5 Best Centers in the NBA

Who are the five best centers in the NBA? Dylan, Dylan, Dylan, Dylan, Dylan. Unless you're a Dave Chappelle fan you wont remember that. Anyway I've decided to count down the five best players at every position in the NBA right now. I figured the best place to start would be with the big men, specifically centers.

#5 Brook Lopez
Yeah, I said it. I've been a Brook Lopez fan since his days at Stanford. The guy is no joke on the offensive end. He can post up on the block, hit a 17 foot jump shot, and finish at the rim consistently. He gets a lot of shi* for not rebounding well or being "soft," but I don't think people will be saying that next year. The truth is, most people have never really seen him play and just go off of numbers. The decrease in rebounds is a direct product of Kris Humphries joining the team two years ago. Lopez's rebounding numbers and blocked shots will increase this year. It takes big men a while to develop and going into his fifth season I think he will prove doubters wrong.

#4 Joakim Noah
Nobody in the NBA has more heart than Joakim. Its hard not to like this guy. In an NBA where most guys are scared to say how they feel and express themselves this guy does it. Noah is a great defender, awesome passer for his position and an elite rebounder. This guy is like your favorite underground rapper. He doesn't give a damn about the fame he's just out for respect. And respect he gets from me.

#3 Kevin Garnett
KG is still a power forward in my book, but I can't discount the fact that he's been slid over to the five spot. This guy is old as f*ck. My dad bought me his signature shoe from Nike when I was seven....He had already been in the league for three years. KG's career has been rejuvenated by playing the center position. It gives him a chance to stretch the floor with his great jump shooting and also be quicker than most of the guys that guard him. Today's NBA doesn't have guys like Hakeem, Pat Ewing or David Robinson. The center position isn't what it used to be which gives an old head like KG the ability to do some things he probably couldn't have gotten away with in the 90s.

#2 Andrew Bynum
Andrew Bynum really impressed me this year. His work on the boards and on the block were pretty incredible. I knew he was good I just didn't know he was this good. There were times when I saw him last year and thought "This guy is unstoppable." In a league filled with undersized centers and power forwards trying to play center a guy like Bynum thrives. He's big and he's skilled. I think LA would've benefited from throwing it down to him a little more often when the offense got stagnant instead of going to Kobe.

#1 Dwight Howard
When you factor in offense and defense, no one is close to this guy. Dwight has improved his offensive game a lot over the years. I still think Bynum and possibly even Lopez are better offensive players, but Dwight gets it done. His post scoring has improved now that he has a few go to moves and his offensive rebounding and athletic ability have always allowed him to get easy buckets. Where Howard really excels is on defense. Very few players in the league can drive the lane and finish on or around Howard. He is the last person anyone wants to see when they come down the lane. Serge Ibaka gets a lot of love for his shot blocking, but he really isn't that good at defending on the ball. Howard is the complete package on defense. He also is rebounding machine. He is the closest thing the NBA has to an old school center and easily the best since Shaq. I expect him to dominate the position for years to come.

*Tim Duncan isn't on this list and probably won't be on the power forwards list either. The reason? I just didn't know where to put him. I think he could easily be on this list and my PF list, but he is going to be left out. Duncan is still a great defender despite his lack of athleticism and on offense his arsenal is comparable to that of a Mexican cartel. On a night to night basis Duncan wouldn't be my first option, but come playoff time this guy is going to remind you why he is one of the greatest of all time and arguably the best of his generation.