Oct 09 2008
Center of Attention
The NBA was worried about the interest in fans in 1998 when Michael Jordan was set to retire for the second time, who would carry the league. That torch was passed to C Shaquille O’Neal and he did a fantastic job as the leagues most dominant player.
Shaq was a character that was simply as equal as his size, to make things even better for the league he was in Los Angeles as a Laker. Currently the NBA is again in a transition to not only younger players but also it is attempting to globalize the game.
Centers were not known to be comfortable as characters, as most of them stood out so much they were accustomed to the stares. Now, with the way Shaq established himself, the new crop of young Centers in the league have built up Shaq-like characters.
Players like Orlando Magic C Dwight Howard and Portland Trail Blazer C Greg Oden have that quality that people loved in Shaq. Not to mention they are as talented, and have all become the face of their franchises in the short time they have been in league.
In the coming years the league will depend on this new influx of great young Centers to be Shaqs of their own and they are not the only ones. In the East, the Center position is highlighted by youth in Howard of the Magic, Andrew Bogut of the Milwaukee Bucks, and Samuel Dalembert of the Philadelphia 76ers.
The West, were it seems like the big men will have the biggest rivalries, has five big men that can potentialy be the best we have seen in awhile. Along with Oden, Andrew Bynum of the Los Angeles Lakers, Chris Kamen of the Los Angeles Clippers, Tyson Chandler of the New Orleans Hornets, and Yao Ming of the Houston Rockets.
These are eight big men to watch for in the coming years and they all have teams that can easily make the Playoffs real soon. For teams that haven’t invested in a young big man, get on the ball soon because the league is going to be dominated by these eight players real soon.
J.M.Saucedo
