COLUMBIA, Mo. — Arizona freshman Lauri Markkanen answers questions in a matter-of-fact way. The Finnish forward is concise and serious.

But when the subject of watching film and studying other players comes up, the hardened look disappears. He finally smiles.

"Obviously, Dirk [Nowitzki]," he says.

Nowitzki is also the name that regularly comes up when a skilled European big man lands in the United States. We're always searching for the next Dirk, kind of like we've been searching for "the next Michael." It's an exercise as useless as hunting for Big Foot. There is no next Dirk. Nowitzki is one of the gre...

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