James Wiseman and the Warriors’ center history: He’s already one of a kind - San Francisco Chronicle

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There is much to learn about James Wiseman, and the Warriors can’t wait for the next discovery. What is certain, even at this early stage of his rookie season, is that the team has not known a center quite like him.

Going back to 1962, when the franchise moved from Philadelphia to San Francisco, there’s a standard never to be equaled. Even for those who didn’t witness Wilt Chamberlain in person, his statistics and reputation speak to a larger-than-life figure, legendary in every sense of the word.

Still in San Francisco, the Warriors drafted Nate Thurmond, another of the all-time greats. But for every fan who has followed the team since Thurmond’s last season in Oakland (1973-74), the word “center” has bordered alarmingly on the obscene. For lengthy periods of time, the club was ridiculed for its glaring weakness at the position. That’s why Wiseman’s arrival has been a revelation, rich in promise.

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Wiseman won’t be another Wilt the Stilt or Big Nate, but that’s not the argument here. His soft shooting touch, ballhandling skills and transition impact are crucial elements for centers in today’s game. He is only beginning to develop as a rebounder, defender and passer. With all of that in mind, here’s a list of the most noteworthy Warriors centers who came before.

Wilt Chamberlain (1962-65): The San Francisco crowd couldn’t quite fathom what it was seeing from this 7-foot-1, 275-pound giant: 44.8 points and 24.3 rebounds per game in that first season, averaging 47.6 minutes (he basically never left the floor), and athlete who had sprinter’s speed, leaped like a gymnast, bench-pressed 500 pounds, high-jumped 6-6 and made his mark in beach volleyball, the 440-yard dash and broad (long) jump. It all sounds preposterous until you hear from those who played against him. Then the man seems even more formidable.

Nate Thurmond (1963-74): Selected with the No. 3 overall pick out of Bowling Green, Thurmond was a power forward alongside Wilt (name a better power forward-center combination in history) until a disgruntled Chamberlain was traded to the new Philadelphia team, the 76ers, in January 1965. Thurmond then launched a Hall of Fame career that put him squarely in the conversation among the all-time greats. “Toughest center I ever faced,” said Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Regrettably, Thurmond was traded to Chicago just ahead of the Warriors’ championship season in 1974-75.

George Johnson (1972-77) and Clifford Ray (1974-81): Sharing the position on an elite team, they gave the Warriors a sterling defensive identity and an occasional scoring threat around the rim. Under head coach Al Attles, the matter of roles and playing time was not an issue. A second straight championship seemed well within reason until the Warriors lost to Phoenix in the Western Conference finals. Johnson was traded to Buffalo in January 1977, but Ray remained a viable part of the club through his final season.

Robert Parish (1976-80): He had a reputable mid-range shot and could run the floor, but there was so much more to come — and Parish’s Hall of Fame career developed elsewhere. After the 1979-80 season, in which he averaged 17 points and 11 rebounds per game, the Warriors thought they’d rather have a classic low-post center than Parish, whose play was a bit lethargic at times. So he was traded to Boston, along with the No. 3 overall pick, for the Nos. 1 and 13 picks. The Warriors took Joe Barry Carroll and Rickey Brown, a forward who never panned out. The Celtics jumped all over Kevin McHale, and a dynasty was born.

Joe Barry Carroll (1980-87): If the Warriors thought Parish was passive, they found a classic case in Carroll, widely derided as “Joe Barely Cares.” The stat line looks OK; Carroll averaged 20-plus points for four straight seasons (broken up midway for a one-year stint in Italy). But he couldn’t hang with real NBA centers, and he was traded along with Sleepy Floyd for Houston’s Ralph Sampson and Steve Harris in December ’87.

Jerome Whitehead (1984-89): Took over for that one season Carroll spent overseas. Decent NBA player, but had no significant impact over a six-team career.

Ralph Sampson (1987-89): Probably the closest to Wiseman, stylistically, but his best years were behind him and he left only a mild impression. During his only full season in Oakland, he shared time with Manute Bol — and this is when the Warriors, under head coach Don Nelson, began devaluing the center position.

Manute Bol (1988-90, five games in 1994-95): Truly a beloved figure in Golden State history, a 7-7 beanpole who will always be remembered among the best shot-blockers in league history (he averaged one every 5.1 minutes in 1988-89). Hilariously, he cast off 3-point shots with an odd slinging motion — and he made just enough to keep fans and teammates happy. But he was off to the 76ers in the summer of ’90 for a first-round pick that turned out to be Chris Gatling.

