MELBOURNE (Paulo Kennedy's View from Downunder) -  It wasn't the farewell from the Boomers that Luc Longley would have been dreaming of.

After playing in the 1988 Olympic Games, 1990 FIBA Basketball World Cup and 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, the soon-to-be NBA champion embarked, for various reasons, on what would end up being a long hiatus from the national team.

But come the year 2000 everything seemed set up for a Cinderella like farewell for Longley, with a home Olympics and Australia’s most talented line-up ever.

It wasn't to be however, the Boomers being crushed by France and Lithuania in the medal rounds by a combined 42 points, and Longley missing the bronze medal game with injury.

Worse still, perhaps struggling with all the talent suddenly at his disposal, coach Barry Barnes horribly misused Longley's proven ability in a team system.

Funnily enough, there were plenty of parallels between Longley's international career and that of the man who emulated his path into the NBA, Andrew Bogut.

Playing at the 2004 and 2008 Olympics, separated by the 2006 World Cup in Japan, the Bogey Man made a fast start when it came to representing his country.

But just like Longley, he would then miss the next three major tournaments before making a return to help qualify for the Rio Olympics, with the Boomers boasting their best-ever line-up in 2015 and 2016.

Thankfully, coach Andrej Lemanis knew exactly how to utilise Bogut - his game quite similar to Longley's - putting his big man in great positions to both score and facilitate with his superb passing game.

The result? Australia's best performance at a major tournament, and Bogut sizzling with 3.6 assists per game to comfortably lead all centres, with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.8, almost double the next best pivot.

He was also the anchor of Australia's defence, both through his talk, proactive help and ability to clean the glass.

Unfortunately, there was no happy ending for the Boomers this time around either, falling by a point to Spain in the third-place playoff thanks to "that call", as it will forever be known in Australian basketball circles.

But as Bogut indicated recently, he doesn't want that to be his farewell, telling AAP that an Olympic medal at Tokyo 2020 would be his perfect swansong from basketball.

While it's a romantic notion to think of Bogut dropping sweet dimes to Patty Mills, Ben Simmons, Joe Ingles and Co as the Aussies claim their long-awaited medal, the big question becomes is there a need for the old fella?

Bogut has suggested he won't play in any of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 Qualifiers, which is fair enough given they are a great opportunity for younger players to cut their international teeth.

This means his target will be getting ready China 2019, where the Boomers must finish above New Zealand to get direct qualification to the following year's Olympics.

"That will be the plan," Bogut told AAP of his aim to play in next year's flagship event.

"While it's a tournament, it's actually a qualifier for the Olympics so most of the guys who commit for the Olympics will likely commit to both years and I'll probably do the same."

So, let's look at the contenders for the big man positions. Of course, Aron Baynes will be a no-brainer if fit, still in peak physical condition, with no sign of waning, and a beast on the boards.

After that, however, there aren’t so many wide-bodied selections that appear as automatic.

Mangok Mathiang, a fringe big on the Charlotte Hornets' books, is a powerful young big who could come into contention, but he is completely unproven at this stage, in club or FIBA basketball.

The same goes for Isaac Humphries, a junior international star who is high on potential and low on rebounding and defence at this stage, meaning he would have to make some serious progress to be at World Cup level within the next 19 months.

Cam Bairstow from the Brisbane Bullets is a strong, hard-nosed and disciplined big man, who can play the role of a smaller, mobile centre or power forward, and is someone Lemanis trusts on the floor.

However, the Bear has missed the best part of two club seasons with injury, spent much of his Chicago Bulls days watching and hasn’t played for the Boomers since getting injured in Rio, making him another uncertain commodity.

Nate Jawai is a beast when fit, and could certainly provide some spark off the bench in short spurts, but now into his 30s, can he stay healthy for long enough to get the form and fitness needed to compete at international level?

Milwaukee's Thon Maker will come into calculation as a stretch four-man, while David Andersen has also set his sights on that role, which may be doubtful given his age and recent struggles to get fully fit. But neither of them provides the grunt needed as the main back-up centre.

Matt Hodgson and Angus Brandt have provided plenty of solid minutes in the FIBA Asia Cup and World Cup qualifiers, but are they ready to step up to play the planet’s big boys? Probably not.

So, as you can see, where Australia once had quality big men coming out our proverbials, the cupboard is a little bit bare at the moment, or at the least a little unproven.

There is no question the Boomers will need size, experience and knowledge of Lemanis' system for China 2019, and they will need some old heads to help guide Simmons and provide some physical support in a foreign environment for the fledgling superstar.

Bogut offers those things in spades, and he has shown over and over he does whatever his team needs on the court. He might be a character off the floor, but there is no ego on it.

Where will the currently club-less Bogut play his ball for the rest of this season or indeed next year to ensure he can still produce at the highest level? Those questions remain to be answered.

Then, in the 10 or so minutes he rests, Bogut spells Baynes and slips into that same role he executed so masterfully in Rio.

The assist records the Boomers smashed in 2016 could be in trouble, and so will opposition defences given the amount of quality options those two will have to pass to on the perimeter.

Paulo Kennedy

FIBA

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