so many visitors from back home.

Alright, back to business. After coming to a decision on the point guards, I thought
I'd move to the centers, for it's here that the problem gets more interesting. Lots of the NBA's centers are from other places, and some others are getting older. Here's the list of NBA centers, from ESPN, by order of minutes played.

1. Dirk Nowitzki - He's from Germany.
2. Shaquille O'Neal - He'll be 36 for the 2008 Games.
3. Tim Duncan - Only 28, a shoo-in to go in 2008 if he wants to.
4. Brad Miller - Also 28, mentioned by many as someone who should have gone this year.
5. Rasheed Wallace - Just a shade under 30, attitude has scared Team USA off.
6. Cliff Robinson - Old, and not a true center.
7. Jamaal Magloire - Canadian.
8. Chris Bosh - Very Young. A great early candidate for 2012.
9. Yao Ming - China.
10. Nene - Brazil.
11. Erick Dampier - 30, and zero playoff experience.
12. Antonio Davis - See Cliff Robinson.
13. Kurt Thomas - 31, and not a true center.
14. Zydrunas Ilgauskas - Obviously, from somewhere else.
15. Theo Ratliff - 31. And 6-10.
16. Brian Grant - 32. And 6-9.
17. Marcus Camby - 30. And major league injury prone.

That's all of the players in the NBA that average 30 minutes a game and can say they play center without being laughed at. The next two in minutes played are Eddy Curry (another 2012 candidate)and Mark Blount, and I know that all of you Celtice fans out there wouldn't want to bet on Blount bringing home the Gold.

So unless Shaq decides to give it a go, you're looking at Duncan, Miller, and Wallace. That's actually a pretty damn good threesome considering that there is almost no one else to choose from. And you know, I think Shaq might go. Nearing the end of his career, it might have more appeal. Can't you just see Shaq retiring after four years, then going after the Gold knowing that he's not facing another NBA season? Also, I'm betting Wallace mellows a little in the next few years. So here are the choices:

Shaquille O'Neal
Tim Duncan
Rasheed Wallace
Alternate - Brad Miller.

Lord help us if Duncan decides he's had enough, Shaq quits, and Wallace flares.

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