Basketball On The Internet.

WOLLONGONG needs to bite the bullet and cut its 2011 NBL MVP Gary Ervin, replacing him with a scoring import small forward.

Right now, picture Torrey Craig running around in Hawks red instead of seated in Taipans orange.

Would he make a difference?

Would Daequon Montreal – who, like any longer-term SEABL player taking the step up, had to re-learn and adjust to the daily training demands of being an NBL player - make a difference?

As soon as small forward Tim Coenraad fell sick and was unable to compete on Friday, the Hawks fell apart against Sydney.

Matching up to NBL Player of the Week Josh Childress might have made me queasy too, but it was extraordinary how poor Wollongong looked without him.

Recruiting two point guards in veteran Ervin and new face Jahii Carson made some sense in the preseason when Rhys Martin was chasing his dream of playing in Europe.

But like CJ Bruton once heading from Sydney to Europe … and somehow winding up in Brisbane, Martin’s trek found him still in Wollongong.

Reinstating him was a good move.

Sacrificing a great energy and positive locker-room influence such as Dave Gruber was not so smart.

There are players who bring more intangibles than their stats might show – the Johnson brothers, Paul Rees, Dillon Boucher … it would be a fun list to compile and Gruber’s name would be on it.

Let’s be brutal here – Wollongong has assembled a team which should contend.

It is well-served in every position, albeit without being outstandingly served in any.

But coach Gordie McLeod’s system and nous, the chemistry and the feeling of community have been other intangibles which regularly have taken Wollongong beyond others’ expectations.

If the gap to the pack isn’t already too wide – and an eight-game losing skid since an opening round win over the Loggins-Bruton Trophy-holders is a massive chasm – the Hawks can still be a part of this.

But to be involved at the business end, the road to any title will be going through Perth for a while yet.

Duplicating imports for the same role made sense once, but no longer.

Knowing Ervin’s track record of injury, age and consistent inability to perform west of Ceduna, the choice appears obvious.

Carson is averaging 17.8ppg at 43.9 per cent, 3.1 assists, 3.4 rebounds, with 2.9 turnovers.

But he does pass the ball.

When the Hawks crashed in Adelaide, that’s not something Ervin could be accused of, making some moot point to his former club more important than winning a ball game.

Ervin, already hurt this season, is averaging 13.3ppg at 37.9 per cent, 3.1 assists, 2.5 rebounds, with 2.1 turnovers.

And remember, he already is well-versed in this competition, having been its best player just four seasons ago.

But time flies, and the Hawks sure aren’t.

Their offence can splutter horrifically and a small forward pure shooter would make such a difference.

Picture this team: Martin, Carson, Coenraad, Oscar Forman, Luke Nevill, with Demos, Brad Hill, Montreal or a Torrey Craig-type, Adam Ballinger, Larry Davidson.

And if I was Nevill, I’d get a wriggle along too and start finishing better than at an ordinary 44 per cent around the basket.

Given his range is interior, to have hit 31-70 is way below expectation.

My advice to Dave Gruber would be “stay in training and by your phone”.

The Hawks have decisions to make, and to start the flight up from the depths of the doldrums, then Gordie’s post-Kings debacle analysis of “re-evaluate” has to mean more than just some candid self-analysis.

Looking back at history though, any ballsy move seems unlikely.

Remember how long the club hung on to Showron Glover?

I’d tip a spoiler role is what Wollongong sadly will settle for in 2014-15.