FromTheSouth
You don't want it with me.
The NBA used to be centered around big men. (Pun intended) In the 40's, the Minneapolis Lakers dominated behind the skillful big man, George Mikan. The 50's and 60's were dominated by Will and Russel. The 70's belonged to Bill Walton, Moses Malone, and Kareem. The thing all these names have in common, is that they played the center position. They used their size to dominate, and these men had a skill set that made the size difference even more tantamount to their success. In the 80's wing players began to dominate the game. Almost 30 years since Bird and Magic began vying for NBA titles, the wing players have dominated. From Bird and Magic to Isaiah and Jordan to Kobe and LeBron, the big man is disappearing.
The last great time for big men in the NBA was the period from 1984-1998. While the game was dominated by Jordan, Bird, and Magic during this time, several great big men were still yearly MVP candidates. Hakeem Olajuwon, Shaquille O'Neal, Patrick Ewing, and David Robinson patrolled the lane winning MVP awards, championships, and passes to the Hall of Fame. The second tier of centers included Dikembe Mutombo, Alonzo Mourning, and Ric Smits. While never dominant players, these were very skilled big men who played hard and could dominate at either side of the floor. It was during this period that the center position changed. Hakeem, Smits, and Ewing all had a rare ability in a seven footer. The ability was that of the jump shot. When Olajuwon and Ewing came into the league, they used size, strength, and athletic ability to dominate inside. As their careers progressed, they learned to pass, and then use the space between the three point line and the lane to hit unstoppable jump shots. Hakeem's footwork was, and still is, better than many guards.
After 1998, Shaquille O'Neal, for some time, was the only big man capable of taking over a game. It was also during this time, that there was a schism amongst the center position. It seemed that, as a center, you shot 12 footers and had some post moves, or you were a Ben Wallace type, strong on defense, and able to dunk an offensive board. While, this worked for some teams, once it came play off time, no one could stop Shaq. (I omitted Tim Duncan from this period because he was a high post power forward, not a center)
When Yao Ming was drafted, a challenger to Shaq was supposed to emerge. It took some time, but Yao has now taken the mantle of the best all around big man in the game. His defense is ever improving. He doesn't block a lot of shots, but the Rockets are always near the top of defensive points in the paint; and that is because there a lot of bad shots taken to avoid Yao blocks. A forced miss is as good as a block. He is now a 20-10 guy with passing skills. He only takes 13-14 shots a game. He plays within the flow of the offense, and is able to dominate games (9-9 FG 6-6 FT in the first half of a ROAD play-off game) Dwight Howard is a young up and comer, and a close second to Yao. Centers like Marcus Camby, Amare Stoudemire, Tyson Chandler can also clog the lane defensively, and have the ability to score. Andrew Bynum is fast improving. If you add older power forward, who now play a center/PF hybrid like Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett, the center position is flourishing like it hasn't for a while.
The reason for this new push, is that the Hall of Fame big men are trying to teach the new generation. When Yao came into the league, he had Patrick Ewing tutoring him. As Yao bulked up, you could see parts of Patrick's game manifest themselves on the court. Ewing has moved on to Orlando, and is now spreading his lessons to the young Howard. Yao has also had the benfit of having Dikembe Mutombo around him to teach him many lessons that foreign players have to learn in the NBA. He also gets tutoring from Hakeem Olajuwon. Hakeem can teach Yao post moves, defensive position, but, most importantly, how to win. This Rockets team is built similarly to the championship years. Similarly, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has taken young Andrew Bynum under his wing. Amare has Shaq. Tim Duncan has always ahd David Robinson. Kevin Garnett started getting daily wisdom from Bill Russel, and the Celtics won a championship.
The league will not go back to a focus on the big man for a while. The game is set up to make it easier for wing players. The physical nature of the post has disappeared. Beyond all that, the skill sets of LeBron, Kobe, and Chris Paul are just better than any big man right now. It is, however, refreshing to see the Hall of Famers tutoring these young men. Even if it's how to act, these classy gentlemen sharing their time with the youngsters ensure that the future of the post is well handled. You never see Michael Jordan mentoring people, and in fact, he is blamed for destroying Kwame Brown, and other team mates have admitted to hating being around him. Magic Johnson passes on general words of wisdom, but you don't ever see tape of his doing drills with young Jordan Farmar. The big men see the decline of the game that they dominated for near the entirety of it's existence, and have stepped up. Hopefully, the youngsters listen, as a well groomed post game is a beautiful thing to watch. Take it from a Rockets fan, when your seven footer does things that Hakeem did, it is a more wondrous experience then watching a guard fly through the air.
