Your force in the middle. The Center. Or Centre, if you’re a British reader… “Those Americans are so pompous!” I actually like Centre, seems more regal. And why I like Fantasy Basketball! It’s the biggest sport worldwide, and I know from some of the loyal commenters we’re helping fantasy owners on the global scale. Take that Jay and Razzball Football! We’re trying to start a workplace rivalry… So back to Cs this year, as I mentioned in the PF Tiers, more than I can ever remember there are PF that are C eligible. No need to reach for the C eligibility. The C&C Music Factory is redundant! Overall ranks come from Razzball’s top 200 for 2014-15 Fantasy Basketball, and below are this year’s C broken down into tiers (C as determined by Yahoo position eligibility since 2014-15 RCL Basketball is on Yahoo), along with my mini-blurb and Slim’s projection:
The “I’m Hoping to End Up with the Brow on as Many Teams as Possible” Tier:
| C RANK | TOTAL RANK | PLAYER, TEAM | POS | NOTE |
| 1 | 2 | Anthony Davis, NOP | PF, C | Very legit chance of going 20/10 with a rainbow line. Well, we can dream and he could be really close. As close as his brows! |
| Slim’s Proj: | .510/.780/0.4/23.5/9.8/1.8/1.5/3.0/1.9 :38 |
The “I’m Reach-Around-Ing for Ibaka Yet Again This Year!” Tier:
| C RANK | TOTAL RANK | PLAYER, TEAM | POS | NOTE |
| 2 | 7 | Serge Ibaka, OKC | PF, C | Iblocka! Plus he should take another baby step forward in FG%, Pts, treys… There’s really nothing not to like. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .525/.770/0.6/17.0/9.3/1.2/0.5/3.0/1.5 :34 | |||
| 3 | 8 | Kevin Love, CLE | PF, C | With LeBron and Varejao cutting into his boards, Kyrie will also slash his points and treys. Still a multi-cat contributor, but not the top-5 stud while in Minny. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .465/.820/2.3/21.0/11.2/2.6/0.7/0.4/2.1 :36 |
The “Ridiculous, I’m Gonna Get Caught Up in the Crossfire Run on Big Men” Tier:
| C RANK | TOTAL RANK | PLAYER, TEAM | POS | NOTE |
| 4 | 12 | DeMarcus Cousins, SAC | PF, C | Finally put it all together last year, and should once again set a career mark in scoring with IT2 replaced by Collison. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .490/.740/0/24.0/12.0/3.0/1.6/1.3/3.5 :34 | |||
| 5 | 13 | Paul Millsap, ATL | PF, C | A bit of a reach, but his best month of scoring/treys in 13-14 was with Horford on the court, and will continue to develop the perimeter game with Horford establishing the paint. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .465/.740/1.0/19.0/8.7/3.1/1.8/1.0/2.5 :36 | |||
| 6 | 14 | Al Horford, ATL | PF, C | Was having a career season until the pec injury. Same argument as Millsap – another perimeter threat will help Horford down low. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .540/.720/0/18.0/8.9/3.0/1.0/1.3/2.2 :34 | |||
| 7 | 15 | LaMarcus Aldridge, POR | PF, C | The FG% from a big is no fun, but a sneaky multi-cat contributor. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .455/.810/0/22.0/9.8/2.5/0.9/0.9/1.9 :36 | |||
| 8 | 16 | Al Jefferson, CHA | PF, C | Had an unreal run in the second half of 13-14, going 25.2/11.4/2.3/1/1 from Jan. 14 to the end of the year. Plantar fascia seems to be a non-issue. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .490/.730/0/20.0/10.0/2.0/1.0/1.0/1.7 :34 | |||
| 9 | 17 | Dirk Nowitzki, DAL | PF, C | The age is the question, but I don’t see much of a fall off. That said, boards are trending down. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .475/.880/1.4/21.0/6.2/2.6/0.9/0.6/1.5 :34 | |||
| 10 | 18 | Blake Griffin, LAC | PF, C | A breakout last year, I think he replicates his 13-14. But why in the name of Mutumbo can this guy not block more shots?! |
| Slim’s Proj: | .530/.720/0/24.0/9.4/4.0/1.2/0.6/2.7 :36 |
The “I’m Going to Plagiarize my PF Tiers and Call This the ‘I’m Moving Bosh and Drummond Up in my Overall Ranks'” Tier:
