Illawarra Hawks coach Brian Goorjian has labelled the public slinging match between the Hawks and Sydney Kings owners as bad for the NBL.
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The intense rivalry between the two teams exploded earlier this week when it was revealed Kings owner Paul Smith had accused Hawks owner Dorry Kordahi of spying on a Sydney training session earlier this year.
The incident occurred when the Kings were working out at the WIN Entertainment Centre prior to a pre-season game on November 27, that was later cancelled due to a COVID scare.
Both owners have publicly hit-out at their counterpart in recent days, adding further spice to Saturday's derby at Qudos Bank Arena.
The feud threatens to detract from what shapes as a high-quality clash between two championship contenders and Goorjian said he'd prefer if both clubs let their basketball do the talking.
"This side I hate, in all honesty," Goorjian said. "I'm into the basketball and what they've brought together as a group, (Kings coach) Chase Buford is huge for our league. A lot of those guys are going to be Boomer players, so I want to beat them but I'm excited by what he's doing with the basketball.
"I love this rivalry, I'm nervous for it, I want to beat them with everything I've got, but this, I don't like. I don't think it's good for our game, owners going at each other.
"I'm not making comment on the incident, but as far as him scouting for me, I wouldn't send an owner down into a venue and say 'hey watch them practice and tell me what you see.' That's something I wouldn't do."
While Kordahi dispelled the spying accusations in an interview with the Mercury on Monday, Smith reiterated his concerns in a radio appearance on Tuesday.
That led to the Hawks owner taking the extraordinary step of releasing a lengthy statement on Wednesday, refuting Smith's comments.
The incident has attracted the attention of many within the basketball community, but Hawks players are confident it won't prove a distraction come Saturday.
In fact, some including star guard Tyler Harvey were not even aware of the spying drama when facing the media on Wednesday.
"I don't even know what you're talking about," Harvey said. "I don't really look at that, I haven't followed what happened so I don't know what's going on."
Both Goorjian and Kordahi have found themselves on both sides of the NSW derby, the master coach leading Sydney to three titles.
It was during this time he formed a close relationship with Kordahi, a part-owner of the Kings in 2007-08.
Goorjian joined the Hawks last season and the prospect of fighting for the underdog was a big factor in his decision to return to Australia after 12 years in China.
"To come into a smaller market and build something and trying to punch Goliath is a different deal than sitting on top of the mountain and being the champion like we were (in Sydney) for three years," Goorjian said.
"It's a different beast and I love this. I love having this community, there's special values here. There's a special feeling in this group, it's a family. This is going back to my roots how I grew up in a community in California.
"I love coming to battle with these guys, I love the community and I love being the underdog. It's a different mindset and it's fun."
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