3. Bill Russell:
Boston Celtics legend Bill Russell was many things. He was an 11-time champion, a five-time MVP award winner and one of the greatest teammates to ever play the game of basketball.
He may not have been the biggest (Basketball-reference.com lists him at 6-foot-9-inches) or the baddest (he’s recorded to weigh a paltry 215 pounds), but he still might have been the best. He didn’t put up a ton of points (his career average is just over 15 a game), but he never needed to, and he knew that.
Russell knew how much he could control a game through his presence on the glass, on the defensive end and as a teammate. He pulled down 22.5 rebounds per game and time after time, always seemed to get the better of his nemesis Wilt Chamberlain.
To those who say Russell wasn’t a good offensive player, you’re wrong. Yes, he might not have the scoring numbers of Shaq, Wilt or David Robinson, but as stated before, he found ways to dominate the game in other ways.
Based on how fantastic of a player he was and how often he was capable of putting up big scoring numbers when it was necessary, Russell could have easily put up over 20 a night. However, that’s not what would have helped lead the Celtics to nine straight NBA championships.
Russell’s passing ability was also phenomenal. He never led the league in assists –– as his stat-hungry foe Chamberlain did during one season, but he was a very effective passer out of the post, seen in his career 4.3 APG average, which would have him as the NBA’s leader for assists among centers for the last five NBA seasons.
Even as a Lakers fan, it’s hard not to appreciate the game of Russell, and respect every single element of it. So, we take from Russell, his dedication to rebounding, passing ability and defensive prowess and add it to the mixture, which currently includes Howard’s physical gifts, Shaq’s dominant mindset and now, the key aspects of Bill Russell’s championship winning game.
httpvhd://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2nrURU9-Mmg&feature=fvst
4. Hakeem Olajuwon:
Personally, I believe Hakeem Olajuwon to be one of the most underrated players of all time. People often forget that he is the only player in NBA history to win Finals MVP, MVP and Defensive Player of the Year in the same season (1993-94). He also won both titles during Michael Jordan’s two year “hiatus” from the NBA between 1993-1995.
Those two seasons were truly the only shot players such as Karl Malone, John Stockton, Charles Barkley, Patrick Ewing and Gary Payton had at leading their teams to an NBA championship. It was Olajuwon’s only shot too – but he took advantage of the opportunity and now has two championship rings (and two Finals MVP awards) to show for it.
More importantly, he was one of the first truly versatile big men, that paved the way for guys such as Kevin Garnett, Tim Duncan, Chris Webber and Dirk Nowitzki to redefine the qualities of a superstar big man.
Hakeem wasn’t your customary big man who was strictly confined to the paint –– his game expanded beyond the key. His versatility is what truly made him great, and that quality, along with his arsenal of post moves is what I covet when creating the perfect NBA center.
Hakeem was the closest thing to the perfect NBA center –– he rebounded and defended very well (11.1 RPG, 1.7 SPG and 3.1 BPG were his career averages, and he is the Rockets all time leader in rebounds, steals and blocks), and offensively, he was a 21.8 PPG scorer over the entire course of his career.
His famous “Dream Shake” move left defenders lost in their tracks, and could be argued as the top go-to post move of all time (after Kareem’s unstoppable sky hook of course).
httpvhd://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SxDopaqTxiY
So there you have it –– the creation of the perfect NBA center. Dwight Howard’s physical tools paired with Shaq’s dominating mentality; Bill Russell’s rebounding and defensive skill set and Hakeem Olajuwon’s revolutionary versatility.
Although this list does leave out some of the great big men, such as Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar or David Robinson –– that is not a slight to their game at all. The players chosen from simply possess certain qualities and skills that when meshed together, create the dream NBA center.
Tall, strong and uber-athletic with a desire to dominate and an untapped arsenal of weapons.