After completing four lists ranking the top ten point guards, shooting guards, small forwards, and power forwards as they are expected to perform in the upcoming season, I am left with only one list, the list of top ten centers.

The list of players that I used in order to compile stats comes from ESPN.com. Unfortunately, during my down time in between writing the power forwards article and the centers article, ESPN has changed their list and moved guys back and forth between power forward and center. Therefore, I am going to continue with my list as they previously had centers listed, including Garnett, Duncan, and Jermaine O’Neal as the biggest of the big. Funny enough, Dwight Howard is now listed as a power forward, care to explain?

I’d like to point out now, that the top three are all equal in my opinion however for the purpose of this list, I am forced to make a judgment call.

1. Dwight Howard – Orlando Magic – 2008 Stats: 20.7 PPG, 14.2 RPG – This guy is a beast. What more can I say? At 22 years of age, he shoots 60% from the field and averages well over 20 and 10. His large size, big body build, and excellent agility makes him the most difficult center to defend today. It seems like every basket he scores is a dunk. With that said, the Orlando Magic don’t let him dunk during practices, wisely, and force him to learn how to shoot and develop some sort of back to the basket/midrange game. One area that he severely needs to improve in is his free throw shooting. He makes just under 60% from the line. Who does this guy remind you of? A young Shaq, yeah, me too.

2. Kevin Garnett – Boston Celtics – 2008 Stats: 18.8 PPG, 9.2 RPG – KG has finally won his title. He finally has a ring to wear around his finger. He can finally call himself a winner. He was traded to the Boston Celtics, became the biggets part of what became known as the Big 3, and delivered the goods. His averages took a hit last season, whether because of his age or need to share the ball while on the court, and they are bound to take a hit again this season. Garnett is an extremely versatile player, and possibly one of the most dangerous 7’0″ around. Apparently he’s even learned how to shoot the three ball now. I think that the fire is still burning strong inside of him this season. Although I believe Paul Pierce and Ray Allen won’t play at the level expected, KG will step it up and perform night in and night out.

3. Tim Duncan – San Antonio Spurs – 2008 Stats: 19.3 PPG, 11.3 RPG – Tim Duncan has been known to lead his beloved Spurs to the title every odd year. Is this their year again? Duncan played most of his career at the power forward position but may now be better sutied to occupy the paint as the teams starting center. Duncan has probably the nicest and most consistent bank shot of the glass that I’ve ever seen. He’s a guy that doesn’t care about the flash. He doesn’t care about being showy. Tim Duncan is very quiet and conservative and on the court to do his job. He is very respected because he accepts his role on his team and doesn’t need extra attention. There’s a reason the man’s got all those rings!

4. Amare Stoudemire – Phoenix Suns – 2008 Stats: 25.2 PPG, 9.1 RPG – Many have made the argument that Amare will not have as strong of a season because he now has to share the paint with Shaq. I disagree. The reason I disagree? Simple, because Shaq knows he’s past his prime and is a great teacher/coach. He did a great job pulling the best out of D. Wade and will now do the same for Amare. When Shaq first arrived in Phoenix, Stoudemire said that he realizes he’s not a true center and wants to learn from Shaq in order to become stronger and more dominant. I think having Shaq as a mentor will be extremely beneficial to Amare and I am looking for him to have a big season.

5. Andrew Bynum – Los Angeles Lakers – 2008 Stats: 13.1 PPG, 10.2 RPG – Last season was cut short, well short, and his numbers really averaged out to what he was worth. The beginning of his season was slow and as January and February came along, he grew up and became a lot more dominant. Bynum has continued weight training throughout the Summer and looks ready to dominate the league. He is extremely encouraged as he’s got Kobe lighting a fire under him, Phil Jackson making backstabbing comments, Pau Gasol threatening to steal his minutes, and is in a contract year. I expect Bynum to average approximately 18-20 PPG and 12-13 RPG this season. As the season progresses, him and Pau will find their groove and it will become an extremely pretty thing to watch.

6. Yao Ming – Houston Rockets – 2008 Stats: 22 PPG, 10.8 RPG – Yao only played 55 games last season and his game may have taken a hit for it. His experience is great but the strength of the developing centers in this league may finally catch up with his lanky body this season. Is he going to be able to stop Shaq, Amare, Oden, or Bynum? Thats only in the Western Conference. The addition of Ron Artest to the team this season is going to be huge for the team, but will take away from Yao. Artest is a very unselfish player, but I don’t see him meshing all that well with Yao. Tracy, Battier, and Yao were a strong three way unit in Houston and couldn’t get anywhere. The defense was already great and Artest will make it even stronger. The key to Yao’s success lies in the hands of Ron-Ron. Will Artest make him a stronger character?

