EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — There are only two types of centers in Shaquille O’Neal’s world: those he respects and those he disdains.

In the first category: centers who play in the paint, score with post moves and look as manly as possible while doing it.

In the latter category: floppers, jump-shooters, Europeans and Dwight Howard.

In his latest attempt to sort the worthy from the unworthy, O’Neal paid the Nets’ Brook Lopez the largest possible compliment: He put him on the “respected” list. And, naturally, he did so at Howard’s expense, by listing Lopez and the 76ers’ Andrew Bynum as the N.B.A.’s two best centers.

O’Neal made the remarks during a round-table discussion among TNT analysts, posted on NBA.com.

“What we have now are centers that are going to the European style, which is a lot of pick-and-roll,” O’Neal said. “Dwight Howard, who’s a pick-and-roll player, some people say he’s the best center in the league. But me being an old-school center, I’m going to go with” Lopez and Bynum, he said, “because they play with their back to the basket.”