OT: Best passing centers

clonetrooper264

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Brett and I were talking about this in another thread so I figure it deserves a thread for discussion.

Who are the best passing centers of all time? Where would you put Noah on the list, if at all? How would you rank your top 5, 10, etc?

The best passing centers that I saw most discussed in other discussions were (in no particular order)
Shaq
Wilt
Russell
Kareem
Olajuwon
Walton
Sabonis
Unseld
Vlade
Brad Miller

Also mentioned from the current crop of players
Greg Monroe
Anderson Varejao
Boris Diaw
Marc Gasol
Pau Gasol
Al Jefferson
Spencer Hawes
and of course, Joakim Noah

reference thread: http://forums.realgm.com/boards/viewtopic.php?f=64&t=1013628
top google results: http://dimemag.com/2012/12/the-nbas-top-5-passing-centers/
http://dimemag.com/2014/02/10-best-passing-centers-nba/
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1370867-power-ranking-the-nbas-best-passing-big-men/page/11
 
Bear Pride

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well, good question. I'd say Gasol, Diaw, and Noah today for sure, and they would be in the mix with the old guys, but it's a different game today. But man, when I look at the list of old guys, I'm pulling my hair out trying to decide.

Too many great players. Sabonis was awesome in his prime. Kareem was so good, and a fav of mine, cuz of the threat of the skyhook. I'm gonna go with Walton for the simple reason that those old Celts teams with Bird, Walton, etc., were the best team passing teams that I remember seeing.

The Lakers had the show, but the Celts had the best halfcourt passing game.
 
Xplosive

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Wow you actually watched Wilt and Russell play? So who was really better?
 
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I think you can add Kevin Love to the current list, he's been getting better in that regard.
 
Crystallas

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Just players that I saw play(or saw enough games to fairly judge). Based on passing skill, and not just giving bonus points to guys who got assists by pulling double-teams and making the extra pass for a bread-and-butter play(ie: how Shaq got his stats, which is 100% fair and smart ball, but I don't equate that to having elite passing skill).

#1. Sabonis


#2. Lacey(IMO, this is where you can tell a retrospective box-score reader apart from a game-watching NBA fan).
#3. Noah
#4. Kareem
#5. Divac
#6. Walton
#7. Brad Miller
#8. Boerwinkle(I'm not even joking)
#9. Admiral Robinson
#10. Marc Gasol

(if you count KG, Pau or Duncan as centers, which they were for periods here and there, then they might be 7-9 range respectively)
 
Bear Pride

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Yeah, Boerwinkle was for real. I shoulda remembered him! This question is really hard.
 
clonetrooper264

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Crystallas said:
Just players that I saw play(or saw enough games to fairly judge). Based on passing skill, and not just giving bonus points to guys who got assists by pulling double-teams and making the extra pass for a bread-and-butter play(ie: how Shaq got his stats, which is 100% fair and smart ball, but I don't equate that to having elite passing skill).

#1. Sabonis


#2. Lacey(IMO, this is where you can tell a retrospective box-score reader apart from a game-watching NBA fan).
#3. Noah
#4. Kareem
#5. Divac
#6. Walton
#7. Brad Miller
#8. Boerwinkle(I'm not even joking)
#9. Admiral Robinson
#10. Marc Gasol

(if you count KG, Pau or Duncan as centers, which they were for periods here and there, then they might be 7-9 range respectively)
Click to expand...
Good list. I didn't mention Lacey or Boerwinkle because I have never seen them play so I can't judge them at all except by stats. They were brought up in the realgm thread though. Can't believe I forgot the Admiral...good catch there.
 
Xplosive

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clonetrooper264 said:
I too am a little confused by your question...
Click to expand...
I misread your post. "The Best Centers I Saw" versus "The Best Centers I Saw Discussed".

With that said, I don't see how we can really be talking about players we never saw play as the best passing centers. Otherwise we are just looking at stats from different periods when the game was totally different. Players I've actually seen: Vlade Divac, Ewing, Noah, Brad Miller.... :thinking:


Oh yeah after looking over the list: Arvidis Sabonis, Gasol (2),.... :thinking:
 
clonetrooper264

clonetrooper264

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Xplosive said:
I misread your post. "The Best Centers I Saw" versus "The Best Centers I Saw Discussed".

With that said, I don't see how we can really be talking about players we never saw play as the best passing centers. Otherwise we are just looking at stats from different periods when the game was totally different. Players I've actually seen: Vlade Divac, Ewing, Noah, Brad Miller.... :thinking:
Click to expand...
Well yeah that's where I'm hoping the older guys can contribute. There's a few players I never saw play that I know were good passers statistically (Wilt/Russell) but like you said, it's hard to judge real skill through stats.
 
Bear Pride

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clonetrooper264 said:
Well yeah that's where I'm hoping the older guys can contribute. There's a few players I never saw play that I know were good passers statistically (Wilt/Russell) but like you said, it's hard to judge real skill through stats.
Click to expand...

It just seems to me that Wilt was just too busy scoring and rebounding to dish the ball. :dunno: Russell, from what I hear, was one of the best outlet passing C's. With different era's, and games, it's a tough question.
 
clonetrooper264

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Bear Pride said:
It just seems to me that Wilt was just too busy scoring and rebounding to dish the ball. :dunno: Russell, from what I hear, was one of the best outlet passing C's. With different era's, and games, it's a tough question.
Click to expand...
Yeah, it's especially tough for younger guys like myself to answer this. And I've watched a lot of classic games...even so it's still difficult to say. If Russell could outlet like Wes Unseld could, that's legit skill regardless of era.
 
Bear Pride

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Yeah, times were a little different. :yep:

[video=youtube;loiRtO96-TM]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=loiRtO96-TM[/video]
 
Crystallas

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That's the problem with golden/silver era basketball documentaries. 95% of it, is face-to-camera commentary and testimonial of players. 5% is archived footage.
 
ChiSoxCity

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LOL that Noah is better than the greatest Center of all time (Kareem) at ANYTHING.

:cmonman:
 
JosMin

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I was actually talking about Arvydas Sabonis last night with a good friend VIA Skype. He's certainly at the top of the NBA's "What would have his entire career looked like if he'd have come over from Europe earlier?," list. Many talking heads say, "He's a Lithuanian Hakeem with superior passing skills and three-point range."

Think about that statement. Even though he lost a majority of his dexterity when he finally came over to Portland in '95, he was still a double-double waiting to happen with arguably the best passing skills in the NBA (regardless of position) and a ridiculously high basketball IQ that made him a good defender. This footage is kind of grainy and shitty, but it highlights just how good a young Sabonis was. Just think of what that Blazers team would've looked like if Sabonis would've teamed up with Clyde Drexler....

[video=youtube;VO3IundC-e4]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VO3IundC-e4[/video]
 
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