7. Greg Oden – Portland Trailblazers – 2008 Stats: 0 PPG, 0 RPG – What do we know about this guy? NOTHING. He’s big. He’s strong. He looks like he’s 40. But he also looks damn good on the basketball court. We saw him play extremely dominantly in college at Ohio State and he missed his entire rookie season due to knee surgery. The Blazers were good last season but were truly lacking a center. Oden will hopefully be there guy. I expect Oden to be a young dominant center that will be competing with Bynum and Howard for years to come. Based on the Blazers two preseason wins, I expect Oden to average about 17-20 PPG and 10 RPG  this season. Oden has looked solid on defense, solid on the boards, and solid in dishing the ball out, but his defense needs some work. For a guy as strong as he is, 4 fouls in 20 minutes of game time is a bit too much. His movement and foot work is giong to have to improve for him to be a real force on defense.

8. Tyson Chandler – New Orleans Hornets – 2008 Stats: 11.8 PPG, 11.7 RPG – Chandler has found the guy that can turn him into a superior player. Chris Paul has brought out the best in Chandler and is sure to push him even farther this upcoming season. His numbers are somewhat low, relative to how much he seems to do on the court, but I expect his stats to improve in the coming season. CP3 and Chandler will only continue to build a better connection and those alley-oop passes are going to become even easier. Also, I’m looking for Chandler to play a few more minutes this year compared to the 35 per game he was playing last season. His defense is superb and I think he will only continue to grow as a player, keep in mind, he’s only 26.

9. Al Horford – Atlanta Hawks – 2008 Stats: 10.1 PPG, 9.7 RPG – Horford is entering his 2nd year in the NBA. Last season he averaged just over 30 minutes per game and I see that going up a good amount. In his first year he proved to have plenty of physical abilities and an even stronger mental feel for the game. With experience, his numbers will go up simply based on the fact that he will better understand how to pick and choose his spots to attack. I think his passing from the paint is something he will continue to work on and with all the young talent surrounding him, he is somewhat restricted. With Mike Bibby in Atlanta for a full season, I think that Horford will benefit more than anyone else and really gain confidence from many easy baskets set up by the new point guard.

10. Chris Kaman – Los Angeles Clippers – 2008 Stats: 15.7 PPG, 12.7 RPG – Kaman got his big contract extension and proved that he was worth the money. Kaman developed a solid shot from a few feet out of the paint and became stronger in the paint. His defense has significantly improved as well as his mobility on both ends of the court. His mental game and confidence are probably what have made the biggest jump from the past. With Elton Brand now out of the way, Kaman can occupy the paint on his own, on the offensive end at least. I expect his number to go up a good amount and that he will average over 20 PPG this season. The best thing about Kaman, he gets his stats up without even making noise. Kind of reminds me of Tim Duncan from that aspect. Marcus Camby will fill the void created by Brand on the defensive end, and Kaman will continue to create plays on the offensive end.

NOTABLE MENTIONS:

1. Shaquille O’Neal – Phoenix Suns – 2008 Stats: 13.6 PPG, 9.1 RPG – Shaq has already said several tiems that although he expects to continue to be dominant, Amare Stoudemire will really be a force to be reckoned with. I really don’t feel that Shaq has what it takes to have another Shaq-like season but I think he will be strong. I expect his minutes to go down a bit, but then again, with a new coach and a new offense, who knows what the plan is. Shaq will be Shaq however and is always destined to destroy what stands in his path. New team, new coach, new teammates, new offense, new defense, and a whole new year.

2. Jermaine O’Neal – Toronto Raptors – 2008 Stats: 13.6 PPG, 6.7 RPG – JO only played 42 games last season, about half, due to injuries and was traded to the Raptors this offseason. He will now team up with Chris Bosh in the front court in Toronto and has a chance to really go deep in the playoffs. With a great point guard, a strong power forward, and himself playing center, this team has high hopes. I just don’t know how Colangelo manage to pull this off everytime, putting the right pieces together to make a team contend so quickly. Hopefully Jermaine’s number will go up this season but if you look at his career stats, they were never that high to begin with. The more research i really do on O’Neal, the more I begin to realize his name is more than his game. Hopefully that changes this season.