Melbourne United vs Sydney Kings: Why The NBA Made A Big Mistake On Passing Over NBL Superstar Chris Goulding
Chris Goulding's career in the National Basketball League is comparable to that of any other player in the 40-minute era. He was never given a chance to play in the NBA, but why was that? The reason why executives from major leagues got it so wrong is as follows.
Chris Goulding, a great player for Melbourne United, never had an opportunity to play in the NBA since there was never a situation in which he was in the right place at the right time.
Although it does not upset him, there are a large number of people in the basketball community who are of the opinion that CG43 ought to have been given a chance.
If you are not a genuine star, an NBA scout once told me that in order to secure an NBA opportunity, you only need one of two things: the untapped potential of youth or at least one great skill. Oh, and someone who is intelligent enough to recognize you.
Goulding, who is considered to be one of the best shooters in the history of the National Basketball League, was never given the opportunity to play.
In front of what is shaping up to be an epic top-of-the-table matchup with Sydney, our archrivals, we asked the man himself, as well as those who have seen Goulding, about what might have been.
FIRST BRUSH
Although he was still performing at a high level in his 17th season in the National Basketball League (NBL), the adopted Melburnnite, who was born in Tasmania, was the victim of a confluence of perception, reality, and pure bad luck.
CG's training session at Golden State followed his 2022 Tokyo Olympic bronze medal, and he has been on trips to the NBA Summer League, played in NBLxNBA games when United toured Toronto and Philadelphia in 2019, and more.
In 2014, Goulding made all efforts to take advantage of his opportunity to play in the NBA in Dallas. That season was the final before the Melbourne Tigers became United. During that season, he led the league in scoring (22.8 ppg) and scored what is believed to be the only 50-point basket in the 40-minute era, against the Kings.
According to Tony Ronzone, a former Dallas director of player personnel and an NBA champion for the Australian national team, Goulding's shooting impressed the coaches of the Mavericks.
According to Ronzone, who is now a player agent, "We brought him in to Dallas three weeks before the Summer League to train with our team and he was outstanding; he made shots and I thought he was close to making the team—coaches were excited," who spoke to Code Sports.
"I made an effort to have him added to the roster; he came very near to being a Maverick."
The Mavs decided to go in a different direction, thus CG went to play for Zaragoza in Spain. CG shot 10-19 from beyond the arc in four Summer League games in Las Vegas, including 4-6 for 12 points in a victory over Charlotte.
According to Ronzone, Goulding's exceptional shooting abilities meant that doubts about his agility and ability to defend larger shooting guards shouldn't have prevented him from having a career in the NBA.
It is his belief that 192 cm If Goulding had played the way that 193-centimeter-tall JJ Redick did in 940 NBA games, he would have had a career equal to Redick's approximately 2,000 three-pointers.
I maintain my belief that he was deserving of a spot on an NBA squad even now.
He reminded me of a JJ Redick type, I thought. At that time, the dilemma was how to protect the league's two best guards.
"I am elated for him because he is still playing and ruling the league. He will be remembered as a legend in NBL history."
BEST OF THE BEST?
As a dominant force, he has a career-high 17.2 points, 4.0 third-quarter points, and 38% third-inning field goals.
Among the best Australian-born National Basketball League players of the 40-minute period (2009–2010), Goulding is right up there.
With recency bias removed, if Perth superstar Bryce Cotton is 1a, then Goulding, CJ Bruton, and Tom Abercrombie might be in a three-way fight for 1b among the all-time greats, depending on how you evaluate his impact: by accomplishments, longevity, the resilience to take, make or miss clutch shots, and the intangible gravity he possesses on the floor.
A scoring title, two NBL championships, an MVP in the finals, five All-NBL choices, and that's only the beginning. With 1083 treys, he is more than 450 ahead of Cam Gliddon (622), who is second, and Cotton (613), who is third.