The last great time for big men in the NBA was the period from 1984-1998. While the game was dominated by Jordan, Bird, and Magic during this time, several great big men were still yearly MVP candidates. Hakeem Olajuwon, Shaquille O'Neal, Patrick Ewing, and David Robinson patrolled the lane winning MVP awards, championships, and passes to the Hall of Fame. The second tier of centers included Dikembe Mutombo, Alonzo Mourning, and Ric Smits. While never dominant players, these were very skilled big men who played hard and could dominate at either side of the floor. It was during this period that the center position changed. Hakeem, Smits, and Ewing all had a rare ability in a seven footer. The ability was that of the jump shot. When Olajuwon and Ewing came into the league, they used size, strength, and athletic ability to dominate inside. As their careers progressed, they learned to pass, and then use the space between the three point line and the lane to hit unstoppable jump shots. Hakeem's footwork was, and still is, better than many guards.
After 1998, Shaquille O'Neal, for some time, was the only big man capable of taking over a game. It was also during this time, that there was a schism amongst the center position. It seemed that, as a center, you shot 12 footers and had some post moves, or you were a Ben Wallace type, strong on defense, and able to dunk an offensive board. While, this worked for some teams, once it came play off time, no one could stop Shaq. (I omitted Tim Duncan from this period because he was a high post power forward, not a center)
When Yao Ming was drafted, a challenger to Shaq was supposed to emerge. It took some time, but Yao has now taken the mantle of the best all around big man in the game. His defense is ever improving. He doesn't block a lot of shots, but the Rockets are always near the top of defensive points in the paint; and that is because there a lot of bad shots taken to avoid Yao blocks. A forced miss is as good as a block. He is now a 20-10 guy with passing skills. He only takes 13-14 shots a game. He plays within the flow of the offense, and is able to dominate games (9-9 FG 6-6 FT in the first half of a ROAD play-off game) Dwight Howard is a young up and comer, and a close second to Yao. Centers like Marcus Camby, Amare Stoudemire, Tyson Chandler can also clog the lane defensively, and have the ability to score. Andrew Bynum is fast improving. If you add older power forward, who now play a center/PF hybrid like Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett, the center position is flourishing like it hasn't for a while.
The reason for this new push, is that the Hall of Fame big men are trying to teach the new generation. When Yao came into the league, he had Patrick Ewing tutoring him. As Yao bulked up, you could see parts of Patrick's game manifest themselves on the court. Ewing has moved on to Orlando, and is now spreading his lessons to the young Howard. Yao has also had the benfit of having Dikembe Mutombo around him to teach him many lessons that foreign players have to learn in the NBA. He also gets tutoring from Hakeem Olajuwon. Hakeem can teach Yao post moves, defensive position, but, most importantly, how to win. This Rockets team is built similarly to the championship years. Similarly, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has taken young Andrew Bynum under his wing. Amare has Shaq. Tim Duncan has always ahd David Robinson. Kevin Garnett started getting daily wisdom from Bill Russel, and the Celtics won a championship.
The league will not go back to a focus on the big man for a while. The game is set up to make it easier for wing players. The physical nature of the post has disappeared. Beyond all that, the skill sets of LeBron, Kobe, and Chris Paul are just better than any big man right now. It is, however, refreshing to see the Hall of Famers tutoring these young men. Even if it's how to act, these classy gentlemen sharing their time with the youngsters ensure that the future of the post is well handled. You never see Michael Jordan mentoring people, and in fact, he is blamed for destroying Kwame Brown, and other team mates have admitted to hating being around him. Magic Johnson passes on general words of wisdom, but you don't ever see tape of his doing drills with young Jordan Farmar. The big men see the decline of the game that they dominated for near the entirety of it's existence, and have stepped up. Hopefully, the youngsters listen, as a well groomed post game is a beautiful thing to watch. Take it from a Rockets fan, when your seven footer does things that Hakeem did, it is a more wondrous experience then watching a guard fly through the air.
