As the days are counting down and all the top free agents are signing with other teams and we will pick up what ever is left i found this link http://www.rotoevil.com/nba/2009-free-agents-centers (credit goes to them) i was just wondering who you guys and girls think should start centre for us on the first day of the season?

Ben Wallace and Tyson Chandler are not on the list but you can use them if you wish.

could you put the name of the player you want to start for us in the Subject box and your reasoning in the message box so it makes its easier too read for everyone, thanks (sorry if i sound anal)

The list below i copied and pasted it so its easier to look at and comment on and the credit goes to the origonal posters.

the top 5 have been signed up.(just about)

 

                                                  Top 5 Centers Available

 

 

While I listed the Top 10 players available for all of the other positions, this year’s crop of centers is extremely thin, and in my opinion, only 5 of them will be highly coveted. They are:

1. Mehmet Okur (Early Termination or $9.0 million)

Okur is coming off a very strong season for Utah, and since he just turned 30, he wants to secure a big contract while he still can. Memo has said many positive things about the city of Utah, and he wants to stay in a Jazz uniform, but at the same time, he wants to get paid handsomely. On his website memo13.com, he recently stated: “I will not be changing teams if there is a difference of $3-5 million in the total worth of the new contract. I believe my managers and I have let our feelings be known (to) the Jazz management.” This makes it sound like he’s going to opt out of his contract to see what kind of money he can command as the #1 center available in 2009. Fantasy Impact: assuming he stays in Utah, his stats could go up even further without Boozer around.

2. Rasheed Wallace (Unrestricted)

‘Sheed was a great fit in Detroit, but after 5+ seasons, his Pistons career has come to an end. At the age of 34, Wallace is on the decline. He shot a career-low 41.9% from the field this past season, and his 13.5 points per 36 minutes was his lowest scoring average since his rookie year. However, he can still spread the floor and play rock solid defense, and he has plenty of moxie and experience. Since he could be the “missing piece,” several playoff teams will show interest this summer. One rumor has him going to Cleveland to play with LeBron (intriguing), while another has him retiring if he doesn’t earn $8 million next season (pulling a Sprewell).

3. Chris Andersen (Unrestricted)

In one of the best NBA comeback stories of all-time, Andersen rebounded from a 2-year drug suspension to re-join his former team and help lead them to the Western Conference Finals. Along the way, he finished 2nd in blocked shots and set career-highs in several categories. Now he’s an unrestricted free agent, and I’m guessing that several teams will be contacting his agent on July 1st. His excellent production as an energy big man off the bench is undeniable, but the value of his “Birdman” persona should also be considered. Andersen is one of the most electrifying players in the league, and as a result, he’d be a fan favorite on any team. Surely the Nuggets want to bring him back, but they’ll have to pay a pretty penny to keep him. Fantasy Impact: no matter where he plays, he’ll be one of the best shot-blockers around.

4. Marcin Gortat (Restricted)

The Magic tried to keep Gortat a secret in ‘07-08 by playing him in just 6 regular season games, but in 48 playoff minutes last year, Marcin managed to scored 10 points, pull down 8 boards, and block 4 shots. In 63 regular season games this past year, Gortat made 57% of his shots and averaged 4.6 boards, .8 blocks, and 1.8 fouls in just 12.6 minutes per game. Per 36 minutes, that translates to 13.0 boards (4.4 offensive), 2.4 blocks, and 5.0 fouls. He’s getting valuable playoff experience right now, and at the age of 25, his future looks bright. Orlando would love to keep him, but they’re going to have enough trouble bringing back Hedo Turkoglu. Fantasy Impact: if he lands in the right situation, Gortat could play big minutes next season.

5. Zaza Pachulia (Unrestricted)

Pachulia is actually the same age as Gortat, because he entered the NBA at the tender age of 19. With 6 years of experience under his belt, Zaza has developed into one of the most reliable backup centers in the league. He averaged just 19.1 minutes this past season, but he shot a career-best 49.7% from the field and pulled down 10.7 rebounds per 36 minutes. The Hawks have several free agent decisions to make this summer, and if they don’t act fast, Zaza could be playing for someone else next season.

                                                      26 and Under: Decent Talents

 

Ryan Hollins (Restricted)

This past season, Hollins played in just 45 games and averaged a quiet 3.2 points and 2.2 rebounds. However, it was a solid year for the 24-year old, as his per 36 minute stats translate to 11.6 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 2.6 blocks. He also made 53% of his shots, and that number should rise as he gets more experience. Hollins is an excellent athlete for his size, and due to his relatively young age, I really like his potential. I’m not sure what Charlotte was thinking when they traded him to Dallas for DeSagana Diop, but now the Mavs will be able to match any offer made to Hollins. Fantasy Impact: for those wondering, Erick Dampier still has 2 agonizingly long years left on his contract.

