The NBA is a perimeter game and has been for quite some time.

Players 6’9 and taller get to the cup as quick if not quicker than their point guards and have dribbles that make Tim Hardaway, Isiah Thomas and Allen Iverson shiver. Everybody has handles these days, and as a result, the 7-footer that had presence in the post that folks fear is nonexistent. Gone are the days of Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russell and Kareem Abdul-Jabar.

Insert Dwight Howard, considered by many to be the league’s dominant force. Howard wreaks havoc defensively and puts up good scoring numbers—but his post presence has been his biggest flaw.

Rest in Peace to the 90s. An era that spoiled NBA fans with the likes of Hakeem Olajuwon, Patrick Ewing, David Robinson, Alonzo Mourning and Shaquille O’Neal—it was the last of a non-existent position.

With the greatness of centers in that era, where do they rank? Does Alonzo Mourning fit in as elite? He was recently inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame.  

To that, we turn to Catfish Hughes, host of Through the Wire, a show that airs in the greater Charlotte, North Carolina-area on WGNC 1450 AM, 1340 WBGN, ESPN SportsTalk and more. He says no!

Check it out

Hughes caught up with Source Sports on his show and discussed the pros and cons of Mourning’s presence among the greats in Springfield, Massachussetts. Hughes also weighed in on the Cleveland Cavaliers’ chances of winning an NBA Championship with the addition of Kevin Love and the return of LeBron James.

Check out the snippet from the show below: