2007-08 Center Rankings, Yao #1

By Scott Sargent, Special to SI.com, DroppingDimes.com
If draft position can attest to position scarcity, look no further. In most fantasy leagues, owners must start two centers, providing for quite a quandary given the decrease in the use of the big man. When you finally lock up a solid center, chances are that you'll get plenty of blocks and rebounds, but how many centers are their team's top scoring options? Can you find one who will not decimate your free-throw shooting? Do any of them hit threes?

Centers are the necessary evil of fantasy basketball, and if you want to survive, you're going to have to ensure that you have at least two solid options. A quick glance at this list shows that you won't find model citizens of health, so even two is a bit thin. Most of this list will be gone by the end of round three, so while those other positions are looking very nice, plan ahead or you could be regretting your decision come round 10. Does it hurt to use draft picks on guys who will most likely produce in no more than four categories? Sure does, but not as much as starting guys who give considerably less than that that were drafted later on. Here's a breakdown of the big men you're going to want to target on draft day.

1. Yao Ming, Rockets: It's not every day that a guy injured as often as Yao Ming has been would still make the tops of his position. Many pundits consider his injuries flukes, but the main reason for Yao's place at the top is his ability to help your free-throw percentage. He has an 82-percent career average at the charity stripe, and it has actually improved every year since the 2004 season. Granted, he hasn't played more than 57 games since then, but when you can get 20 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks a game with said percentage, you have no choice but to jump all over it at the end of the first round. I've seen him go as early as fifth overall, so if you're targeting Yao, pull the trigger while you can.

2. Amare Stoudemire, Suns: What Yao gives you with finesse, Stoudemire brings with domination. Many were walking on egg shells with Amare last season as he came back from microfracture surgery, and he responded to the doubters by registering averages of 20 points, 10 boards and at least one steal and one block per game. His field-goal percentage is near 60 percent thanks to all the fast breaks Steve Nash instigates and his free-throw shooting is actually a very respectable 73% for his career. The ranking of Yao and Stoudemire are a coin flip with many, so do not be disappointed if you have to settle for the other. Amare may as well be 1-A at this point.

3. Pau Gasol, Grizzlies: While Yao and Stoudemire shared a lot of the votes for the top spot, Gasol has been deemed the consensus third option at the center spot. Gasol was forced to miss considerable time last season, but rewarded those that drafted him regardless by racking up 20 points, 10 boards and at least two blocked shots a night. Unlike the top two, Gasol's free-throw percentage can weigh down the averages a bit, but he's the No. 1 option on offense in Memphis and is locked in at over 50 percent from the field. Gasol will look to get back to 80 games this season, as he did back in 2005-06 and should be drafted accordingly before the middle of the second round.

4. Chris Bosh, Raptors: Like Yao, the Raptors' big man is frequently near 80 percent from the free-throw line. But unlike the rest of those above, Bosh isn't as dominating in terms of rebounds and blocked shots - he broke double-digit boards for the first time in his career last season, while maintaining his career average of 1.3 blocks a night. Bosh is also coming off his career high in scoring with 22.6 points per game. What's not to like is the emergence of fellow frontcourt mate Andrea Bargnani coupled with the nagging injuries that have plagued Bosh since late last season. His foot and knee have worried some, causing the big man to fall to the mid-to-late second round. We think he'll have a solid season regardless and is a great value if he falls that low.

5. Tim Duncan, Spurs: Rare is it that a player can be so consistently good and barely make the top five at his own position. Such is the case with the veteran Duncan, who has delivered every night of his 10-year career. If you land Duncan this year, you'll without a doubt be the proud owner of at least 20 points and 12 rebounds a night to go with at least three dimes and two blocks. What causes Duncan to fall this far is the damage that he'll do to your free-throw shooting. The Big Fundamental actually improved his conversion rate year-over-year to 63.7 percent -- which can be killer in rotisserie formats. If you have faith in your ability to address the inherent weakness later in the draft, snag Duncan in the second round and do not look back.