His 5917 points are second only to Daniel Johnson's 6116, and his +991 plus-minus, which measures how many more points his side has scored than the opponent when he is on the floor, makes him the most successful player in the league. In second place, at +950, is Cotton, while in third place, at +561, is Casper Ware, Cotton's former colleague.
On his path, he has loaded the highlight reel with clutch shots, and he is never scared of the big moment. He also doesn't dwell on missed opportunities in that moment.
Kings coach Mahmoud Abdelfattah adds, "We're going to have some defenders on him when he sits on the bench, when he goes to the locker room — no air space for Goulding." He is only partially joking because of the seriousness involved.
He clearly has talent and can shoot at a high level.
His unfazed self-assurance belies the difficulty of some of his shots, which just adds to the difficulty.
"Maybe he won't turn too many tables on us."
After suffering through too many Goulding masterclasses, former South East Melbourne coach Simon Mitchell understands Abdelfattah's anxiety.
According to Mitchell, "the team defensive rules of basketball have to change with Chris out there because of that length on his shot—to an extent, it's the Goulding rules" due to Chris's pure shooting from long range and deep. Unless you're fully committed to standing next to Chris, the rules of the game change.
HE KNOWS HE’S BETTER THAN THOSE NBA GUYS
Mitchell, Goulding's coach when he was an assistant to United's Dean Vickerman, thinks that another great NBA opportunity was ruined by a burst appendix.
In 2018, Goulding was unable to go with United to face Oklahoma City since his teammates came so close to a huge boilover, bringing the Thunder within one point.
During United's off-season scrimmages, Mitchell claimed he often saw Goulding crush NBA players.
In addition to "guys on the fringe like Mangok Mathiang and Deng Adel, all these blokes who were on NBA rosters," Mitchell mentioned "Joe" Ingles, "Dante" Exum, "Jonah" Bolden, and "Delly" Matthew Dellavedova.
He was the top player regardless of anyone you brought in since you turned the gym into a pretty high-level pick-up game.
I think he excels in big games because he has an innate competitive spirit; he looks at these other players and realizes he's the superior basketball player. He may not be the stereotypical NBA player, but he clearly understands it.
Game five in the 2018 grand final series versus Adelaide to win the title (23 points, five threes) is a good example of how he can just declare, "I'm going to show you all who's the best," even though he can occasionally stray. Just one thing sets him apart from everyone else in the league.
People think he would have been more successful in the NBA because of that.
THE NBA BLEW IT
American basketball commentator Beau Estes, most commonly known as NBA Beau among Australian basketball fans who are familiar with his top-10 masterpieces from the NBA and the NBL, is at the head of the pack of individuals who believe NBA teams made a huge error by ignoring CG.
According to him, "he's definitely been NBA-worthy for years" (according to Code Sports).
You may count him among the world's top 450 players.
Chris was the first player I contacted when I began working with the NBL.
"Why on earth isn't Chris playing in the NBA? I wrote to some Australian contacts and basically asked."
Despite Goulding's impressive performance in his past NBLxNBA opportunities in 2018 and 2019, Estes lamented that NBA management had regrettably put a line through his name. This was especially true in his seven-three, 25-point performance against Sacramento.
During the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, he attended a late-night event and approached a few former executives to inquire about the matter, according to his statement.
The information I gathered clarified Chris's relationship with the NBA.
Teams tend to stop investing in a player after he reaches the age of 27 or 28.
Chris is one of the rare players who has made progress both during and beyond that age.
I was informed that we might have overlooked this opportunity. 'It occurs.'
IN HIS OWN WORDS
I don't give much thought to the NBA, Goulding says after a little pause.
I don't feel pressured at all, which is surprising coming from someone as competitive as him.
It's not a big problem for me, and I don't want to dwell on it either, so I don't sit around and think about it, "oh, if this had happened," Goulding explained.
At the time, trying on your hat was a fun and exciting activity.
While my agent was chatting with them, I was just hanging around and doing whatever I could. How near is that? I am uncertain.