Solomon Jones (Restricted)

Jones hasn’t improved much since his rookie year, so it will be interesting to see if the Hawks choose to bring him back. He’s a rather skinny big man, but his long wingspan and nice leaping ability help him to block and alter shots. His offense still needs a lot of work, and since he turns 25 in July, it’s questionable how high his upside really is.

Joel Anthony (Restricted)

Anthony turned some heads this past season, blocking 93 shots in limited minutes, for an average of 3.2 rejections per 36. Like Jones, Anthony has very long arms and is a restricted free agent this summer. One negative is that, despite only 2 years of NBA experience, Joel is already 26 years old. This means his upside is also limited, so Miami shouldn’t pay a lot to re-sign him. Fantasy Impact: is worth watching if Jermaine O’Neal can’t stay healthy.

Kyrylo Fesenko (Restricted or Team Option for $.9 million)

I’m a fan of Kyrylo Fesenko, but I’m not sure if Jerry Sloan is. The 22-year old still has a lot of maturing to do, but he has a huge body with big soft hands, and is fairly mobile for his size. Comparing both his NBA and D-League stats from his rookie year to sophomore year, he cut back on his turnovers and fouls while improving other aspects of his game. Having a guy like Kirilenko around to mentor him is hugely important, so I hope the Jazz exercise their team option on Fes.

                                                   Savvy Veterans: Solid and Cheap

 

 

Rasho Nesterovic (Unrestricted)

Believe it or not, Rasho set career highs this past season by averaging 14.0 points and 3.2 assists per 36 minutes played, and he’s shot over 50% from the field 4 seasons in a row. His rebounding and shot-blocking skills have declined, but he’s still a decent player on both ends of the floor, and at the age of 33, but he’s still a solid backup. Will the Pacers re-sign him, or are they ready to lean heavily on Roy Hibbert? Fantasy Impact: if he signs elsewhere, Hibbert and Jeff Foster will get more minutes.

Brian Skinner (Unrestricted or Player Option for $1.3 million)

Skinner was forced to play more minutes than expected due to several Clipper injuries, and he averaged a decent 7.5 points, 5.9 boards, and 1.4 blocks on 47% FG shooting in 21 starts. However, with Chris Kaman healthy and Blake Griffin arriving shortly, there won’t be much need for Skinner’s services in Los Angeles, so the 33-year old may not exercise his player option.

Theo Ratliff (Unrestricted)

Ratliff re-joined the 76ers this past season, the same team where he once averaged a league-best 3.7 blocked shots per game. At the age of 36, he’s still an elite shot-blocker, but after criticizing their coaching staff and skipping their final team meeting, Theo won’t be back in a Philly uniform.

Adonal Foyle (Unrestricted)

Foyle played a total of just 59 minutes this past season for Orlando, and in that limited action, he managed to rack up an incredible 26 rebounds and 8 blocks! So the 34-year old can still be effective, but his real value lies off the court, where he’s one of the smartest and most professional players around.

Sean Marks (Unrestricted)

He played in just 57 NBA games before the age of 29, but since then, Sean Marks has suited up for the Spurs, Suns, and Hornets. He’ll turn 34 in August and his skills are quite limited, but he’s a good 12th man/practice player, so another minimum contract seems likely.

Jamaal Magloire (Unrestricted)

He just turned 31, and he peaked a long time ago, but Magloire is still a serviceable backup center. He played 47 minutes this past postseason, and while he scored just 2 points, he pulled down 11 boards (5 offensive) and racked up 9 personal fouls. His career average of 10.8 rebounds per 36 minutes is very solid, and he’s still a physical defender who’s not afraid to mix it up. Someone will make room for the “Big Cat.”

                                                                       Borderline Options: Risky or Unproven

 

 

Jason Collins (Unrestricted)

Jason Collins has started 429 games in his NBA career, so it’s tough to knock the guy. However, if you look at his detailed on court vs. off court stats, you’ll see that Minnesota was a MUCH better offensive team when he was on the bench, and they were a better defensive team when he was on the bench as well. Sure, he sets good screens and does the dirty work without complaining, but he’s become a major liability, and teams should be wary of signing him.

Lorenzen Wright (Unrestricted)

Over the past two seasons, Lo-Wright has played 286 minutes for 3 different teams, averaging 1.1 points and 1.8 rebounds in the process. He’s never been much of a scorer, but his rebounding rate has declined in recent years, and at the age of 33, it’s unlikely to bounce back. Someone may consider the 13-year veteran, but they’d have to be really desperate.

Mikki Moore (Unrestricted)

In ‘06-07, Mikki Moore had a career-year in New Jersey, averaging 9.8 points and leading the league in FG% by running the floor with Jason Kidd. Overestimating his abilities, the Kings decided to offer Moore $18 million for 3 years. After 1 1/2 disappointing seasons, Sacramento waived him. Luckily, the 3rd year wasn’t fully guaranteed, but they’ll still have to pay him $2 million next season. Mikki played in 24 regular season and 10 postseason games for the Celtics after being waived, but he didn’t give them the boost that they were hoping for (and sorely needed due to Garnett and Powe going down). At 33 years old, he is now a very risky option.

