atically. It wasnt the best thing but Ive already turned that pag

Sydney Kings star import Steve Blake says the NBL ball has been partly to blame for the shooting slump that has critics questioning his move to Australia.The former NBA guard has struggled offensively through his first four games in the royal purple, shooting just 26 percent from the field and an even lower 18 from long range.The 36-year-old admits he hasnt been at his best so far, but he is enjoying being a part of the ladder-leading Kings resurgence as an NBL force.Its been quite a good experience in some respects and tough in others, he said.Personally my basketball hasnt been at its best. Im struggling shooting the ball but I know there was going to be an adjustment period as far as that goes.But the teams been having a lot of success which has been a lot of fun. Its been a great group of guys and great coaches. Ive enjoyed that team atmosphere and winning basketball.An NBA veteran of over 14 years across eight different franchises, including two stints at the powerhouse Los Angeles Lakers, Blake said getting used to the NBL ball was a major issue.The Australian league uses a 100 percent composite leather Wilson ball, while the American association uses a full-grain leather Spalding ball.If you could hold an NBA ball to this ball, youd be like, Wow thats a huge difference, he said.NBA balls are true leather thats a lot smoother and a bit harder, maybe feels a little bit heavier, whereas this ball is really spongy and has a really different feel.For 13 years, thats all Ive practised with; an NBA ball. Its an adjustment period, but its also me missing shots. Id love to blame everything on the ball but some of it has to do with me.Coach Andrew Gaze praised Blake for contributing on the boards and defensively, and he remained confident his big-name recruit would begin converting his shots.Hed been working out and hes in great shape but hasnt been playing in a team environment since the end of the last NBA season, Gaze said.It takes a little while to get your legs underneath you, new guys, different officiating rules, rules of the game, all those things come into play.But hes settling in and I see no problems with him. He starts making some of those shots and thats an absolute bonus for us, which he clearly has the capacity to do.The Kings continue their season with a blockbuster against Perth on Thursday night. Cheap Air Max 97 Purple China . Brandon Morrow allowed five runs on six hits over three innings. He struck out two, walked one and hit a batter. Edwin Encarnacion had a two-out, bases loaded two-RBI double in the third inning. Cheap Air Max 97 All White China . But by the time the game started, the Toronto Raptors forward felt even worse. And, for three quarters, it showed as Gay shot a woeful three-for-13 from the field. http://www.cheapairmax97fromchina.com/cheap-air-max-97-all-pink-china/ .com) - Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray and Roger Federer were easy first-round winners Tuesday at the Australian Open. Cheap Air Max 97 All Red China . Jordan Lynch, the all-purpose Heisman Trophy finalist from Northern Illinois, failed to make it into that exclusive club. Cheap Air Max 97 All Blue China . -- Edmontons Val Sweeting is two wins away from a trip to Winnipeg to play in Canadas Road of the Rings in December. In Monza, ESPN sat down with Daniil Kvyat to discuss the harsh lessons from his demotion from Red Bull to Toro Rosso in May, how hes dealt with his poor form since and why?hes not worrying about where he will be in 2017.You were pretty downbeat before the summer break. In Belgium it seemed like the four weeks had been pretty helpful for you -- have two disappointing weekends reset your mindset?First of all, weve done our best in Spa. We have to be realistic about things. We didnt go quite where we wanted to be but it was nothing like Germany, with what happened there. Its fine. As an engineering group, technical group, we came out of the race saying wed done our best.Now its up to the engineers to understand where we can improve things because theres something quite deep inside which prevents us putting on the performance we used to. The straight-line limitation is very big and very frustrating ... but we cant do anything about that so we shouldnt even think about that.Do you still feel like youre in a better place?Im OK. Im fine -- I live with the day and nothing else, so Im fine.In the situation you were in before the summer break, it seemed like it was one bad thing after another. Is it easy to become obsessed with the finer details when youre struggling for form?That might have been the case, in the past, but Im completely fine now. I know where we are and Im realistic about things. I dont have any issues with the things youre talking about.It must be frustrating, then, that youve reached that point as Toro Rossos engine deficiency is becoming more obvious as the season wares on?Yeah, but unfortunately thats just the way things are laying at the moment. We just have to accept them and go forward. We can influence in a positive way certain things, and nothing else. It would not help me to think I cannot show [what I can do]. The right people notice things and I will have to be quite patient, but I learned this patience over the summer break.Weve seen the support given to you by Helmut Marko since your demotion. How do you feel your standing is within the team?Thats a question for them, not for me. I am doing my job, and like I admitted before the summer break, there have been some big up and downs for me. There were some big potential races that were hard to put together because I didnt know the limits of the car, the limits of the team.Now Im feeling more in line with things but I dont know what they think at the moment.Theres a lot of focus on who will be driving where in 2017...2017 is 2017. It starts in three and a half months time, so until then we just wait and see. It seems like theres no big rush.We will soon be at the stage where we approach the point where we are looking for answers about it. But at the moment I live the day of today, and nothing else, so Ill just see where it goes.Youre not thinking of life away from F1, then?No, I live with what happens today. I keep the right doors open and then we will see how this situation develops. A lot will depend on that, otherwise I dont know too much.When will we know what youre doing next year?As soon as possible, I hope. But Im not going to give any deadlines to the media.dddddddddddd. If I have them I will give them to the right people when the right time comes.There has been a lot of talk about Pierre Gasly and the fact hes leading GP2, even rumours of him replacing you as early as Singapore. Is that a distraction for you?Yeah, but it doesnt change anything for me. It doesnt have any influence on my work, or my approach, so no. I know where I stand in the team.Is it hard to stay motivated at a team lower down the grid when youve dropped from a team fighting for wins and podiums?Of course there were some issues with that at some point. It wasnt easy, I found it difficult to understand and accept things, but Ive already started forgetting these things now. Its not the biggest issue any more. I know my value. Ive probably not been the most consistent guy out there but Ive had drives on my days and last year my final position in the championship, even with by far not the best car, speaks for itself.To be honest I never had the best package on the grid... Every time we had issues with engine, with every team Ive been in. So its OK, I dont have any issues with that. Im racing for myself first of all, so I know how things stand and what I can do.You mention last year. Was there anything that could have prepared you for what was coming ahead of Spain?No, no. It was all meant to be, I guess, since I signed for Red Bull. There was quite a high chance of this kind of scenario. For one year and a half I was living without knowing what was going to happen in the next day, so its fair enough. Its a good lesson for the future though.I suppose its something you always know might happen, being in the Red Bull driver programme?You know, yes, but you dont want it to go that way! When you go up as high in your career you dont expect things to change so quickly and so dramatically. It wasnt the best thing but Ive already turned that page, this is already forgotten. Its not forgotten forgotten, but Im working with a different mindset and different thoughts in my mind, not thinking about what happened in May.Weve seen Toro Rosso slip down the pecking order since Australia. Realistically, can this team get back into the points before the end of 2016?We hope so, we would like it to be like that. Of course there are slower circuits coming up with less engine dependency which we hope are going to be more favourable for us. But of course some tracks with higher engine demands are not going to be easy. We have to understand how we can make the best out of races which should suit us.Theres a lot of excitement about next years rule changes. Red Bull or Toro Rosso seems like a good place to be if aerodynamics are going to have more of an impact....I still think engine will be important next year, the engines are staying the same. The more downforce means you will need more horsepower to push down the straights, so engines are still very important. The new rules give hope to some teams. Its always going to be interesting but I have no idea how its going to influence Red Bull or Toro Rosso. ' ' '