"Between an inch and a mile, it makes no difference because you're not close enough."
FATHER FIGURE TO AUSSIE NBA YOUNG GUNS
From a brazen youth, Goulding has grown into a formidable leader in the NBL, but he has also become one of the league's most divisive players. United fans adore him, while rival fans despise him.
Octagon agent Daniel Moldovan described Goulding as a "father figure" to the young athletes that signed with his company.
My heart want fifty of him. According to Moldovan, he has been in charge of the whole team from the beginning.
From (Josh) Giddey and Dyson Daniels to (Luke) Travers and any other young player I sign, Chris is always there to lend a helping hand and provide guidance.
"Chris is the best teammate I've ever had in terms of communication, friendship, and mentoring," Dyson informed me.
"Unfortunately, nothing ever got over the line, but he has had real NBA interest."
"I am certain he could have been a star in the NBA."
GO HARD OR GO TO SYDNEY
In the aftermath of the Tigers' rebranding to United, long-time NBL fans may recall a contentious sign at John Cain Arena (formerly Hisense) that served to maintain the Sydney vs. Melbourne rivalry.
"Go hard or go to Sydney" was boldly displayed in the stands, making it impossible to overlook. The match stoked the flames of hatred between the two teams, which will be tested to its limits in Sunday's top-of-the-table showdown. While United fans were enthralled, Kings fans were irritated.
In 2018, United's chief marketing officer Tom van de Vusse and Sydney owner Paul Smith engaged in a comical Twitter discussion, adding to the commotion.
I was wondering if @MelbUnitedHQ was still displaying the "Go Hard or go to Sydney" sign. In response to Smith's message, van de Vusse said, "We switched it out for a 2017/18 NBL Champions sign instead." The two were still working on the signs for the 23rd.
Against the Kings, United went on a winning streak that lasted from 2016 to 2019. From that point on, Sydney has dominated, going 10–5. They even swept the NBL23 season with scores of 20, 18, and 21.
In game two of the 2019–20 semi-finals, United pounded Sydney for 45 points, and the Kings responded with an incredible two-point victory to seal the series. The on-court action in 2021–22, which included a 42–point victory for United and a 100–98 double-overtime thriller, contributed to the off-court excitement.
Andrew Bogut left United for Sydney at the last minute in 2018, but Casper Ware helped lead Melbourne to the title. Ware would go on to sign with the Kings the following season. Every time the import guard returned to Melbourne in the violet crumble colors, he was booed relentlessly.
"During my stay here... "I think those two personnel ones have been big, and then Paul Smith wants to ramp it up a little bit at different times," United coach Dean Vickerman said. "Bogut, being a Melbourne guy and us chatting to him and him playing for Sydney, has been a big part of that rivalry really stepping up," he added. Another factor was Casper's move to a different club.
"We've faced two top-tier basketball teams in our conference tournament, and they've taken home the title the past two years. That gives me the confidence to say, 'We need to figure out a way to beat this team.'"
Although great attacker Luke Travers will be available for the blockbuster match after recovering from a concussion, he will be missing injured talents Ian Clark (hamstring) and Matthew Dellavedova (calf).
Everyone has been asking Kings coach Mahmoud Abdelfattah about the highly-anticipated matchup between the top two teams in the National Basketball League for weeks, so he is simply happy that the United game is finally here.
"The clash has been the subject of constant harassment," he stated.
During our match against New Zealand, people were asking me about it, but I was like, "Let's finish the Breakers and the Bullets games first."
The next game is in Melbourne, and I can already tell it will be epic.
Abdelfattah evaluates Vickerman's squad based on what he has seen; however, he hasn't been able to watch every United game owing to his own hectic schedule.
He attributed United's success to their roster depth and the grit they bring to the field.
"Their talent is truly remarkable.
"As an observer and student of the game, I've seen a couple of United games, and I can tell you that they are a fiercely competitive squad. Many of their games end in dramatic fashion."