NBA Centers Coming Forward in the ‘90s

The big man is the center of attention again in the NBA.

Call him Patrick Akeem Robinson.

He blocks a shot on the defensive end.

He runs the length of the floor, outrunning players a foot shorter.

He leaps for the return pass, ducking his head to avoid the rim, then turns and reverse-slams as bodies scatter.

The perfect center.

In his component parts, he’s Patrick Ewing, Akeem Olajuwon and David Robinson, the three young centers who will join 36-year-old Robert Parish at Sunday’s NBA All-Star Game.

The decade of the ‘80s featured Julius Erving, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan, and while all but Erving are still around, pleasing crowds and winning games, the ‘90s might belong to the three big guys.

All three are among the NBA leaders in points, rebounds and blocked shots, each averaging at least 23 points, 10 rebounds and three blocked shots.

“Their consistency and tenacity on both ends of the court sets them apart,” second-year center Rony Seikaly said. “They’re just sensational because you can count on them to score, rebound and block shots every night.”

Seikaly puts Robinson, a rookie, slightly behind Olajuwon and Ewing on his list of best centers because of his inexperience. Olajuwon is in his sixth season, Ewing his fifth.

“But I played against David in college and was on the world championship team with him,” Seikaly said. “I knew he would kill in the NBA. He runs like a gazelle and he jumps like Michael Jordan. I think David’s the fastest of the three. Patrick’s the strongest and Akeem is a little ahead if you take strength and quickness together.”

Asked which center he would want if he was starting a franchise, Seikaly said, “I’d flip a coin and close my eyes.”

The three centers have the ability to overwhelm an NBA game with their presence.

Olajuwon: 32 points, 24 rebounds 10 blocks against Orlando on Dec. 17; 24 points, 21 rebounds, 12 blocks against Utah on Nov. 11.

Ewing: 44 points, 24 rebounds at Golden State on Nov. 29; 44 points, 22 rebounds, 7 blocks against the Los Angeles Clippers on Jan. 7.

Robinson: 27 points, 15 rebounds, 11 blocks Feb. 2 at Charlotte; 33 points, 21 rebounds, 5 blocks the following night against Chicago.

Robinson, now a 7-footer, was only 6-foot-7 coming out of high school in Manassas, Va. Influenced by his petty officer father, he went to the Naval Academy and grew to his present size while retaining his small-forward quickness.

After two years of relative inactivity on active duty in the Navy, he’s already reached admiral status in the NBA. His coach, Larry Brown, is convinced that Robinson’s modest beginnings and lack of experience translates to awesome potential for improvement.

“If David puts in the time like Magic and Bird, he’ll be the best,” Brown said.

Brown left Kansas after winning the national championship with a team led by the 1988 No. 1 draft choice in order to coach a team with the 1987 No. 1, Robinson.

“I wouldn’t have come to San Antonio had David not been in their plans,” Brown said. “The whole reason for coming to the Spurs was David. He has a chance to be as good as anybody.”

Robinson’s speed sets him apart from other centers. Brown said only 6-2 guard Vernon Maxwell is faster getting downcourt on the Spurs.

“He’s got to be the quickest, fastest big man there’s ever been,” Brown said.

Olajuwon, from an upper middle-class background in Lagos, Nigeria, is the better rebounder of the three, especially on the offensive end where his quick leaping ability finds the ball. His quick hands made him the single-season leader in steals by a center, nearly double the number of the man behind him.

“I think Michael Jordan is probably the best player, but if I’m building a team from scratch, I’d take Akeem first,” Bird said.

“He’s at the top right now,” said Portland’s Clyde Drexler, Olajuwon’s teammate at Houston. “He’s got to be producing more than any center in the whole league. Numbers don’t lie.”

Ewing was Rookie of the Year in 1986, but he was slower than Olajuwon and Robinson in making a big impact, in part because of injuries and in part because of lack of support by his teammates.

“To be honest, I didn’t think Patrick Ewing was as good as he was cracked up to be,” Johnson said. Now, “Patrick has taken his game to the utmost. I don’t know what turned the switch on, but it’s going to be awful hard to turn off.”

Ewing’s upper body strength, impressive to begin with, has increased, Ewing says, because he was persuaded to switch from weight machines to free weights.

The result is that opposing centers are finding it even more difficult to keep Ewing away from his favorite spots.

In one season, Ewing has made the jump from solid scorer to a great one, 27 points per game, putting him behind only Jordan and Karl Malone.

The double-teams that used to thwart Ewing aren’t stopping him this season: He gets off his shot before the double-team gets to him.

Ewing also has benefited from a commitment by Coach Stu Jackson to make him the focal point of the offense.

“We really felt we had a Hall of Famer on our hands,” Jackson said.

That’s a track where all three parts of Patrick Akeem Robinson are headed.