Author Topic: Best Passing Center Ever?  (Read 14449 times)

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Best Passing Center Ever?
« on: October 10, 2009, 04:49:02 PM »

Offline bdm860

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Sorry, but Bill Walton was the 6th man of the year in 86 and a stud! I like Rasheed but I will be very pleasantly surprised if he is anywhere close to the player Walton was on the 86 team.
I agree.  TP.
I have stated in different posts just how great I thought Walton was so I'm not knocking him.
Think 'sheed can average 8 ppg and 7 rbs for us in 20 minutes?

Yeah

Walton and Sheed are apples and oranges.  Never mind the stats.  They both bring/brought very different stuff to the table for their respective teams.
apples & oranges very much so, bill was the greatest passing center of all time, imo best outlet passes off rebounds since russell oh i can go on
sheed spreads the floor much better

the stats i put down because that is what walton average when he was 6th man of year in 86
granted he did much more than that but those numbers are well within reach for wallace


Ok I jacked this quote from another thread, but it made me think, who is the best passing center ever?  Cuz 2Short said Bill Walton, but I consider Arvydas Sabonis.  So the question is, who is the best passing Center ever?

Obviously stats alone don't make the case, but here's a quick breakdown of the first people that popped in my head worth mentioning:
Walton: career 3.4apg and 4.3 per 36, best season 5.0apg and 5.4 per 36

Sabonis: career 2.1apg and 3.1 per 36, best season 3.0apg and 4.2 per 36

David Robinson: career 2.5apg and 2.6 per 36, best season 4.8apg and 4.2 per 36.

Hakeem: career 2.5apg and 2.5 per 36, best season 3.6 (twice) and 3.3 per 36.

Wilt: career 4.4apg and 3.5 per 36, best season 8.6apg and 6.6 per 36. Also worth mentioning 4 total seasons with 5 or more apg (8.6, 7.8, 5.2, and 5.0) and besides the 6.6 per 36, also an impressive 6.2 per 36 too.

After 18 months with their Bigs, the Littles were: 46% less likely to use illegal drugs, 27% less likely to use alcohol, 52% less likely to skip school, 37% less likely to skip a class

Re: Best Passing Center Ever?
« Reply #1 on: October 10, 2009, 04:50:36 PM »

Offline bdm860

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Like I said above my vote is Sabonis, and because he has my vote here are some video highlights (although a few highlights don't make the case either, they don't hurt ;):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZSuksGMJY8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUWkBOyXwAo
Check out 3:37, 3:57, 4:06, 4:14 for some nice passes.

And Bill Walton called Sabonis "the greatest passing center of all time"

But I thought this could be some good discussion, so let's hear it.

After 18 months with their Bigs, the Littles were: 46% less likely to use illegal drugs, 27% less likely to use alcohol, 52% less likely to skip school, 37% less likely to skip a class

Re: Best Passing Center Ever?
« Reply #2 on: October 10, 2009, 05:03:25 PM »

Offline BrickJames

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like most have been saying: Walton, Sebonis, Duncan - in that order.  No one else is close.
God bless and good night!


Re: Best Passing Center Ever?
« Reply #3 on: October 10, 2009, 05:13:48 PM »

Offline fairweatherfan

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Wilt's the only center to lead the league in assists, so you've got to include him in there somewhere. But I never saw him play so I don't know how much of that was system-related.  Shaq deserves an honorable mention too.  The best I ever saw was Sabonis.


Edit: Check out Brick's postcount - I love that the system does that  :)
« Last Edit: October 10, 2009, 06:24:29 PM by fairweatherfan »

Re: Best Passing Center Ever?
« Reply #4 on: October 10, 2009, 05:17:14 PM »

Offline Mr October

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Some Bill Walton highlights too:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CFmxxpHMee8

The passing skill  of both these guys is off the charts. I might give the edge to Sabonis.... the guy had ridiculous court vision.

Re: Best Passing Center Ever?
« Reply #5 on: October 10, 2009, 05:21:05 PM »

Online greg683x

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hes probably not the best of all time, but Vlade Divac's was also a very clever passer for a center.
Greg

Re: Best Passing Center Ever?
« Reply #6 on: October 10, 2009, 05:24:08 PM »

Offline Mr October

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The passing skill  of both these guys is off the charts. I might give the edge to Sabonis.... the guy had ridiculous court vision.

To elaborate, I thought Sabonis's vision/awareness of teammates was at the level of Magic or Bird at times. (He just didn't have the ball in his hands as much on those Blazer teams.) I wish he played in the NBA sooner. What a phenomenal player he was.

Re: Best Passing Center Ever?
« Reply #7 on: October 10, 2009, 05:50:21 PM »

Offline Celtics17

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Got to go with Big Red here on this one. I know Sabonis was suppose to be great but I just dont rmember him like Bill Walton. I know Larry and Bill used to have competitions for most creative passes in games and it was often close. It's just hard to find a player as fundamentally sound as what Walton was but I will say that Duncan is very close if not as much so.

Re: Best Passing Center Ever?
« Reply #8 on: October 10, 2009, 06:47:40 PM »

Offline Redz

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Walton & Sabonis immediately popped into my head when I saw the thread title.
Yup

Re: Best Passing Center Ever?
« Reply #9 on: October 10, 2009, 06:58:57 PM »

Offline Eja117

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I thought of Sabonis, Shaq, and Duncan

Re: Best Passing Center Ever?
« Reply #10 on: October 10, 2009, 07:20:24 PM »

Offline jdub1660

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I'm honored to be the first to say Vlade Divac. He was the 1st to come to mind, and ironically I was talking about him and his backdoor passes just the other day. I even remember hearing NBA analysts talking about him being one of the best backdoor passers in the paint.
Can't stop, Rondo!

Re: Best Passing Center Ever?
« Reply #11 on: October 10, 2009, 07:38:04 PM »

Offline CoachCowens

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Got to go with Big Red here on this one. I know Sabonis was suppose to be great but I just dont rmember him like Bill Walton. I know Larry and Bill used to have competitions for most creative passes in games and it was often close. It's just hard to find a player as fundamentally sound as what Walton was but I will say that Duncan is very close if not as much so.

Yup. Walton and it isn't close. Begins and ends there.

Re: Best Passing Center Ever?
« Reply #12 on: October 10, 2009, 08:38:09 PM »

Offline Master Po

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Wes Unseld has to have consideration with Walton

Re: Best Passing Center Ever?
« Reply #13 on: October 10, 2009, 09:01:27 PM »

Offline Redz

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It was only one kind of pass, but Chief was pretty awesome at the long toss fast break outlet pass.
Yup

Re: Best Passing Center Ever?
« Reply #14 on: October 10, 2009, 09:08:35 PM »

Offline Kwhit10

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Webber was a good passer as well.