6. Al Jefferson, Timberwolves: It was not a matter of if Al Jefferson would break out in the NBA, it was just a matter of when. The answer to that question is obviously the 2006-07 season where Jefferson more than doubled his previous career highs. With averages of 16 points, 11 rebounds and 1.5 blocks and his 23rd birthday still to come, Jefferson finds himself among the top center options in this season's draft. Buyer must beware that Jefferson's max in terms of games played came during his rookie season, where he was a part of 71 contests. Since then, he's logged in totals of 59 and 69 respectively, so he hasn't been the healthiest of options. He'll be given the chance to shine in his new home of Minnesota, and if he stays off the trainers table, this likely third- or fourth-round selection will pay dividends for yet another year.

7. Dwight Howard, Magic: The double-double machine that is Dwight Howard will look to be among the league leaders in rebounds for yet another season. With 12 boards and two blocks a game, Howard likely will carry your fantasy team in two categories by himself. What he'll also do is take a sledge hammer to your free-throw shooting (career average of 61%) and inflate your turnover totals to the tune of 3.9 a night. Thinking is that Howard will take better care of the ball with another year under his belt as he is only 21. Darko Milicic has also moved on, so the post will be all his. However, leagues that count both of the vulnerable categories will have no choice but to devalue Howard quite a bit. A star without a doubt, but a liability in fantasy hoops.

8. Marcus Camby, Nuggets: You know how I mentioned the health concerns in the opening paragraphs? Well here we are. Fewer players can provide you with Camby's hustle statistic averages. The Nuggets big man is coming off of a season that saw him average 11 points, 12 rebounds, three blocks and a steal per night while posting modest percentages. The downfall of Camby is that he has topped 70 games played only once in his 11 seasons in the league -- and that came back in 2003-04. While last season was an improvement over the previous two years, you're taking a huge gamble in leagues that require night-to-night production. He's a stud in points-based leagues, but only for those with strong stomachs. Plan accordingly.

9. Carlos Boozer, Jazz: Speaking of "games played," this Utah big man logged in 74 games last season -- his most since 2003-04 when he wore a Cleveland jersey and was making considerably less money than he is now. But if last year's playoffs were any indication of what Boozer can do, 20 points and 12 rebounds could be yours with a player that likely will only cost a late second- or early third-round pick. Boozer's downfall is his lack of blocks, a vital statistic for centers in the fantasy game. With a career average of 0.5 blocks per contest, you'll have to address this need elsewhere. Also keep in mind that the sixth-year player could miss a game here and there due to his ailing son -- like Derek Fisher toward the end of last season.

10. Jermaine O'Neal, Pacers: If only fantasy results were based on potential alone. Aside from Danny Granger, Jermaine O'Neal is the Indiana Pacers. His 19.4 points per game average of last season was the lowest total since the 2001-02 season as JON has consistently been near 20 a night over the last six seasons. The Pacers big man is near a lock for at least nine rebounds and two blocks a night, but following with the trend, these stats only count when O'Neal can suit up. After playing 78 games in 2003-04, O'Neal has logged totals of 44, 51 and 69. Recent trade rumors have also circulated, but it looks like he'll be in Indiana for at least the time being. If you draft O'Neal, just make sure you have a backup plan in place in case he goes down or gets moved.

Best of the Rest
11. Emeka Okafor, Bobcats
12. Mehmet Okur, Jazz
13. Tyson Chandler, Hornets
14. Samuel Dalembert, 76ers
15. Andris Biedrins, Warriors
16. Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Cavaliers
17. Andrea Bargnani, Raptors
18. Andrew Bogut, Bucks
19. Ben Wallace, Bulls
20. Chris Kaman, Clippers

 

This news was put out 3 days ago in SI.com. If I repeatly post here, please lock.

 

OK, let's see who will be better between Yao and Tim.