Welcome to Part Three of the Field Goal percentage series, where we will take a look at the big fellas and their success flushing the rock. Centres, by nature, play down low and usually shoot a much higher percentage than other positions. The catch is that they are usually not gunners, and their field goal attempts are usually lower than the typical high scoring guard or forward. There are some big men that get lots of looks at a high success rate, and those are who we are targeting in this list. Remember, these rankings take into consideration the actual percentage coupled with the field goals attempted per game. Obviously, more field goals attempted by a player will affect this roto category more.

Top 10 Fantasy Ranking, Field Goal Percentage, Centres

1. Nene, Denver Nuggets (61%, 9.1 FGA, 14.7 PPG): The Brazilian big man has found success in the paint this year. Throw it down big fella, throw it down! Many have considered him an excellent sell high candidate for months because of his injury history, but we’re into late-February and he’s still balling.

2. Shaquille O’Neal, Phoenix Suns (59.5%, 11 FGA, 17.4 PPG): Just when everyone thought the Diesel was out of fuel, he posts All-Star numbers with an all-world swagger. Other than resting the occasional game earlier in the season, Shaq has been a reliable fantasy presence all year long. As much as he hurts your free throw percentage, he helps your field goal percentage even more.

3. Dwight Howard, Orlando Magic (56.9%, 12.5 FGA, 20.7 PPG): Howard is scary talented and he will only continue to get better. Seeing as how most of his baskets are dunks, he shoots a very high percentage with over a dozen looks a game.

4. Pau Gasol, Los Angeles Lakers (56.3%, 12.4 FGA, 18.3 PPG): The Spaniard has solidified the centre position for the Lakers with Andrew Bynum out for an extended period of time. While Lamar Odom has picked up on the rebounding front, Gasol takes over more touches in the paint, which can only lead to more scoring opportunities. Kobe Bryant understands that Pau needs the ball, and he will let him get his touches.

5. Emeka Okafor, Charlotte Bobcats (57.6%, 9.7 FGA, 14 PPG): Okafor’s great percentage with nearly 10 attempts a game will certain help you in this category, and the fact that he’s a such a great rebounder and shot blocker as well is gravy.

6. Andris Biedrins, Golden State Warriors (56.8%, 9.4 FGA, 13 PPG): Biedrins is an interesting player because it seems like all his baskets are garbage follow dunks. His fantasy owners do not care how he scores, they just love his rebounding and high shooting percentage. You may be surprised to know that he gets almost 10 field goal attempts a game in a guard-oriented Warrior offense.

7. Yao Ming, Houston Rockets (54.5%, 13.1 FGA, 19.9 PPG): The 7′6″ Chinese icon is so good down low, which is evident by his nearly 55 per cent shooting on over 13 attempts a game.

8. Kendrick Perkins, Boston Celtics (59.8%, 5.7 FGA, 8.1 PPG): The Boston big man could get more looks in the upcoming weeks with Kevin Garnett sidelined. Perkins is a high percentage shooter, but does not get very many touches with all of the talent surrounding him. He is a marginal fantasy player, but he will help you in FG percentage in a pinch, while putting up nice rebounding and block totals.

9. Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Cleveland Cavaliers (50.1%, 11.3 FGA, 13.7 PPG): Big Z is back from injury and doing his thing. He takes a lot of jump shots for a centre, but is deadly accurate.

10. Marc Gasol, Memphis Grizzlies (52%, 7.8 FGA, 10.9 PPG): Joining his brother on the top 10 list, baby bro Marc can hold his own down low. The Grizzlies are a young team on the rise and they have a very promising centre. As Gasol develops more on the offensive end, his field goal numbers are sure to only improve.

Low Shooting Percentage, Centres

1. Rasheed Wallace, Detriot Pistons (42.8%, 11.6 FGA, 12.9 PPG): I am not sure how many more years this former Tar Heel has left as a starter. It seems like he is a fading star with a deteriorating jumper. He does take a lot of threes, but his shooting hurts your FG percentage if you start him at centre. I would look to move him if at all possible.

2. Andrea Bargnani, Toronto Raptors (42.4%, 11.5 FGA, 13.8 PPG): Even though Bargnani does not have the typical skill set of a centre, he is nearly seven feet tall. He is a rising star in the league and I am sure his field goal numbers will improve down the stretch, but overall, he’s been so inconsistent this season. The problem is that if you start Bargnani at centre, you are not only getting a low number from him, but you’re also missing out on the high number from most other centres who are instead starting for another fantasy team.

3. Spencer Hawes, Sacramento Kings (44.4%, 9.6 FGA, 10.2 PPG): With Brad Miller shipped to the Bulls, Hawes is the man in the middle for the Kings. He has had an up and down first half of the season, but should improve with time. Hawes has solid post moves that will start to work after repetition and game experience. Consider him a sleeper for nice production down the stretch with an improved field goal percentage.

