Indiana Pacers: 10 best centers in franchise history
By Josh Wilson
Mel Daniels
Mel Daniels spent just one year of his career in the NBA with the New York Knicks, but spent a majority of his career in the ABA, mostly with the Pacers.
Daniels was selected in both the ABA and the NBA Draft in 1967, choosing to go to the ABA because he was offered a higher salary by the Minnesota Muskies. He was the first NBA first-round pick to go to the ABA instead.
Daniels was a part of all three championship teams with the Indiana Pacers, manning the center position each year. A Naismith Hall of Fame inductee, Daniels was a two-time ABA MVP, ABA Rookie of the Year, and 7-time All-Star.
Daniels was one of the key weapons for Pacers legendary coach Slick Leonard, really doing his part to put the Pacers on the map.
Daniels averaged 19.4 points, 16.0 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks per game. He logged 53.4 win shares with the Pacers,
Daniels secured high praise from coaches, players, and had great rapport with his peers. He was well respected and one of the most dominant centers of the ABA era.
Given that the Pacers only have championships to show from the ABA era, their team success from those days is extremely important. They would likely not have the titles that they do without the efforts of Daniels.
Jermaine O’Neal
Though Jermaine O’Neal‘s career started with the Portland Trail Blazers, it didn’t take off until he joined the Pacers four years into his career via a trade. O’Neal was, as alluded to earlier, traded for center Dale Davis, who had just come off a career year, making an All-Star team and helping push the Pacers to a Finals appearance.
The trade at the time was questionable. O’Neal had yet to average more than 5 points per game in a given season, largely because he hadn’t yet received an opportunity to secure playing time. Davis looked to be in his prime, and the Pacers needed to compete with Miller in the best years of his Hall of Fame career.
Rik Smits had just retired, as well, meaning the Pacers didn’t have many options at center besides Jeff Foster.
When it was all said and done, the trade paid off. O’Neal would spend the best eight years of his career in Indiana, averaging 18.6 points, 9.6 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 2.4 blocks per game.
O’Neal spent time at both the power forward and center positions, tallying 46.5 win shares over the years and helping them gradually ease out of the Reggie Miller when he retired in 2005.
O’Neal had the propensity for offensive explosions when he was firing on all cylinders, one time scoring 55 points in a game against the Milwaukee Bucks.
O’Neal having retired in 2014, has about a 31 percent chance of getting inducted to the Basketball Hall of Fame according to Basketball-Reference. He’s a severely underrated player in the scope of NBA history but certainly appreciated by fans in Indiana.
He and the Pacers made the playoffs six times, where he had averages of 18.1 points, 9.8 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 2.4 blocks per game, going as deep as the Eastern Conference Finals in 2004 with Miller still on the team.