Moses Malone (Photo : Twitter)
The greatest center who ever played-the names that come to mind are Wilt, Bill, Kareem, Shaq even Hakeem.
It is rare to hear Moses in the arguments, but now that he has passed on, perhaps it's time to actually include him in the conversation wherein he rightfully belongs.
Center used to be the most dominant position in the sport. Of the 12 players who won multiple MVPs, there are 4 centers (not counting 2-time winners Tim Duncan and Bob Pettit who were power forwards who sometimes played center. Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain and Moses Malone have a combined 18 Most Valuable Player Awards among themselves and that's just insane. (h/t to AZ Central)
To be called the best among this elite group, the criteria would be difficult. Kareem has the most points and MVPs (over any player), Bill Russell has the most championships (over any player ever, except his teammates who tied him). Wilt Chamberlain scored the most points in a game (over any player). So how can Moses Malone stand out?
Malone paved the way for the high school-college path and ESPN regarded him as a unique, underappreciated talent.
"The Chairman of the Boards" was a physical presence, perhaps not as dominant as Shaq or Wilt. He did not have a "skyhook" like Kareem. Perhaps this is why he is not as esteemed as he should be.
"If it feels like Dawkins' loss (Darryl Dawkins, who died a few weeks earlier) was felt just as deeply as Malone's even though their careers weren't comparable, it's because Dawkins had the backboard-destroying dunks and created a flamboyant character that resonated as strongly as any of Malone's statistical accomplishments. Malone's unremitting consistency didn't make lasting memories on the sports landscape."
The Sixers Maurice Cheeks mentioned that Malone "just blended in" when he joined the team and instantly gave them the elusive championship-one they could not get even with Julius Erving on the team.
"He took us over the hump," said Cheeks. "He was that physical presence that we didn't have offensively in the paint. That's how he took us over the hump."
Malone is in the top 10 of the NBA in rebounds and points but he reached his peak before the Showtime Lakers and the Celtics made the league a national TV event.
Paul Flannery of SB Nation called Malone "the greatest center he ever saw" and recalled that "his game wasn't flashy and he wasn't physically overwhelming in appearance. His thing was work, and no one ever worked the offensive boards better than Moses. (Malone ranks first all-time in total offensive rebounds. Dennis Rodman ranks slightly higher in percentage, but Rodman couldn't dream of doing the things Moses could do after he got possession.)"
Hakeem Olajuwon acknowledged him as his mentor when they were teammates in 1984-Olajuwon's rookie year. He revealed to NBA.com that his celebrated post moves were a result of playing against the legend.
"I would never have accomplished what I did if I did not play against Moses," he declared. "I usually couldn't go through Moses, because he was just so strong. So I had to learn to use speed and agility to go around him. That's how I built my game."
Malone would be hard-pressed to win the argument of best center ever considering his rivals-but to leave him out of it would be a travesty.