Check in later in the week to see Part 1 of the second series of The Hidden Truth!

Centres

Joakim Noah, Chicago Bulls: The second-year Florida product has taken up a semi-permanent residence on the Wire Troll by continuing to produce solid totals both in points and rebounds. The big test will come once Drew Gooden (groin) is back in action, but at this juncture owners in all but the shallowest leagues should make room on their rosters for Noah.

Darko Milicic, Memphis Grizzlies: Everyone’s favorite bust returned to action on Wednesday after missing 18 games with a broken knuckle. He has produced modestly in his first two games back, but prior to getting injured he had reached double figures in scoring in five of seven games. Owners that find their roster depleted by the recent rash of injuries in the NBA can consider rolling the dice on Milicic.

Best of the Rest

Injuries continue to mount for the Bucks, who will now be without Andrew Bogut for the next two-plus months. That’s a bitter pill for fantasy owners to swallow as Bogut (11.7 points, 10.2 rebounds per game) was a rock solid contributor when healthy. Francisco Elson should see most of the minutes in Bogut’s stead – he’s not much of a scorer, but he can contribute on the glass…Other options for Bogut owners are Oklahoma City’s Nick Collison and Nenad Krstic. Collison is the starter and the better choice at this point, though Krstic figures to continue cutting into his minutes as he rounds into shape. Neither man is an ideal selection, though at this point beggars, can’t be choosers…An abdominal strain will keep Brad Miller out until at least the All-Star break, giving Spencer Hawes a chance to start some games. In three starts since Miller’s injury, Hawes is averaging 9.7 points and 8.0 rebounds per contest.

Forwards

Lamar Odom, Los Angeles Lakers: Well, well, well…it looks as though Andrew Bynum’s pesky labia injury has flared up again, sidelining the 7-foot pink taco for 2-to-3 months. That should be great news for Odom, whose minutes have been way down this year with Bynum and Pau Gasol holding down the five and four positions, respectively. Odom is no star, but most of his shortcomings (clutch play, toughness) don’t affect the way he fills up a box score. He’s an immediate must own.

Kevin Love, Minnesota Timberwolves: Much like Noah, Love has earned a recurring role on “As the Troll Turns,” though his value is already much higher than that of Noah. Love has reached double digits in rebounds in five of his last seven games, which includes four double-doubles. After such a long run on here there’s not much more to say about Love, whose stellar play dictates he should be owned in all leagues, but especially now with Craig Smith — his main competition — out for the next couple of weeks.

Best of the Rest

Anyone in the market for rebounds? If so, check out what’s going on in Motown where Antonio McDyess has averaged better than 10 boards per game in 2009…Ryan Anderson has scored 17 or more points in three of his last four games (while hauling in a tidy 7.5 rebounds a night). He has done a nice job in the absence of Yi Jianlian, who is fairly close to returning. Yi’s return could severely undermine Anderson’s value, so be aware of that when considering a move…Andrei Kirilenko appears to be ahead of schedule in his recovery from ankle surgery and may return shortly after the All-Star break. If someone else cut him free you should consider stashing him on your bench.

Guards

Ramon Sessions, Milwaukee Bucks: What the hell is going on in Milwaukee? With Luke Ridnour joining Michael Redd and Bogut on the injured list, Sessions becomes a focal point of the Buck offense — so much so that he dropped 44 points and 12 assists on the Pistons on Saturday. Fantasy owners will be quick to remember the huge numbers he put up on a depleted Bucks team late last season so don’t delay another minute in adding him to your roster.

Francisco Garcia, Sacramento Kings: The return of Kevin Martin was supposed to spell the end of Garcia’s fantasy usefulness, but more than a month later Garcia is still racking up the points. He hit a little dry spell in late January – scoring 19 points over the month’s final three games combined – though for the most part he has continued to produce respectable totals. Still, at a deep position like shooting guard he’s more suited to larger leagues.

Best of the Rest

The loss of Jameer Nelson down in Orlando should create fantasy value for some combination of Courtney Lee, Anthony Johnson and Tyronn Lue – Lee is the best option for points, but don’t overlook Lue, who averaged double figures in scoring in four of his last five seasons…Owners on the prowl for cheap assists should check out Earl Watson, who is dropping nearly six dimes per game this season…Our third visit to Brew City reveals Charlie Bell and newly acquired Keith Bogans as options in deep leagues – Bell has scored 46 points in his last four games and Bogans logged 26 minutes (scoring eight points) in his Milwaukee debut…D.J. Augustin returned on Friday after missing roughly three weeks of action. He was up and down before getting hurt, making him more of a watch list candidate for now…Another rookie to keep an eye on is Mario Chalmers, who has scored 10 or more points in seven of his last nine games…Mike Miller has made 20 of his last 28 shots – we’re just saying.

