From Goliath to David

In the past two decades, a change can be seen in the NBA landscape. The old blueprint for teams consisted of building around a big man and allowing him to anchor both offense and defense. Names like Mikan, Russell, Chamberlain, and Kareem come to mind when one pictures the champions of old. Even the 90s were filled with the likes of Shaq, Hakeem, Robinson, Ewing, Malone, and (though he wasn't as big, he played just as big) Barkley. To this day, the only player successfully built upon that wasn't primarily in the post was MJ.

Since the Mid-90s to the early 2000s however, the game started getting smaller, faster, and more guard oriented. The big names that began to appear were slashers with the names of Kobe, AI, and Lebron, as well as a little guy named Steve. More perimeter oriented than the superstars of old, a new brand of basketball emerged in the NBA. The post fundamentals became a thing of the past, proven by the fact that no matter how much he won, Tim Duncan has been branded as slow, methodical, and even boring.


Even with this faster pace, the big man is still regarded with the utmost importance; but to look at the big man of today is to understand that the definition has almost completely changed. The skill sets that made Wilt, Kareem, and Olajuwon who they were are completely different from what is seen in the play of Amare Stoudemire, Dirk Nowitzki, Kevin Garnett, and Rasheed Wallace. Though the defensive assignments are still similar to a point, that power and authority that came with the post of a true BIG MAN is gone.The low post bangers are now labeled "old school", as the NBA has even changed the rules in favor of the more fleet-footed ballers.

Why the change from what had been so effective for so long? Where have all the giants gone?

Well, the culprit in charge of the revolution is no other than Michael Jordan himself. Ever since His Airness sported those Nike's and did his thing, everyone has tried to emulate him. Look at KG and Amare with their crossover-into-fadeaway moves; had they followed the road paved by what now seems to be mythical NBA bigmen, they would be backing in for furious dunks or short hooks.

Of all the kids coming out in the 2008 NBA draft, how many top 15 prospects can you define as "true" bigmen? In regards to their styles of play, only Kevin Love, Brook Lopez, and possibly DeAndre Jordan come anywhere close. Even they, at best, are hybrids. The rest, regardless of size, play like guards; from Michael Beasley and Anthony Randolph to Donte Greene and Kosta Koufos, none are true bigs. Yea, they can rebound and maybe block a couple of shots, but their style? Nowhere near.

So no matter who turns out to be the top pick of the 2008 draft (no matter what team picks, it has to be Derrick Rose), the dying breed known as NBA Big Men are not to be resurrected.

R.I.P.