Centers of Attention: the 2008 NBA Draft's Best Center Prospects

Much of the NBA game is being played in a perimeter-oriented style, but the big man, the center, is still necessary when it comes to scoring, defending and ultimately winning championships. While the pro game has seen a number of hybrid big man shift to play the center position (like the Phoenix Suns' Amare Stoudemire), the true big man is usually the key for champions -- Tim Duncan (a power forward/center), Shaq and Yao Ming are the most dominant post players of the current era, but this year, the Draft is heavy on centers, which a rarity in the past decade for first-round prospects.

Robin and Brook Lopez are the leaders in the class of centers, as they both hail from Stanford University and have a chance to both be among the NBA Lottery's first fourteen selections. While both are centers, each is known for different things -- Robin for defense and Brook for offense, but they have the ability to really develop the other parts of their games. Robin is often compared to the Cleveland Cavs' Anderson Varejao, for their crazy, long hair, but Robin is seen a jewel to some organizations. Having had to play off of Brook as a second option, Robin had to concentrate more as a defender, but has an athleticism that is uncommon among men at 7'0" and 260 lbs. and looks to be a real player. Brook, was seen as a top-three pick, but has been heavily scrutinized for being for not having enough upside, but being of high ability himself and measuring with a long wingspan and 7'1" height is going to keep him as a top selection. They both will have to prove that they can be contributing players and effective scorers and defenders, but they are at the top of the class.

Ohio State's Kosta Koufos probably could have waited to become a top-five pick in the 2009 Draft, but with his ability to be a top pick, it must have been too much to pass up. Though an American in nationality, his Greek ethnicity allowed him to play on the Greece national team, where he exhibited pro skills before he even stepped foot onto the Buckeye campus. Also 7'0" and 260 lbs. like Robin Lopez, Koufos' games is comparable to Dallas Maverick Dirk Nowitzki and he really has the ability to play as a power forward, but with a developing post game, he will definitely be on the block. All Koufos needs is to gain more experience and learn more post moves, and he'll shine for sure.

Unfortunately, there are a couple of center prospects, who while still first-round picks, are having to question their own stock as teams have found that they can't really play as well as they seemed--they just so happen to be Nevada's JaVale McGee and Texas A&M's DeAndre Jordan, both of whom were thought to be lottery picks prior to the Draft.

McGee, a departing sophomore is a true project, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but other than the loss of potential earnings outright in being a lower draft pick, teams are less likely to take a chance on him. Being 7'0" and as thin as a reed hurts him and as he seems to have a good presence athletically, McGee lacks the ability to really play against other big men, which hurts his stock. The good thing about McGee is that he has the ability to really be a defensive presence and play on the perimeter if he develops his jump shot. His ceiling could be Marcus Camby, a strong defensive player and skilled post player and the No. 2 pick of the 1996 Draft...or he could be Steven Hunter, a top 2001 selection who became a bust, largely because he didn't play to his projection as a newer version of Marcus Camby; both are Denver Nuggets, next to the nearby state of McGee's Nevada.

Jordan, on the other hand, was highly touted in 2007 as a high school all-American player and would've been a top selection coming out of high school if the rules would have allowed for him to do so. The problem with Jordan is that he is very raw and lacks experience and maturity, which is natural for a 19-year-old freshman. It's hard to say what Mr. Jordan will do in the NBA, but he has so much promise that he can be assured of being a first-round pick at the very least.