The days when giants such as Shaquille O'Neal, Hakeem Olajuwon and Patrick Ewing roamed the court are no more, having been replaced by the slashing drives of LeBron James or the drive-and-kick schemes of the Spurs. But much like paleontologists, who put in the painstaking work in brushing away layers of dirt to find a new T-Rex fossil, NBA front offices can't help but exhaust themselves in search of the next game-changing big man. It's the reason general managers make multiple trips to small gyms in Serbia, scouts attend Indiana Hoosiers games as if they were a 20-year booster and why a 19-year-old Nerlens Noel rehabbing from a torn ACL might be the No. 1 pick in the draft this year. No player offers the hope of renewal like a big man, someone who can provide shot-changing defense and high-percentage offense. But finding someone who embodies those traits has becoming increasingly difficult, involving not only a player's skills, but a team's ability to develop that talent for NBA play.![]()
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