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South Dragons coach Brian Goorjian says the Melbourne Tigers are in a league of their own and would have to “fall on their sword” not to win back-to-back NBL Championships.
The Tigers have added star import Ebi Ere, former Brisbane forward Sam Mackinnon and American guard Rod Grizzard to the outfit that edged past Sydney to claim last season’s championship.
Although Goorjian acknowledged that every club had made major off-season signings following the demise of Sydney, Brisbane and Singapore, he said Melbourne’s acquisitions had put them on a level not seen before in the NBL.
“I don’t see any one in the league near that and I think they are going to have to fall on their own sword or stumble somewhere along the line (not to win it this season),” Goorjian said.
“Just talent-wise, in my time in the league, I haven’t seen separation from one team to the rest of the competition like that, and I think that’s a negative.”
Goorjian said the “tragic” loss of the Kings, Bullets and Slingers would prove a beneficial turning point for the NBL.
“I think the fallout from that has been the teams that are here are stronger, are being run more professionally and the league … we’ve got more talent in the league and more talent on these teams than we’ve ever had before,” Goorjian said.
“I think when the ball goes up we are going to see better basketball in the NBL this year than we’ve seen in a long, long time.”
The NBL, which has merged with Basketball Australia as part of a sweeping review of the sport in the country, faces a major shake-up at the end of the season.
A key stakeholders meeting on October 11 will determine what changes need to be made.
The Dragons managed just five wins last season on the way to the wooden spoon but Goorjian, who moved to the club following the Kings’ demise, said it was an exciting time at the franchise, which has added Mark Worthington, Tremmell Darden, Mika Vukona, Rhys Carter and Adam Gibson to its roster.
But the Dragons were forced to sit back and watch as the Tigers snared last season’s MVP runner-up Ere from under their nose.
Ere originally committed to the Dragons but Goorjian signed Darden as the club’s second import instead when Ere announced he would be following his NBA dream.
When Ere failed in that bid, the Tigers swooped.
“It does add a bit of spice to the rivalry and I think the rivalry between the Dragons and the Tigers is going to be one of the highlights of the regular season,” Goorjian said.
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