He is the ONLY center. There is no one else. What has changed about that team from last year to this year? Basically, they added Melo to the starting line up, and graduated Rick Jackson. Who, to his credit was a solid 4 year player who improved every season.
What else has changed about Syracuse? Waiters is better. Scoop, Triche, Joseph and Fair are basically the same as they were. So, yes, I absolutely believe that he is the key to that team's success.
We will see this week and next how Melo stands up against GT and Uconn. So far, I distinctly remember him taking Young and Pope completely out of their games. It isn't fair to discount those performances. Like it or not, he's the most improved player in the nation.