CREDIT: GOERIEBLOGS.COM
Marvin Phillips was, literally, a big player for the London Lightning.

Marvin Phillips has left the London Lightning.

For many Lightning fans, the loss of Phillips is a shock. London's star player, who was so entertaining in all facets of the game, will take his skills to France.

He'll follow Jason Forte to France, as well as numerous Lightning players over the years that have applied their skills overseas.

The fact is, there is usually more money in the French, Korean and Philippian leagues, and sometimes players need to go for financial reasons. We can only assume this is the case with Phillips. He has been with London for over a year. That's very long for a player of his calibre in this league.

Phillips came to the team last fall as a NBA D-League cut. He was coming from a higher level, and quickly found himself in the starting five. There are lots of players that come into the NBLC season after other leagues make their cuts, and they very rarely make an impact. Phillips made a huge impact.

Phillips quickly became a dominant inside player. Being listed as a forward, he was the most exciting post-play player the Lightning ever had. Putting his shoulder down and his arms out, he quickly had an advantage on any player he matched up with inside.

Oh, and Phillips was jacked. Jacked. London went to having a player like DeAndre Thomas, a big body that wasn't very limber, to getting Phillips, who had a wicked vertical and wingspan to reach rebounds no one else could.

That's the other thing — London will miss his rebounding. He was a monster on the boards, averaging more than 10 rebounds per game over his entire time with the Lightning. He was fit, and he was dominant.

They will also miss his scoring. When he first came to London, he was the big option inside. Taking lots of basketballs to the hoop, he was soon found out. However, he soon found his touch from the three-point line. I'll never forget the feeling I had when Phillips first drained a three-pointer. I think everyone had the same feeling. Phillips then became a threat from all areas of the floor with defenders marking him tighter, giving his teammates even more space.

Looking back at Phillips' career with the Lightning, the NBLC Finals had to be a highlight. Final's MVP — who completely destroyed the Summerside Storm over the four games.

The Lightning are now short a big man. However, no one can replace Phillips' impact.

Marty Thompson is the play-by-play voice of the London Lightning for their livestream, SportsLive24.net.