Alton Lister (1989-93): He was just taking up space under Nelson, who never gave him a proper center’s minutes. Started 65 games in 1990-91 but was totally ineffective in the playoffs against the Spurs and Lakers.

Victor Alexander (1991-95): The 265-pounder had a nice touch, but he really proved to be no threat against opposing front lines. Shared time with Lister and Tyrone Hill during this period, after which he left to play in Europe.

Chris Webber (1993-94, nine games in 2007-08): The Warriors were delighted to swing a draft-night deal with Orlando, landing Webber out of Michigan. With Billy Owens and Chris Mullin up front and a backcourt of Avery Johnson and Latrell Sprewell, Webber played center, often brilliantly. But he clashed with Nelson, often in tempestuous fashion, and one of them had to go. It was Webber, traded to Washington for Tom Gugliotta and future draft picks after just one season in Oakland.

Rony Seikaly (1994-96): He’d shown some promise in Miami after four years at Syracuse, averaging a double-double for five straight years. But he was a cranky sort when things went wrong, and that 1994-95 team had widespread chemistry issues. He badly wanted out and was dealt to Orlando in November ’96.

Felton Spencer (1996-99): He was part of the Seikaly deal but spent only one season as the Warriors’ starter and averaged just 21.4 minutes, impressing no one.

Erick Dampier (1997-2004): Played 13 years in the league and was respected for his rebounding. But it wasn’t until his final season in Oakland that he managed to shoot better than 50% from the floor, and it was always from close range. Forgettable.

Adonal Foyle: (1997-2007): Don’t disparage Foyle around the Warriors; they won’t hear of it. He was a treasure in the locker room and the community, and played with great passion. With rebounding and shot-blocking skills, he spent a lot of time sharing the center position with Dampier on some terrible teams, but he never broke through as a consistent presence down low.

Andris Biedrins (2004-13): Such great promise. Drafted as an 18-year-old out of Latvia, Biedrins became a starter on the “We Believe” team in 2006-07 and led the league in field-goal percentage (62.6) the following season. It wasn’t to last. Besieged by injuries, troubled by Nelson’s demands and perhaps a bit flighty off the court, Biedrins made a steady descent, culminating his trade to Utah in the summer of 2013.

Festus Ezeli (2012-16): Following a solid rookie season, in which he started 41 games, he missed all of 2013-14 after knee surgery and endured complications that cut his career short at 27. He did manage to play significant minutes behind Andrew Bogut in the 2015 and ’16 playoffs.

Andrew Bogut (2012-16, 11 games in 2019): Finally, a center who truly made a difference. Injuries cut down on his once formidable offensive game, but Bogut was an invaluable member of the 2014-15 championship season with his screens, passing, rebounding and court sense, and he started 22 playoff games the following year. The Warriors learned that Draymond Green was their most valuable center when things really got tight, but Bogut’s name will forever be cherished in Golden State lore.

Zaza Pachulia (2016-18): The Warriors employed a number of centers during this time — JaVale McGee, Anderson Varejao, David West, Damian Jones, Kevon Looney, Jordan Bell and especially Green — but Pachulia was the starter, and he fit perfectly. Never asked to score, although he could on occasion, he was all about screens, defense, clever passing, leadership and a priceless sense of humor. Pachulia left a strong impression with the organization and now serves as a consultant.

DeMarcus Cousins: (2018-19): Many were alarmed by the free-agent signing of Cousins, who had a bitterly temperamental stay in Sacramento and was coming off Achilles tendon surgery after playing with New Orleans. He proved to be a solid teammate and reached the playoffs for the first time, but he suffered a quad injury in Game 2 of the first round against the Clippers and didn’t return until the Finals, in which he clearly wasn’t at full strength. He signed with the Lakers as a free agent that summer.

Willie Cauley-Stein and Marquese Chriss (2019-20): Take your pick from the season cut short at 65 games (15-50) by the pandemic. Cauley-Stein was traded to Dallas in January and Chriss is likely to miss the remainder of this season with a broken leg.

Bruce Jenkins is a columnist for The San Francisco Chronicle. Email: bjenkins@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @Bruce_Jenkins1

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James Wiseman and the Warriors’ center history: He’s already one of a kind - San Francisco Chronicle
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