The big man isn’t extinct in the NBA

Among the major fallacies of our time, “The big man is dead” ranks right near the top. He is very much alive in the NBA. You might as well call him the future — as long as you realize it’s a two-sided future.

The Warriors, with a million centers but really none, are expected to reign for at least two or three more years. Teams envy the Golden State mold, but they have to realize something: Golden State has three of the greatest shooters in NBA history. That’s never happened before, and it almost certainly won’t happen again. Try some other blueprint or be gone.

As for the league’s long-term outlook, check out five of the first seven picks from Thursday night’s draft: 7-foot Deandre Ayton, 6-11 Marvin Bagley, 6-11 Jaren Jackson, 7-0 Mo Bamba and 6-10 Wendell Carter.

Then consider some of the others in play: Joel Embiid, Karl-Anthony Towns, DeMarcus Cousins, Marc Gasol, Rudy Gobert, Anthony Davis, Clint Capela and Kristaps Porzingis. Death of the big man where?

Now ask yourself this: What if the Warriors did have a legitimate center? Not just a springy, full-of-potential type like Jordan Bell or Damian Jones, but someone who does it all: shoots from the outside with confidence, clever passer, understands the cuts and screens, rebounds, protects the rim.

Would they have to shut down the league?

For some reason, Dave Cowens is coming to mind. He wasn’t a giant, maybe 6-9, and he never gets much historical mention, but he was all of those things for the great Boston teams of the mid-’70s — and he was a scrapper, an all-out hustler on the court. Can you imagine someone like him alongside Draymond Green in the Warriors’ frontcourt?

Drifting back to reality, be clear that the NBA has become a shooter’s league, with no end in sight. Outside of Capela, none of the above-mentioned centers made a huge splash in the playoffs. Just remember that things change, just as the Stephen Curry-Klay Thompson phenomenon had everyone scrambling for answers. The great teams of the future will have long-range shooting and size, and if a truly dominant post player shows up at the center position — think Shaquille O’Neal, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar or Hakeem Olajuwon — pull back the next curtain.

Around the NBA

 We’ll never know if the Warriors would have drafted Michigan center Mo Wagner, taken at No.25 by the Lakers. Probably not, because of Wagner’s defensive liabilities. But the Lakers became fascinated by Wagner, who had a sensational NCAA Tournament, after watching him in 3-on-3 workouts in early June. “We feel like he will come in right away and help our team,” said coach Luke Walton. “We like his energy, his skill set, his intelligence, his unselfish nature and the passion he plays with. We were really excited when he was still on the board.”

 Reports suggest the Spurs shut down Kawhi Leonard trade talks with the Lakers before players were even discussed. That’s downright spiteful. If that’s the case, here’s Plan B for the Lakers: Go hard for LeBron James. Let him get a feel for Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma and Brandon Ingram. See if Paul George might be interested. Then bank on Leonard coming to L.A. as a free agent — that seems to be his plan — in the summer of ’19.

 What could change everything: Spurs coach Gregg Popovich turns Leonard’s head around and convinces him to stay, complete with the five-year “max” deal to which he’s entitled. Considering the Spurs’ long admired stability, you

can’t rule it out.

 Meanwhile, Leonard remains quiet — and that really irritates Bruce Bowen, who played for three of the Spurs’ championship teams in the early 2000s. “You didn’t play for the most part a full season this year. And you’re the go-to guy, you’re the franchise, and you want to say that they didn’t have your best interest at heart? Are you kidding me?” Bowen told Sirius XM NBA Radio.

 Ex-Warriors executive Travis Schlenk was a centerpiece of post-draft conversation. As general manager of the Atlanta Hawks, he bypassed a chance to draft Luka Doncic so he could land Oklahoma’s Trae Young. Hawks fans were in an uproar, but let’s see how it plays out. Young, who often looks helpless when defenses swarm around him, needs shooters. Schlenk used his next two picks with that in mind: Maryland’s Kevin Huerter (deadly from the outside) and Villanova forward Omari Spellman, who plays a creative offensive game and can hit the threepointer. The Hawks also landed a first-round pick from Dallas, giving them three in next year’s draft.  The comparisons to Curry aren’t fair, but Young is truly astounding with his no-limits outside shooting and instinctive passing. He’s a treat to watch. He’s also extremely small. Adam Silver’s profile lists him at 6-foot-3, and as they stood next to each other on draft night, Young appeared to be about three inches shorter than the commissioner.

 Meanwhile, Doncic is off to Dallas to join Dirk Nowitzki, explosive Dennis Smith, Harrison Barnes and executive

Donnie Nelson, who relates to international players as well as anyone in the NBA. Point guard Jalen Brunson (Villanova) was an excellent second-round pick. Add Wesley Matthews and J.J. Barea in the backcourt, and it appears that potential free agent Seth Curry will be moving on.

 This column is a huge fan of Grayson Allen. Would love to have seen him drafted by the Warriors. But he was gone, to Utah, and that’s a perfect spot. Forget Allen’s checkered past, as they say. This is a toughminded kid who can really shoot, and he’ll fit in nicely with Dennis Mitchell and a coach, Quin Snyder, who shares a Duke connection (both played for Mike Krzyzewski). Ricky Rubio and Dante Exum will have a say in the backcourt picture, as well.

 Did Houston do anything

to scare the Warriors? Doesn’t look that way. Guard De’Anthony Melton (USC) has been compared to the Celtics’ Marcus Smart: tremendous defensive presence, needs to work on his shot. The Rockets’ other pick, Purdue senior forward Vincent Edwards, doesn’t figure to crack the rotation unless a LeBron James deal forces a roster breakup.