As if things aren’t going swimmingly enough for the Los Angeles Lakers, owners of a two-game winning streak and the best record in the NBA, they begin a three-game homestand Thursday evening against the worst team in the Eastern Conference, the Washington Wizards. This has all the hallmarks of a true classic – the best in the West vs. the worst the East has to offer. You may want to keep young children away from the television screen this evening.

The Lakers have ridden the NBA’s best offense and an improved defense to the top of the standings. But they will get tested Sunday, when blazing San Antonio pays them a visit and attempts to make a statement about Western Conference supremacy. LA’s homestand finishes with a game against Charlotte, also playing very well lately, but the owner of a mere five road wins.

LA has taken out Washington four straight times, and in case you had any doubts about this streak hitting five, consider that Washington has only won three of 20 games on the road this season, while the Lakers have only lost three of 24 home games. Oh, you can throw in the fact that in those four wins over Washington, Los Angeles has averaged 113.3 PPG. Ugly. I’d suggest you bring out your marginal Lakers Wednesday: guys like Trevor Ariza, Vladimir Radmanovic and even Sasha Vujacic could prove useful in this game.

We had Andrew Bynum pegged as a top 10 centre this season, but so far, he’s barely cracked the top 20. That may be changing, however. The big kid has really picked up his offensive game of late, punctuated by a serious explosion Wednesday night to the tune of a career-high 42 points on 17-of-24 shooting with 15 rebounds and three blocks. Bynum has been getting more touches as the season has progressed and it’s really beginning to pay off in his offensive totals. Unfortunately, his blocks and boards haven’t seen the same increase; in fact, his numbers in both these areas have been a disappointment so far this season, even though he’s finally remained healthy and has been given more PT. Obviously his huge game Wednesday provided a glimpse of what Bynum is capable of, so I’d suggest that the opportunity to buy low may close soon as I expect him to be one of the most valuable fantasy centres in the second half.

Amazingly, Bynum is the first Laker not named Kobe Bryant to score at least 40 points in a game since Shaquille O’Neal did it on March 21, 2003. Is Bynum ready to give the Lakers a legitimate third scoring option behind Kobe and Pau Gasol? Given his 16.4 PPG in January, the answer appears to be yes.

Speaking of Gasol, he’s been a bit inconsistent lately. For instance, on Monday he turned in his 15th double-double of the season, but with Bynum going off Wednesday, Gasol was limited to 10 points and six boards. I wouldn’t worry too much about the occasional off game; Gasol’s PT has risen steadily as the season has gone on and he’s getting as many touches now as he’s had all year. Gasol has stayed healthy this year, and while his overall touches are down from last year, he’s enjoying one of the best rebounding seasons of his career and his value has nearly matched what he accomplished in an injury-plagued 2007-08.

Derek Fisher, who has been getting monster minutes with LA’s backcourt depth currently challenged, has been slumping recently, and his mild groin strain Wednesday definitely was a warning shot that his 34-year-old body is screaming for some downtime. He’s been a popular waiver wire pick in recent weeks, but the fact that he’s settling for jumpers too often and not driving to the basket and drawing fouls is another sign that the PT is wearing on this veteran. Fisher has been a very durable player in recent years, but this trend of getting to the line less and less has really held back his offensive potential, especially since he’s such an excellent FT shooter. If Fisher drove more and hoisted a bit less, he could be a 14-15 PPG man. At any rate, I’d say his run is nearing an end with Jordan Farmar (knee) possibly returning this weekend. Sell high while you can.

Much has been made of the Lakers’ scoring depth this season, with a half dozen players averaging at least 9 PPG, and how that takes some of the pressure off Bryant to do it all himself. However, I’d say the team actually had more depth last season. Yes, they only had Gasol down the stretch and Bynum missed over the half the season, but the 2007-08 Lakers had eight players who averaged at least 8.4 PPG. In fact, despite them leading the NBA in scoring this year, they are averaging one point less per game than they put up last season.

So this is the second of a back-to-back games for the Lakers, and the first was on the road. But given those circumstances, this is about as easy as back-to-backs go: Wednesday’s game was at the Staples Center against the Clippers, who were technically the home team, but come on. Also, the combined record of these two opponents is 18-64.

By the way, how much does Bynum love playing the Clips? Wednesday, as mentioned, he had a career night offensively. Back on November 5, he pulled down a career-best 17 rebounds against them. Circle April 5 on your calendar as the next time Bynum gets to go hog wild on the Clippers. How about a new career best eight blocks this time?

The Lakers have done an excellent job on the offensive glass this season, pulling down an average of 12.3 offensive rebounds per game, good for a share of sixth place in the NBA. So it was no surprise that on Wednesday, going up against a Clipper team that has struggled to keep opponents from pulling down boards under their own basket, the Lakers went wild with 17 offensive boards, eight of them by Bynum alone. That directly led to 34 points.