| C RANK | TOTAL RANK | PLAYER, TEAM | POS | NOTE |
| 11 | 28 | Chris Bosh, MIA | PF, C | LeBron gone gives the perennial high-floor option a high-ceiling as well. Expansion of a perimeter game and more shots his way should yield another top-30 season. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .495/.820/0.7/18.0/7.4/2.2/0.9/1.0/1.9 :34 | |||
| 12 | 29 | Nikola Vucevic, ORL | PF, C | Has always been underrated, should have another 1+ 5-cat line with his minutes bouncing back up and terrific %s. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .510/.770/0/16.0/11.8/1.9/1.0/1.0/2.0 :34 | |||
| 13 | 32 | Marc Gasol, MEM | C | 19th overall player final two months, and that’s after recovering from a bad MCL sprain. Started slow under the Joerger regime, I’m stoked if Gasol falls to me here. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .480/.780/0/15.0/7.8/3.8/1.0/1.4/1.9 :34 | |||
| 14 | 33 | Joakim Noah, CHI | PF, C | Had a career season without Rose, obvious regression to hit and lengthy track record of lingering injuries scares me. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .490/.740/0/12.0/10.4/3.8/1.2/1.6/2.1 :34 | |||
| 15 | 36 | Andre Drummond, DET | PF, C | Stan Van Gundy to emphasis rotations for defensive efficiency, FT% could have him losing some late minutes, but the output was mammothian last year and should be again in 14-15. A lot of people are reaching, but I’m not getting him close to top 20. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .600/.440/0/14.5/12.9/0.5/1.4/1.7/1.5 :34 |
The “Shopping for Party Favors at Party City!” Tier:
| C RANK | TOTAL RANK | PLAYER, TEAM | POS | NOTE |
| 16 | 41 | Derrick Favors, UTA | PF, C | So, so underrated. Shot 52.2% from the field last year, and with a terrible supporting cast, was creating his own post opportunities. Played only 30 MPG last year, will get expanded if he can cut down the fouls and boost the board and blocks. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .505/.690/0/16.0/9.6/1.4/1.1/1.8/2.0 :34 | |||
| 17 | 42 | DeAndre Jordan, LAC | C | Played 3 minutes less a game post-ASB, and getting benched late is a worry for me. No way he plays 35 per in 14-15. I think we see more hack-a-Dre. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .650/.440/0/9.5/11.7/0.8/0.9/2.1/1.3 :32 | |||
| 18 | 47 | Brook Lopez, BKN | C | Was 12th overall in per-game value in a short 13-14 sample, injury-risk still a big concern, but upside is tremendous. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .510/.790/0/18.0/6.0/1.0/0.5/1.6/1.7 :30 | |||
| 19 | 49 | Pau Gasol, CHI | PF, C | FG% should jump back up on a better team, out-of-position dimes are huge, chips in blocks still as well… Not much to not like other than injury risk. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .500/.750/0/16.0/8.4/2.9/0.4/1.3/1.8 :30 | |||
| 20 | 51 | Nerlens Noel, PHI | PF, C | This should put him on all of my teams. Immense upside, more polished offensive game than he gets credit for – the probable minutes limitation does make it a gamble. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .510/.680/0/10.5/7.4/1.3/1.5/2.6/1.9 :28 | |||
| 21 | 52 | Marcin Gortat, WAS | C | Huge season in Wizards debut, should have no problem having a comparable encore. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .545/.680/0/13.0/9.4/1.5/0.5/1.4/1.5 :32 | |||
| 22 | 53 | Tim Duncan, SAS | PF, C | Despite losing minutes and a racking up a couple DNPs, finished top-40 last year. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .480/.740/0/14.0/8.9/2.5/0.5/1.5/1.8 :28 | |||
| 23 | 54 | Dwight Howard, HOU | PF, C | FT shooting kills him in 9-cat, would be near elite in non-FT/non-TO leagues. Ultimate league settings-variable pick. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .580/.550/0/18.0/11.9/1.6/0.9/1.9/2.9 :34 | |||
