Basketball On The Internet.

IT is absolutely fantastic the NBL again boasts a cavalcade of star players but the one most people are talking about is Melbourne United off-guard Chris Goulding.

Not since Chris Anstey, Sam Mackinnon and Matt Nielsen dominated the league sufficiently as Aussies to win MVP awards, has the buzz been about an Australian in the NBL.

And they were a while ago now.

Last season, we were talking Brian Conklin and Scottie Wilbekin and the year before, James Ennis and Rotnei Clarke.

And again, while the NBL has done a superb job of accommodating a major influx of talent, to have tongues wagging about an Aussie amid all that truly is great for the game.

"The contribution he is making to that team is terrific," Kings coach Damian Cotter said, having seen Goulding light up Sydney for 31 points.

There's the swagger and the on-court attitude you're either going to love or hate but there's no mistaking the talent and work ethic which have shot Goulding out from amid his peers.

Remember, just a handful of years ago he was the erratic kid with the burgeoning talent coming off the Gold Coast Blaze bench among teammates such as Adam Gibson, Mark Worthington and Anthony Petrie.

Let's not pretend he hasn't left them all far behind, though in fairness, Wortho and Peach are entering their career twilights.

Gibson and Goulding both are Launceston-born and while Gibbo has long since settled into a particular groove as a player, Goulding has never settled.

He has forever tried to improve himself and his game. It shows.

"If I said to Chris, we're going to work on some aspect of your game tomorrow, he'd be there a half hour early and practising it when I left," 36ers coach Joey Wright said of their time together on the Gold Coast.

No, I don't admire his flopping tendencies or his justification along the lines of he'd do whatever it took to win in the wake of his controversial late-game foul drawn on NZ's Corey Webster on Sunday.

"There was certainly contact and at the end of the day we are here to win basketball games," he said.

"So we were fortunate to do that.

"I haven't seen the footage but I knew they were going to try to put the ball in Corey's hands, he tried to free himself and the referee called what he called."

I HAVE seen the footage and it's a shame a player and person with the champion qualities Goulding possesses has to resort to conning officials. But then, as I wrote earlier this week, if LeBron James, the best player in the world, flops for calls, then it should be no surprise the epidemic is spreading.

Just figure if you were a teammate of Larry Bird or Magic Johnson, they'd have given you a changeroom spray for that type of a play. I even endorse Shane Heal's contention on the Hawks-Wildcats call last night that flopping is "unAustralian".

That said, that incident occurred in November and the NBL has honoured Goulding as October's Player of the Month.

It's an appropriate coup too with his mentor at United, Dean Demopoulos getting the Coach of the Month nod.

Speaking of Goulding, Demopoulos said: "I'm more in awe of his work ethic as I am with what the outcome of it is.

"He's a gym rat and in the truest sense of the word he's got a great spirit for this game."

Both men were worthy winners. But there's just one thing.

At what point will commentators and scribes STOP carrying on that Goulding will soon be lost to the NBL because of his amazing abilities?

Can we not just enjoy having an Aussie dominating the competition without immediately actually diminishing the same competition by claiming he is too good for it?

Was Andrew Gaze too good for the NBL when he was winning seven MVP awards? Or was he simply the NBL's best player?

Our star players DO go and play elsewhere - look at Anstey or even Gaze for example - and sometimes they even come back and continue being great in our league.

Goulding has played NBA Summer League (above) and just returned from a season in Spain. His numbers there weren't earth-shattering but does that mean his game went backwards there?

Very much doubt it. Is his game going backwards here now? Again, I doubt that. So why can't we just accept him as, arguably, our best Aussie in the NBL right now without implying he's so good, he has to get away from our crappy competition?

Because that is, in fact, what constant references to him leaving assuredly reflects.

Will he go?

If the NBA comes calling or some super Euro offer arrives, then yes, my guess would be definitely.

But right now, let's just revel in having him here and enjoy the passion he brings. In its own right, it's pretty cool to be the most talked-about player in the NBL, after all.