Aaron Gray (Restricted)

The good: Gray has excellent size, is a solid rebounder, and a decent touch around the rim. The bad: everything else. Gray is very limited athletically, so it’s no surprise that he fell out of Chicago’s rotation. He’s a restricted free agent, but I doubt that the Bulls want him back, so he’ll be available to any team that wants to take a chance on him.

Patrick O’Bryant (Restricted or Team Option for $1.6 million)

I’d really like to write this guy off, but since he’s fairly young (turns 23 on June 20th), he could still develop into a decent bench player I suppose. Despite three seasons of NBA experience, O’Bryant still picks up fouls left and right (for his career, he has 116 rebounds compared to 114 fouls), and after being traded twice already, his confidence can’t be very high. The Raptors have a team option for him, but they could opt for this next guy instead.

Nathan Jawai (Restricted or Team Option for $.7 million)

Since Jawai played just 19 minutes for the Raptors as a rookie, let’s examine his D-League stats instead. In 14 games, he averaged 11.1 points, 6.4 boards, 5.1 free throw attempts, 1.6 assists, 1.1 blocks, and 3.4 fouls in 24.1 minutes on 52.6% FG and 77.8% FT shooting. Decent stats, but nothing to write home about. He’s 22, he has a big body, and is fairly athletic, so the potential is still there, but he has a LONG ways to go before being an NBA rotation player.

Johan Petro (Restricted or Qualifying Offer for $2.9 million)

Petro has 4 years of NBA experience now, but his career is headed in the wrong direction. After shooting 51% from the field and averaging 1.4 blocks to 6.0 fouls per 36 minutes as a 20-year old rookie, Johan shot just 41.5% from the field and averaged .9 blocks to 6.9 fouls per 36 minutes as a 23-year old. He’s still young enough to turn his career around, but in my opinion, he rarely looks comfortable on the floor, and I’m guessing that he’ll continue to disappoint.

Robert Swift (Unrestricted)

Swift was the #12 pick in the 2004 draft (ahead of Al Jefferson, Josh Smith, Jameer Nelson, Kevin Martin, JR Smith, Trevor Ariza, etc.), and while injuries have certainly slowed him down, he needs to start producing immediately if he wants to stay in the NBA. In 26 games for the Thunder this past season, he averaged a mediocre 9.0 points, 9.3 rebounds, 1.8 blocks, and 5.2 fouls per 36 minutes. He’s still just 23, but it looks like picking him and Petro (ahead of David Lee, Ronny Turiaf, Monta Ellis, etc.) with back-to-back 1st round picks turned out to be a bad idea. Of course, that was before Sam Presti took over as GM.

                                                                                                   Out of the League???

 

 

Raef LaFrentz (Unrestricted)

Raef LaFrentz didn’t play at all in ‘08-09, and he played sparingly for Portland in the couple of seasons before that. To see how much he’s fallen off, just look at his outside shot. After making 112-of-286 threes (39.2% 3P) in ‘05-06, Raefer has shot a sorry 2-27 from beyond the arc (7.4% 3P) since then. He isn’t very valuable without his 3-point shot, because LaFrentz is no longer the intimidating shot-blocker that he once was. At the age of 32, his NBA career might be over.

Chris Mihm (Unrestricted)

After missing the entire ‘06-07 season, Mihm played just 383 minutes for the Lakers over the past couple of years, shooting just 47-135 from the field in that timeframe. He was traded to Memphis in February, but had right ankle surgery and never suited up for them. Injuries have derailed his career, and at this point, he’s likely played his last NBA game.

Jake Voskuhl (Unrestricted)

Back in 2000, who knew that Jake Voskuhl (8.5 points and 6.4 rebounds for UConn in ‘99-00) would play in 400 more NBA games than Khalid El-Amin (16.0 points and 5.2 assists for UConn in ‘99-00 after leading them to a National Championship in 1999)? Since big bodies are always in demand, Voskuhl is a 9-year veteran, despite never having blocked more than 29 shots in a season. Someone might want his veteran presence around, but I would rather gamble on a young player with some athleticism.

Calvin Booth (Unrestricted)

Another overpaid 7-footer? Despite career averages of 3.3 points, 2.8 boards, 1.0 blocks, and 1.9 fouls, Booth managed to make over $36 million over the past 8 years. Can we please let him retire now?

 

 

My preference would be in order: Gortan( why didnt we offer him the MLE (damm you Cuban),Pachuila(RealGM says he is close to sign a new contract), B Skinner( was decent when he was  here if i remember correctly), J Magloire(only player i like on the list can play defense and who we can seriously afford)

 

Who do you guys think, since you guys and girls know more about the game than me?