| 24 | 59 | David Lee, GSW | PF, C | Boring Pts/Reb guy, solid %s and high-floor keep him top-60. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .510/.780/0/17.0/8.9/2.4/0.7/0.3/2.1 :30 | |||
| 25 | 62 | Ryan Anderson, NOP | PF, C | Out-of-position treys with virtually no TOs makes him a good pair with the bigger name PGs, while spinal injury last year is scary, I think he’ll bounce back and be healthy. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .430/.850/2.4/15.0/6.2/1.0/0.4/0.3/0.9 :28 |
The “I’m Gonna Slam Robin Lopez for Being Terrible at Basketball No Matter What the Stats Say!” Tier:
| C RANK | TOTAL RANK | PLAYER, TEAM | POS | NOTE |
| 26 | 73 | Robin Lopez, POR | C | Played 82 games past two years, and low TOs help the overall seasonal-ranking. I probably should be higher, but just can’t get over how not great at basketball he is… |
| Slim’s Proj: | .540/.810/0/11.0/8.6/0.8/0.4/1.6/1.0 :32 | |||
| 27 | 77 | Greg Monroe, DET | PF, C | Jennings and Smoove and their inefficiencies hurt his 13-14 campaign, Stan Van should help make the team efficient again and Monroe can bounce back. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .490/.680/0/16.5/9.6/2.4/1.2/0.7/1.8 :34 | |||
| 28 | 82 | Nikola Pekovic, MIN | C | Slightly empty Pts/Reb/FG%, and does have some injury risk, but a stalwart while in there. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .530/.740/0/17.0/8.7/1.0/0.6/0.6/1.7 :30 | |||
| 29 | 83 | Larry Sanders, MIL | PF, C | So hard to rank, so hard to like as a person, but upside is still there and his contract means he’s going to at least get a shot. Henson might start, however Sanders was still a monster in 12-13 at 27 MPG. I’m not reaching; that said, not explicitly passing either. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .490/.560/0/9.0/8.1/1.1/0.9/2.3/1.2 :28 | |||
| 30 | 84 | Markieff Morris, PHO | PF, C | Per-36 26/11.3/3.4/1.6/1.4 with 0.8 treys a game last year, and looking at a role close to those minutes. Sleeper patrol! |
| Slim’s Proj: | .480/.790/0.8/17.0/6.8/2.2/1.0/0.9/2.2 :34 | |||
| 31 | 85 | Channing Frye, ORL | PF, C | His former teammate is going to be an out-of-position ThrAGNOF king in Orlando where no one else is a perimeter threat. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .430/.810/2.0/11.0/5.6/1.2/0.7/0.8/1.0 :30 | |||
| 32 | 86 | Jonas Valanciunas, TOR | C | Vastly improved post-ASB, especially with FG% from 50 to 58, and maybe had some sophomore-slump-itis or an injury most of last year. Upside to bounce back, but I can’t reach after being burnt last year. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .540/.780/0/13.5/9.0/0.8/0.4/1.1/1.8 :30 |
The “Collection of Mostly Boring Vets Except the Sweet, Sweet Upside of the Muppet Man!” Tier:
| C RANK | TOTAL RANK | PLAYER, TEAM | POS | NOTE |
| 33 | 92 | Zach Randolph, MEM | PF, C | Consistency! And Pts/Reb! And that’s it… |
| Slim’s Proj: | .465/.750/0/16.0/9.4/2.3/0.7/0.3/2.1 :32 | |||
| 34 | 93 | Taj Gibson, CHI | PF, C | Durable, and even as a 6th man should get to 30 minutes especially behind brittle bigs. Underrated blocker. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .490/.730/0/14.0/7.2/1.2/0.5/1.5/1.8 :30 | |||
| 35 | 101 | John Henson, MIL | PF, C | Early news is he’ll get the first shot to start, and in 23 starts last year 13.3/8.5/2/0.5/2. Poor man’s FT-punt big! If news hold he starts, will move 10-20 up. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .530/.530/0/12.0/7.9/1.7/ 0.7/1.7/1.7 :28 | |||
| 36 | 102 | Andrew Bogut, GSW | C | Always ends up ranked higher than you’d expect, but always ends up as hurt as you’d expect… |
| Slim’s Proj: | .570/.450/0/7.5/9.5/1.6/0.6/1.6/1.4 :26 | |||
| 37 | 104 | Spencer Hawes, LAC | PF, C | A revelation last year, should still get must-own minutes as Clips’ 6th man. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .465/.770/1.4/11.5/7.4/2.3/0.4/1.0/1.7 :28 | |||
