Pick 'Em: Top 5 Centers in NBA

As I write entries for this blog, I find a ton of problem coming up with new and interesting things to write, so I'm starting a new staple: Pick 'Em. It'll be top fives or tens or however many, of anything from athletes at positions (like today's top 5 centers) to cheesesteak places to who knows. So let's kick it off with today's Top 5 Center's in the NBA:

1. This one is a no-brainer and if I didn't have Dwight Howard here, I would undoubtedly and rightfully be bludgeoned in the head by Matt or Vineesh. Superman is across the board dominant on defense and his budding offensive game is shinning almost every night. Dwight is posting 20.2 points and 13.8 rebounds a night and adding a ridiculous 3.2 blocks a game. Also, Howard alters approximately 39.1 shots a game (I just made that up, but it's probably close). I have a question though, I have trouble thinking that he can fit through doors without turning sideways. On tv he looks 5 feet wide. Does his house only have double doors? Moving on, Dwight is only 23 and will most likely top this list for the next 5-8 years as he gets better and better.


2. I think that Yao Ming is currently the two-man here, but not for long. Have watched him on the court recently? Well, chances are that you haven't because he's constantly getting injured. I don't think Yao's body is going to hold up too much longer. Couple that with the fact that the game has been changing away from big, sloth-like, centers for quite some time and Yao's days are numbered. His numbers are still great, but there's just so much not to be excited about with Yao. The Rockets lack of playoff success (that's on T-Mac too), his lack on intensity/personality, and his lack of athleticism. However, for the time being, he reigns number two.


3. Third, is vastly underrated and personal favorite (by this I mean: I love him in NBA 2k9), Al Jefferson. Al's offensive game is technically sound and fluid, he averages 22/10 on a piss-poor Timberwolves squad where everyone knows than he's the only player worth covering. If Al wasn't toiling in mediocrity (much like our man, Danny Granger), he'd be getting some big time media love. Hopefully, Kevin McHale resigns sometime soon so the city of Minnesota can move forward with Jefferson's prime.


4. The way he's playing, you can't leave the Diesel off the list this year. Shaq has been awesome this year and who saw this coming? I guess with a few days off here and there, Shaq is ready to roll like it's 2004. It helps that the Suns have slowed the pace, but by and large it's been all about the Diesel. The only reason he isn't higher is because he just isn't built to play every night anymore.
5. I can't believe I'm writing this, but next up I gotta take Andrew Bynum. I still remember watching an awkward Bynum play in high school, thinking how the hell did this joke get drafted 10th overall in the NBA! Low and behold, he grew into his body, got some good coaching and is emerging as a big-time center. As a senior, he was second-team all-county in Middlesex, NJ! That isn't exactly a basketball haven, correction, it is embarrasing that Bynum didn't dominate playing against unsuspecting pimple-faced kids (like our own poster Vineesh, now there's a fantastic high school basketballer for you. he was my pick if I'm the Lakers GM) in Central Jersey. Anywho, the only reason Bynum's numbers aren't near the top of the league at center is because he is the third, maybe fourth option on a great team. It makes sense that he doesn't score too much when he plays alongside Kobe and Pau Gasol. But he is ever-improving and should remain on this list for years to come, with his great defensive play as the focal point of his game.

Best of Shaq: Nicknames and Quotes

Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal will go down as one of the greatest, most dominant big men of all time. This year on the Suns, O'Neal has been surprisingly effective, albeit on a lot more rest than usual, rarely playing on back to back nights. To celebrate his newfound youthfulness on the court, let's review some of O'Neal's best nicknames from Basketbawful and quotes from Shaqquotes.com:

Nicknames:

It is important to remember that nearly all of these are self-invented nicknames, and somehow even funnier because of that. Usually, it is the other way around. Let's review the favorites, there are many, many others:

• the original -- Shaq -- most people probably assume this is his actual name


• the classic -- The Diesel -- just a cool nickname, my favorite of them all


• the usual -- The Big (etc.) -- Daddy, Aristotle, Maravich, Felon, IPO, Baryshnikov, Spender, Cactus, Deporter, Banana, and probably many others.


• the dumb -- Osama Bin Shaq -- said in '02 after 9/11


• the strange -- Shaq Fu -- the fact that he has a video game after this one, only pushes it to another level.

Quotes:

"The Diesel" has demonstrated a willingness to same whatever is on his mind, whenever he speaks, so he is a natural quote machine. Here's some comedy gold from the Big Deporter:

• “Our offense is like the Pythagorean Theorem. There is no answer.”


• “The stats win nothing. I’m still sexy. I’m still great.”


• REPORTER: Shaq, do you have a special routine before the playoffs?
  SHAQ: Yeah, I let your mother rub my feet.


• “I wouldn’t. I would just go home. I’d fake an injury or something.” (When asked how he would defend against himself.)


• “I told my wife the other day, I’m the Halle Berry of the NBA. Everybody wants this, baby. Everybody wants me.”


• “I’m tired of hearing about money, money, money, money, money. I just want to play the game, drink Pepsi, wear Reebok.”


• “If you don’t like me, there must be something wrong with you.”


• “It’s hard being the NBA’s sex symbol, but somebody has to do it.”


• “Pluto is not a planet, but I am.”


• “First person who says that to my face, I’ll punch you!” (Talking to a group of reporters, who wanted to bring up Shaq’s obesity.)


• “Tell Yao Ming, ‘ching-chong-yang-wah-ah-soh.’” (Accompanied with approximated kung fu moves.)


• “Yeah, have fun over there. And if you see any of my Irish cousins, tell ‘em I said, ‘Shiver me timbers,’ or something like that.”


• “[Eric Dampier] is soft. Quote it, write it, tape it and send it to him. I tell you, there’s nothing there.”

In addition to those nicknames and quotes, the Diesel has blessed us with a slew of new words in the english language. Now we've got Shaqalicious, Shaqtus, and many more. Just like Barkley, Shaq is refreshingly candid and hopefully, his media success will inspire others to try and follow in his outgoing footsteps.