Headaches for Goorjian as import saga continues

At half time in tonight's game against the Hawks, Brian Goorjian’s Dragons were up by 20. But that, of course, was not his concern.

His starting small forward, and occupier of an all-too-important import slot, Tremmel Darden, was having another shocker.

He shot three field goal attempts. He made none. He shot two three-point attempts. He made none. And his stats barely improved in the second half; a late field goal in the fourth provided little consolation.

“It’s early in the year, but I see this as a ‘statement weekend’ on how we’re moving along,” Goorjian said during the week.

Whilst toppling two sides that are near-on certainties to miss the playoffs can hardly be considered a statement, regardless of the margin, the master coach was on to something. With a lengthy break, a Melbourne derby and a second clash with Cairns on the way, these were games they couldn’t afford to drop.

And so the onus was on the players to provide their “statement.”

Unfortunately, unless you’re the kind that considers scoring two points a statement, Darden did not provide.

This once again puts Goorjian under the pump.

It is fair to say the recruiting of imports earlier in the year did not go to plan. Cortez Groves, who turned it on with 25 points tonight, was on the outer during the off-season. Many expected his spot would be vacated for a new, high-profile import.

The second import slot was initially given to last year’s MVP runner-up Ebi Ere. He was a key acquisition in the Dragons’ quest for a championship.

What happened next, as they say, is history. Ere went to chase his NBA aspirations – and in the process successfully obtained a release from the club – only to go back on his word and sign with the Melbourne Tigers.

Ere’s dog act left a gaping hole. When he confirmed he’d be, err, “staying” in the States to play NBA, the Dragons set about finding a replacement.

They went with Darden, and his signature was met with much promise. Some were willing to tout him as a better player than Ere.

But now Goorjian probably can’t help but scratch his head at the way the import merry-go-round has left him. A string of bad games has put Darden on the outer.

Ironically, the man fighting for a spot before the season, Cortez Groves, has been able to answer the coach’s call.

And as if to rub salt into the wounds, the man who defected for the cross-town rivals, Ebi Ere, has burst out of the blocks at the Tigers – he was the team’s leading scorer in all three of their wins so far this season.

If Darden comes out and out-scores Ere in the Melbourne derby, I’d be the first to make him the feature of my blog’s background.

But one thing’s for sure, the status quo can’t continue. Sooner or later someone will have to come out and make a “statement.”

It's just a matter of who – will it be Darden or Goorjian?