| 38 | 106 | Tyson Chandler, DAL | C | Return to Dallas will solidify a nice late Reb/Blk contribution. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .600/.660/0/8.0/9.4/1.0/0.6/1.1/1.2 :30 | |||
| 39 | 108 | Jared Sullinger, BOS | PF, C | 13.9/9/1.8/0.5/0.8 with 0.8 treys in 44 starts last year, in 29:33 a game. Markieff Morris-lite. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .440/.780/1.0/15.0/8.4/1.8/0.6/0.7/1.9 :30 |
The “I’m Avoiding Roy Hibbert and Hoping to Scoop Up Plumlee in a Ton of Leagues” Tier:
| C RANK | TOTAL RANK | PLAYER, TEAM | POS | NOTE |
| 40 | 114 | Amir Johnson, TOR | PF, C | Lingering ankle issue and Raptors PF depth scare me. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .560/.680/0.3/12.0/7.6/1.6/0.9/1.4/1.7 :30 | |||
| 41 | 116 | Josh McRoberts, MIA | PF, C | Should repeat 13-14 numbers – overall value last year inflated a bit by low TO. Solid plug-n-play for across the board stats. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .440/.730/1.3/10.0/5.6/3.9/0.8/0.6/1.1 :30 | |||
| 42 | 117 | Jordan Hill, LAL | PF, C | 13/8.9/0.8/0.5/1.1 in 32 starts last year, but still in under 25 minutes a game. Per-36s look great, needs the conistsnt run. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .530/.720/0/14.0/8.3/0.9/0.7/1.4/1.6 :28 | |||
| 43 | 118 | Roy Hibbert, IND | C | I’m not touching Hibbert unless he falls way down and I need blocks. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .450/.760/0/12.0/7.1/1.3/0.4/2.1/1.9 :28 | |||
| 44 | 123 | Mason Plumlee, BKN | PF, C | Could shoot way up for me if news is encouraging on his 14-15 role, per-36s in rookie year were very solid. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .550/.650/0/13.5/8.3/1.3/1.0/1.2/2.1 :28 | |||
| 45 | 125 | Anderson Varejao, CLE | PF, C | Big rebounds and not too much else in a sub-30 MPG role, does sneak in a steal a game for you from a big. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .500/.670/0/8.0/9.2/2.0/1.0/0.6/1.1 :26 | |||
| 46 | 126 | Nene Hilario, WAS | PF, C | Worth a reach if punting FT or TO, would be higher if he wasn’t so old and injury prone. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .500/.660/0/13.0/5.8/2.6/1.1/0.8/1.9 :28 | |||
| 47 | 131 | Omer Asik, NOP | PF, C | Beyond boards and a block a game, doesn’t do too much and won’t get huge minutes. FT drain a bugaboo too. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .540/.600/0/9.0/10.2/0.5/0.5/1.2/1.8 :28 | |||
| 48 | 134 | Andrea Bargnani, NYK | PF, C | 13.7/5.3/1.1/0.3/1.3 with 0.7 treys and only 1.3 TOs in 23 starts last year, and a good fit for the Triangle offense. There’s upside there, even if it’s hard to believe… |
| Slim’s Proj: | .430/.820/0.8/13.0/4.6/0.9/0.4/0.8/1.4 :28 | |||
| 49 | 136 | Miles Plumlee, PHO | PF, C | Completely fell off when the calendar turned to 2014, but for a late source of blocks, Frye let go will open up more minutes. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .510/.580/0/9.0/8.0/ 0.6/0.6/1.2/1.4 :26 |
The “There’s Actually a Lot of Upside Options with your Last Pick for Blocks Like McGee, Wright and Gobert” Tier:
| C RANK | TOTAL RANK | PLAYER, TEAM | POS | NOTE |
| 50 | 142 | Brandan Wright, DAL | PF, C | Not too much depth behind Dirk and Tyson, and both are way up there in age giving Wright a shot at more than expected minutes. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .600/.700/0/10.5/4.9/0.7/0.7/1.1/0.8 :22 | |||
| 51 | 149 | Enes Kanter, UTA | C | Terrible on defense and was much better against second units. Youth and opportunity still remain for some late boarding upside. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .490/.740/0/13.0/7.6/1.0/0.4/0.6/1.9 :28 | |||
| 52 | 155 | JaVale McGee, DEN | C | Blocks upside still there, will have to compete for minutes. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .530/.590/0/10.0/6.8/0.5/0.5/1.7/1.5 :24 | |||
