MANILA (Enzo Flojo's Asia on my Mind) - With the FIBA Asia Cup 2017 about a month away, I found it fit to survey the field and see who the top front-liners in the continent are.

What I want to list here are the very best big men who patrol the paint, protect the rim and score around the basket. These are the centers and forwards who are able to dominate their opponents not just with their imposing size, but also with their uncanny skill-set.

And while there are many excellent centers and power forwards all over Asia, there are a select few who have managed to transcend from excelling in their local leagues to actually being highly productive even for their national teams. These are currently the best bigs in Asia, and I am happy to say we'll see most of them play at the coming FIBA Asia Cup in Beirut, Lebanon.

Hamed Haddadi (Iran)

Haddadi is the center who needs no introduction. Hardly have we seen a center as utterly unstoppable since Yao Ming hung his own sneakers. At 2.18m, Haddadi towers over nearly every other center in Asia, and what makes his so potent is he knows how to take full advantage of his size. He is agile enough to spin around opposing front-liners and has a soft touch that enables him to make buckets even from the perimeter. Sure, he is already in his early 30s, but anyone who thinks Haddadi can no longer be as effective as before has another think coming. I mean, this is a guy who put up 18 points, 13.8 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 2.5 blocks per game for Iran in the FIBA Asia Challenge 2016!

Yi Jianlian (China)

Outside of Yao, no other Asian has been drafted as high as Yi. The 2.13m forward-center may not have been able to see his NBA career pan out as many had hoped, but at least he has remained a colossal figure in Asia. He routinely averages double-doubles in the CBA, and, more importantly, he has found ways to translate his production to the international stage, too. Possessing great mobility and shooting for his size, Yi is able to move past most Asian big men while, at the same time, possessing the heft and muscle that make guarding him such a chore. He recorded nearly 17 points, 9 rebounds and 1 block per contest as China romped to the FIBA Asia Championship title to years ago in Changsha-Hunan.

Andray Blatche (Philippines)

Blatche is perhaps the most versatile big man to ever see action in FIBA Asia. Already quite intimidating at 2.11m, Blatche is able to make life for his foes even more difficult thanks to his guard-like ball-handling and streaky perimeter shooting. Blatche has been exactly what the Philippines have needed these past few years. He has plugged the team's hole in the middle while also perfectly fitting their vaunted dribble-drive system to a T. Blatche, however, is not expected to suit up for Gilas Pilipinas at the Asia Cup, and he will be hard-pressed to play for them in the coming FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 Asia Qualifiers as well. That's a pity, of course, given his sublime production - around 18 points, 9 boards, 1 steal and 1 block in the FIBA Asia Championship 2015.

Quincy Davis (Chinese Taipei)

One may make the case that Blatche is the best naturalized player ever in Asia, but Quincy Davis has not been too shabby himself. Davis, in fact, has done something Blatche has not been able to do yet - lead his national team to a title. In the recent EABA Championship 2017, Davis carried Chinese Taipei into the history books as they bagged their first ever EABA crown. Not surprisingly, Davis's presence was critical in Taipei's title conquest, and that is something they will continue to count on even during the FIBA Asia Cup. At just 2.03m, Davis is certainly not the biggest frontcourt player out there, but what he gives up in size, he makes up for in guile and craftiness. Davis knows how to pick his spots, and his familiarity with the Taipei style of play has made him so integral to their team's flow. If he can match the numbers he put up in last year's FIBA Asia Challenge - around 18 points, 11 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 blocks per game - then Taipei will be a very dangerous team in Beirut.

Zhou Qi (CHN)

We may not be able to see Zhou at the Asia Cup after it was announced that he would sign with the Houston Rockets of the NBA, but that doesn't diminish his stature in the continent. Zhou's stats may not stand out as much as the other players on this list, but his worth lies in how he has proven to be the perfect frontline partner to Yi Jianlian for China. Zhou's size, length and defensive timing enable him to be the national team's last line of defense, and that takes some pressure of Yi. We saw this in the FIBA Asia Championship 2015 Final, where Zhou routinely made life difficult for the Filipino bigs. In the process, Zhou was named to the tournament's All-Star Five. Zhou won't put up 20-10 stat-lines, but he has the capacity to change the complexion of a game with his otherworldly defense.

As for my honorable mentions, here are a few other great Asian big men who should be quite productive in the coming FIBA Asia Cup 2017: Joji Takeuchi of Japan, Lee JongHyun of Korea, Amjyot Singh of India and the seemingly immortal Zaid Abbas of Jordan.

Enzo Flojo

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