Kings v Crocs & Taipans v Blaze - Pre Game Discussion & Live Thread!

Sometimes it takes a change of scenery to help a player realise his true potential.

You see it often in professional sport and perhaps it is the case for former Blaze guard Ayinde Ubaka.

From a teammate point of view Chewy was a great personality and a fantastic player.

But towards the end of his stint with the blaze, the Gold coast lifestyle got to him a little bit.

So many people have fallen into the trap and it is easy to get caught up in the bars, the clubs and the party.

Don’t get me wrong, he was a key contributor for us last season and we have the utmost respect for him.

But in terms of re-signing him for this season, the club wanted someone who they thought was 100 percent focused nd even he would probably now admit that person wasn’t him.

From all reports it has taken the move to Cairns for Chewy to get that focus. I hear he’s been working his backside off and is reaping the rewards.

He is a great player and if he does put his head down and work hard, he will be one of the best players in the NBL, there is no question.

When his heart is in the right place and he’s committed to playing well for his team, he is dangerous. But the Gold Coast wasn’t the best place for him to do that.

This season Adam Gibson has now got the reins of this team and last year it was shared duties between the two. In my mind Gibbo is the best point guard in the NBL and he should be our floor general. There is no one I’d rather have in the back court next to me than Gibbo.

I am really looking forward to watching the showdown between Gibbo and Chewy in Cairns on Saturday night, it is going to be a cracker.

On a side note, one thing everyone in the competition is struggling with at the moment is the extended three-point line, which has moved this year taking the NBL into line with FIBA and the NBA.

There are a lot of guys in the league who thought they were three-point shooters and probably were pretending for several years to be three-point shooters, but now the line has gone back it has thrown everyone off.

Australians have always been renowned as great shooters but the percentages at the moment aren’t showing that. Our team isn’t immune, three-point shooting has been our Achilles heel this year.

The other night we were two from 24 from the three-point line, which is pathetic. I don’t think us guards even hit a three. I am confident that as the year goes on we will get used to the change. It Is important we do because the fans want to see high scores.

It is a fine line at the moment in the NBL, trying to adapt to what is happening in the rest of the world, but still trying to put on a show that is exciting for the fans.

As much as defence is important, you want to keep the fans excited and that is where things like three-point shooting and dunks are so critical.