It was only natural to wonder how the Niigata Albirex BB would fare this season after the departure of free agent Nick Davis, one of the team's cornerstone players when it made the jump from the JBL to the bj-league.
Davis, you may recall, helped Niigata reached the playoffs in each of the past two seasons.
The veteran center's steady play at both ends of the floor is a big reason for the Tokyo Apache's strong turnaround this season.