Who is the second-best center in the East?

Today I came across a thread in Niketalk wondering whether Andrew Bogut is the second-best center in the Eastern Conference. I'll admit I thought the answer was quite clear at first, but as soon as I actually gave it some more thought, things got blurry.

I will start by saying that Dwight Howard is the best center, not only in the East but in the whole Association. 22 points and 15 rebounds every night out is Hall of Fame-worthy production. After that, I will not use Chris Bosh as a center for this entry's purposes, for two reasons: he establishes his jumper and then goes to the paint (unlike Ilgauskas, for one, who tries to bang and, when it is given to him, will take the J), and he is listed as a forward and generally starts as a forward. Simple enough.

I also do not consider Shaquille O'Neal a top center in the East, because I like my players to actually play. Yes, Shaq will still have a 25 and 10 performance every so often, but he misses at least 25 games a season. It's not like he's that valuable when he plays either, as we can see from the Heat's 9-4 gazillion record, so he's scratched from the list. Same goes for JO.

Now that those four are out of the way, I will list those who I think are candidates for the number 2 spot, along with their stats for this season. And yes, I count Rasheed Wallace as a center because he does start at the 5, and because he bangs inside more often than not.

Rasheed Wallace: 12.3 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 2apg, 1.5bpg, 1.3 spg, 42.6%fg, 75.3%ft

Andrew Bogut: 13.6, 9.2, 2.4, 1.6, 0.7, 53.1%, 56%

Sam Dalembert: 11.4, 10.2, 0.6, 2.4, 0.4, 52.4%, 71.8%

Emeka Okafor: 13.4, 10.4, 0.7, 1.8, 1.1, 53.9%, 54.8%

Zydrunas Ilgauskas: 13.7, 9.5, 1.3, 1.4, 0.5, 48.2%, 82.1%

Seeing that we have the stats up here, I will assess the group in three categories; offense, defense and clutch performance.

Offense;

although he may have the second lowest scoring average of the guys in this list and the lowest fg% by far, I would still go with Rasheed Wallace if I needed my starting center to score 25 points. His low shooting percentage is explained in part by the fact that he takes 4 threes a game. Zydrunas Ilgauskas comes in a close second, but he doesn't have the ability to blow by his man that Sheed still showcases at times. Also, Rasheed has one of the most unstoppable moves in the NBA, his fadeaway from the left block. As for the other three candidates, it is pretty much a wash, although I guess Okafor has the most potential for a big scoring night, since he has a tendency to pile up offensive rebounds.

Bogut, Okafor and Ilgauskas may score more than Wallace, but they are, at worst, the third options for their teams. The Pistons play a system designed to get shots for, in this order, Richard Hamilton, Chauncey Billups, Tayshaun Prince and then Wallace, and he still puts up similar production, so he gets the nod here.

Defense;

Sam Dalembert doesn't put up mind-numbing statistics, but he is one of the best shot-changers in the League, and he has the ability to guard a perimeter player should he get caught up in a switch. If a perimeter player is being guarded by Big Z or Bogut, that's a near-automatic 2 points. Rasheed doesn't block many shots, but he is the soul of one of the best defensive teams in the NBA, and rarely does a center light up the Pistons.

This leaves us with Sam, 'Meka and Sheed as the clear-cut top 3 of the bunch as far as defense goes. Sheed, however, is eliminated from top defender honors because he has a big, comfortable cushion to fall back on, and uses it more than Flip would like. Jason Maxiell is a shot-eraser, and both McDyess and Prince are great at help defense, which in turn covers up many of Wallace's mistakes.

We are left now with Dalembert and Okafor. Okafor has had much better years when it comes to rebounding than the current season, but we must take into account the fact that he has a high-rebounding 2-guard and Nazr Mohammed by his side, which can explain the decrease. When it comes to Dalembert, he has always been capable of averaging 10-plus rebounds, he has simply been way too inconsistent. On some nights, he's a guaranteed 12 and 15. On others, he's Eddy Curry without the tattoos and the lard, having had 11 nights where he's picked up 6 or less rebounds, including a one-rebound stinker. Basically, 75% of the time Dalembert is a monster on the boards, but when he doesn't have it, he really doesn't have it. Okafor, meanwhile, has only had 6 bad performances on the boards, and has had 7 6-plus offensive rebounds outputs.

As for shot-blocking, Dalembert is more of a help defense shot-blocker, a la Marcus Camby. Okafor, however, is the last of a dying breed, the rim guardian. Much like 'Zo and Mutombo before him, Okafor ends up on a lot of posters. However, he sends back at least twice as many dunks as he allows. Also, it's worth noting that 'Meka has had 18 games in his career where he has rejected at least five shots.

Thus, and by the virtue of his better man-to-man defense and higher level of consistency on the glass, I think this department goes to Emeka Okafor.

Clutch;

neither of these 5 players will go down in history for their crunch-time exploits, since most centers only get game-winners via putbacks or defensive collapses. Big Z bombed in last year's Finals sweep. Rasheed is remembered for "leading" Portland to their legendary Game 7 collapse in the 2000 Conference Finals and for a defensive breakdown that allowed Robert Horry to hit the game-winning three in Game 5 of the 2005 Finals. Dalembert picked up a couple double-doubles in his last trip to the playoffs. Bogut was severely overmatched against Sheed in his lone postseason appearance, and Okafor hasn't sniffed the playoffs yet. Clearly, this isn't a bunch of Reggie Miller-like performers we're talking about.

However, we can ask ourselves one question; which of these guys would you want taking the biggest shot? Dalembert and Okafor have no range. Ilgauskas and Bogut do, although I wouldn't want Z to take a three or Bogut to get fouled and take his pathetic ft% to the line. Again, Roscoe P. Wallace is left as the best alternative. And, for that, I think he takes the silver medal in the Eastern Conference centers ranking. He might not be outstanding at any one thing, but you can trust him to do almost anything well. And that's more than you can say for the other four guys.