| 53 | 158 | Henry Sims, PHI | C | 13.1/7.7/2/0.9/0.4 with only 1.4 TO in final 19 games last year, and should start for most of the year until Embiid is 100% ready. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .500/.750/0/12.0/7.2/1.8/0.9/0.5/1.4 :28 | |||
| 54 | 159 | Steven Adams, OKC | C | All the upside in the world for his career, not going to score much, but board, steals and blocks upside. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .540/.620/0/7.0/7.1/ 0.8/0.7/1.0/1.3 :24 | |||
| 55 | 164 | Alex Len, PHO | C | With no one else behind Mason Plumlee, who really fell off last year, the former #5 pick could be a really interesting off-the-radar surprise. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .510/.660/0/5.5/5.1/ 0.6/0.2/0.8/1.2 :18 | |||
| 56 | 167 | Boris Diaw, SAS | PF, C | Late source of out-of-position assists, giving you 2.8 a game last year from a center. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .510/.720/0.5/8.5/4.1/2.8/0.6/0.4/1.5 :24 | |||
| 57 | 168 | Gorgui Dieng, MIN | C | I usually don’t rank guys with so low upside for minutes this high, but he was so good late last year that he’s a must-own in deeper leagues if he gets a shot should/when Pek gets hurt. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .510/.680/0/7.5/7.6/ 0.9/0.6/0.9/1.1 :20 | |||
| 58 | 172 | Chris Andersen, MIA | PF, C | A surprise value last year, should have similar numbers with maybe a few extra minutes. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .560/.680/0/7.0/6.6/0.2/0.5/1.7/0.9 :22 | |||
| 59 | 173 | Samuel Dalembert, NYK | C | I think Jason Smith is going to steal more minutes than you’d expect, still some late blocks upside. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .560/.750/0/9.0/7.9/0.7/0.6/1.3/1.3 :24 | |||
| 60 | 174 | Carlos Boozer, LAL | PF, C | Even though he only scores and boards, starting minutes should be there. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .480/.730/0/14.0/8.5/1.7/0.7/0.3/2.1 :28 | |||
| 61 | 175 | Timofey Mozgov, DEN | C | McGee to reclaim some minutes, Mozgov is the boring one of the pair. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .530/.750/0/8.5/6.2/0.7/0.3/1.2/1.5 :20 | |||
| 62 | 179 | Kris Humphries, WAS | PF, C | Backup PF/C minutes galore, with both guys ahead of him old and injury-prone. Solid when given run last year. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .500/.800/0/10.0/6.6/1.0/0.5/1.0/1.0 :24 | |||
| 63 | 184 | Luis Scola, IND | PF, C | Hibbert could continue to be awful, Mahinmi is hurt, there’s just no depth on that front line. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .470/.750/0/8.0/5.2/1.2/0.3/0.2/1.4 :20 | |||
| 64 | 185 | Kelly Olynyk, BOS | C | A decent NBA player, but not a good starter and will be stuck in a minutes logjam. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .480/.810/0.8/12.0/7.1/2.7/0.5/0.5/1.9 :28 | |||
| 65 | 187 | Jason Smith, NYK | PF, C | Late-round flyer for some boards and a block, should see some decent minutes behind Dalembert. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .460/.770/0/8.0/4.8/0.6/0.3/0.9/0.9 :20 | |||
| 66 | 188 | Rudy Gobert, UTA | C | Monsieur Elbow! Blocks upside and the only C option behind the terrible Enes Kanter give him some upside, always in foul trouble and can’t hit FT hurts him though. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .560/.580/0/5.0/7.2/0.3/0.3/1.5/1.3 :20 | |||
| 67 | 191 | Tiago Splitter, SAS | C | No upside, but hits all cats for a roster-filler in deep leagues. |
| Slim’s Proj: | .540/.710/0/9.0/6.2/1.5/0.6/0.6/1.2 :22 |
Wow, so as I mentioned in the title of that last tier, tons of names for upside blocks late… Gobert, Mozgov, Dalembert, McGee, Dieng, Andersen, Wright… Might be a little bit of an overrated stat this year, even though it won’t sway my Ibaka love! Can’t discount the emerging perimeter game and % consistency… I hope you like how we did the position breakdown this year, as always shoot your thoughts below and happy Centre-drafting!
