10. Zydrunas Ilgauskas (Cavaliers)
Ilgauskas has been one of the most consistent big men in the league over the last few years and he will continue to be in 2008-09. He is a solid scorer, averaging around 14 points per game, and he also averages nine rebounds and a couple of assists and blocks while shooting good percentages from the field and from the free-throw line.
9. Emeka Okafor (Bobcats)
While Okafor is injury prone, he is a very good big man on both ends of the court. He is solid offensively at around 14 ppg and is an excellent rebounder to boot (11rpg). He is also very good defensively both in the post and as a help defender who blocks a lot of shots.
8. Tyson Chandler (Hornets)
Chandler is a beast on both ends of the court. Offensively, he is too athletic and quick for most centers to guard, as he consistently scores on alley-oops in transition. He is also the best offensive rebounder in the league and is a very good defensive player; he is the anchor of a very good Hornet defense. He also has a lot of room to improve as he is only 25 years old.
7. Andrew Bogut (Bucks)
Bogut will never become a better player than Deron Williams or Chris Paul, but he is still a very solid center. He is a good scorer at around 15 points per game, a solid rebounder at nine rebounds per game, and an excellent passer in the post, as he averages around three assists per game. He is also a solid defensive player who averages two blocks a game and he is efficient from the field, where he shoots 51%. However, he still needs to improve his overall offensive game and his free-throw shooting, which is pathetic at 59%.
6. Al Horford (Hawks)
Horford is a very good all around player at both ends of the floor. He is developing his offense game and should average 15 points a game; he is already a very good rebounder at 10 rebounds per game and he is a good defensive player who averages around a block and a steal per game. He is also a solid passer and is very efficient from the field and from the free throw line. He also still has a lot or room to grow as he is only entering his second season.
5. Greg Oden (Blazers)
If he is healthy, Oden will be a complete animal on both ends of the floor. He will average around 12 points and 10-11 rebounds a game and should become the anchor of a good young defense in Portland. He will shoot around 53-54% from the field and 69-70% from the free-throw line and will average about 2.5 blocks per game while also being a very good one-on-one defender in the post.
4. Al Jefferson (Timberwolves)
Jefferson is one of the few players who is a lock to average 20 points and 10 rebounds. He is also excellent from the field and solid from the free-throw line. He is also arguably the best post player in the league as he has a dominant right hand. However, the reason he is this low is because he is a below-average defensive player, especially in one-on-one.
3. Yao Ming (Rockets)
If Yao wasn't extremely injury prone, he would be a no doubt pick for No. 1 on this list. However, he isn't and that has cost him and his team a lot over the past few years, especially in the playoffs. When healthy, he is the only center who will average 25 points and 10 rebounds per game.
He will also average over two blocks and about 2.5 assists while shooting well over 50% from the field and an amazing 85% from the free throw line. However, it seems that each season he misses around 20-25 games and most of the time he is injured towards the end of the regular season or in the playoffs, which is when it matters most.
2. Andrew Bynum (The Los Angeles Lakers)
Before he was hurt, he was becoming the Dwight Howard of the West. He is huge, strong and athletic. He is also only 20 years old and has lots of room for improvement. This season, while playing alongside Pau Gasol, Bynum should average around 16-17 points along with about 12 rebounds, over two assists, and 2.5 blocks per game.
He will also be a defensive force in the middle both as a help defender and as a one-on-one defender. He is unbelievably efficient from the field (63%) and is very solid from the free-throw line as a center at 69%. He is a the future of the Lakers and one of the future superstars in the league.
1. Dwight Howard (Magic)
Howard is simply the modern-day version of Wilt Chamberlein. He is a complete beast inside and no one can guard him one-on-one. He will average about 22-23 points, over 15 rebounds and about 2.5 blocks per game while being a defensive force. He is also extremely good from the field at around 60% and he still has lot of room to improve as he is just entering his fifth season out of high school.
However, he desperately needs to improve his free-throw shooting (59% at 11 attempts per game) and his turnovers, as he averaged 3.2 per game last season. He still is going to become one of the greatest centers ever and will be the face of the league over the next decade along with Kobe and LeBron, as he will be the main dominant big man along with Bynum and Oden.
source: Marcel Mansour bleach report
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